Nine Plus One (Rathbone)

On May 28th, Psychedelic Kimchi, this hallowed elephants' graveyard of swear words and insight from the East, turned 10.

A lot has changed since its inception. I can only speak for myself, and not for the oft-infrequent-yet-illustrious contributors of Psychedelic Kit-Kat, but I believe a lot has changed for them, too. Ten years will do that.

I got 10 years older, obviously, if not wiser (although I like to think I have). I got divorced and remarried. I've lived in seven different apartments (eight this coming Thursday), had nine different cell phones, worked at six different companies, and have helped raise two adorable dogs.

First and foremost during that period, however, is the 18th Letter, who has been living in Canada with my parents since the summer of 2007. My ex-wife was granted custody of our daughter in our divorce, but at the 11th hour she decided to relinquish custody, because, in her words, "She looks too much like you." She does. And she's better looking, kinder, and smarter than I'll ever be. No one can really tell when it comes to children and genes and environments and so on. Sometimes you get lucky, and with the 18th Letter I hit the jackpot. Corn Flakes and strawberry milk with a slice of processed cheese: breakfast of champions. My beautiful Rahnebow.

Blogs are a dying breed, and have been for some time. Personal writing is now reserved to Facebook or Twitter, and brief. Kmork, my brother from another dimension, sent me a link last year in which someone, a professor, I think, argued that social media is inherently narcissistic. I disagree. Social media can be narcissistic in the same way a knife can be a murder weapon. It's not harmful to write about oneself; in fact, it can lead to self discovery.

I think that I have, at least partially, discovered who I am during the past 10 years. I've also written some absolute garbage on this blog, but that's what learning is, right? Trial and error.

There aren't many things I've done for 10 years. The list: being alive, being a father, and Psychedelic Kimchi.

It's been real. Thank you to everyone who has ever spent time reading the ramblings of a werewolf.

I'll be around.