What to say on the grand opening of a new blog? My first blog at that. Where do I start? Do I start at the beginning or do I go back a little bit further?

I could say I was born on June 24, 1981, but I was conceived about 9 months earlier. And yet even before that, there might have been ideas floating around about me. I was a fatty when I was born and I was not raised at my grandmother's farm. But did that really influence my blog? Would the blog be here if I'd been born 10 minutes earlier? It might have been a better one if I had.

Whatever might have happened between that magical moment and this blog, there is probably a better start. It could be when I started thinking that I really could contribute something. Not just about myself to any other, but about my work to a community of professionals. And as the blog world progressed from a simple collection of daily written snippets about grey-haired cats called Frizzles to a genuine personal publishing platform, it became an ideal opportunity to voice myself to a bigger world.

Or maybe it was when I finally decided that it was time to act. Time to channel that daydreaming energy into real world effort, readying my hands for an upcoming dirt battle. Ideas had to materialize, people had to be addressed, opinions had to be gathered. I leapt; maybe it was that exact pinpoint moment in time that can be flagged as where it all began.

And surely, it also started about a year ago when I found my current employer. He provided me with goggles, plenty of air tanks and a shipwreck of xhtml and css. And so I dived. Rather deep too. It got me to places worth telling about and places worth visiting with others. And so I finally got me a blog. Simple.

In the end it was tad more complex of course, but considering the scope of my grand opening, I think such matters are better left to sparkle in follow-up posts. As for where it all began, I think ultimately it begins here and now. Whatever got this blog rolling is of little importance. It's here now, it's fresh and virginal and ready to take on its own identity. I hope my posts will spark interest, be it me writing down personal ramblings or me delving into work-related articles. At least then my efforts will not have been in vain.

Proper thank yous will be handed out in the near future, so all that rests me now is to put an end to this beginning. Enjoy reading and contribute, please do.

Sincerely,
Niels Matthijs