I started this blog 5 years ago today, on October 9, 2005, with a simple plea: "Send Airbeds!" I started blogging to help our community efforts to assist people in Louisiana who had been hit hard by Hurricane Katrina. I had been sending numerous long-winded, information-laden emails to my local parents' club, and someone suggest that I start a blog to get the word out on our efforts. One of the dads in our club was an investor in Six Apart (Typepad's parent company). He sent me a code to use, and the next thing I knew, I was a blogger.
At that time, I had no idea what a blogger was, or how to blog, or whether the blog would continue after the relief effort was done. Five years later, I'm still here, and at times, still wondering the same things. Blogging has evolved from navel-gazing self-reflection to big business in those five years, and it's been quite a journey for me. I've made friends with people all over the world, been wined and dined by large corporations, and expressed my opinions on everything from politics to flavored coffee.
What a long, strange trip it's been.
Fifteen years ago, I was blessed to meet a man who loves travel, solar eclipses, and me (but not necessarily in that order). Every day with Frank (and later with the addition of our son Alex) has been a grand adventure. This blog has helped me chronicle our family travels to far-flung corners of the world, from a total solar eclipse in the Sahara Desert to the calving glaciers of Greenland to the crowded markets of Tianjin. It's my personal journal, my creative outlet, and lately, my brand.
I may or may not be an expert on travel or politics or social media or anything else for that matter, but one thing I am an expert on is my life. So, this blog evolved from a community service-to mom-to travel-to whatever blog, just like my life.
So, to thank all of you who have happened by here, either once in a while or just this minute, I am giving away a great prize: a Sony Dash. What, pray tell, is a Sony Dash? It's a cool little gizmo that you can keep in your kitchen, on your nightstand, or anywhere you want to be able to quickly access your Facebook account, Twitter stream, Flickr Photos, the latest weather and traffic report, music, videos, and more. It's a personal internet portal for your home. Think of it as an alarm clock on steroids.
I use mine as a digital photoframe most of the time, showing my favorite pictures from Facebook and Flickr, and for checking the New York Times headlines in the morning, finding recipes, and a way to check up on what my friends are up to on Twitter.
Recently, because I'm a blogger! yo! Sony invited me and a dozen or so of my most awesome momblogger friends to demo the Dash at a lunch party hosted by the Clever Girls Collective and Roxane of Rox and Roll. They gave us each a Dash of our own (mine is called Dash Riprock) and one to give away. I decided to celebrate by giving it away on my Blogaversary.
So, if you would like a Sony Dash Personal Internet Viewer
I have to admit, I hate doing giveaways. I like giving things to people, but giveaways involve way more time than I have to commit. So, in order for me to do it, it has to be something really, really good. This is. Trust me.
Disclosure: Sony Corporation gave me 2 free Sony Dash personal internet devices. I kept one and am giving away the second. I also received a meal, a $25 gift card from Marlowe in San Francisco for attending the Sony Blogger Luncheon. I did not receive any other compensation or incentive to post about Sony or the Sony Dash. All opinions expressed herein are my own and do not reflect the opinions of the Sony Corporation, or Marlowe Restaurant.
