Four years is a long time.
Four years marks some significant milestones in my life. I went to UC Berkeley for four years. My wife (then girlfriend) and I lived in our last apartment for just over four years. And as of today I’ve been blogging for four years.
During all of these four-year time periods, much has happened and I’ve grown so much. My years at Berkeley were marked by my evolution into an activist, my years in our last apartment by my growing love for my then girlfriend and my growing love for Oakland, but these four years blogging are a bit more difficult for me to define succinctly.
So I thought I’d mark them here with the blogoaksphere successes that stand out for me. These victories could not have been won without the help of multiple bloggers and blog readers. There are many more blogoaksphere successes, I’m sure, but these are the successes that mark my four years of blogging at Living in the O:
- 2008-2011: Hosting four blogoaksphere parties, bringing bloggers and blog readers together in person
- 2009: Turning a surface parking lot into a public arts space
- 2009: Raising more than $2000 for the Alameda County Community Food Bank in the Blogoaksphere Holiday Food Drive
- 2009-2010: Getting FTA & MTC to redirect $70 million in stimulus funds from the Oakland Airport Connector to Bay Area transit agencies
- 2010-2011: Stopping the spread of surface parking lots downtown
- 2011: The League of Women Voters honoring Oakland bloggers with Making Democracy Work Awards
- 2011: Turning an auto-centric McDonald’s plan in Temescal into a more pedestrian friendly design
Wow. Looking back, it’s incredible to think about how much we’ve accomplished.
Unlike the other two four-year periods that significantly mark my life, this one’s not over. I look forward to many more years blogging, interacting with and further growing the blogoaksphere, and winning more victories together.
If you’d like to celebrate my blog’s birthday with me, please “like” Living in the O on Facebook or share the blog with a friend or two.
Past anniversary posts:
- 6/8/10: Living in the O’s Third Birthday
- 6/8/09: Living in the O’s Second Birthday
- 6/8/08: Living in the O’s First Birthday
Living in the O 
Happy blog birthday! Here’s to many more years of Oakland blogging!
Awesome! Proud to have played a small part in some of the successes. Let’s celebrate with cocktails!
Cocktails sound fun! I’m going to a low-dollar fundraiser for Brothers on the Rise tonight at the Washington Inn from 5:30-7:30. Anyone who wants to celebrate – meet me there! BOTR is asking for contributions, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
All the info’s on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=210430668986425
And here’s some info about the organization:
BOTR provides empowerment services to at-risk boys in Oakland to help them make positive choices as they navigate their journey into becoming young men. They provide a speaker series to help guide youth, mental health services to support youth in dealing with emotional challenges, and after school tutoring and career training to help youth see that they can have a bright future regardless of their life circumstances. The purpose of the event is to help introduce BOTR to more partners in the community and to help BOTR expand its fundraising resources so they can provide more services to Oakland youth.
Happy Birthday to Living in the O! And congrats on all the accomplishments… I’m sure there’ll be many more to come. You rock!
Happy Birthday! Keep up the great work, both on and off the blog!
Congratulations – keep up the great work!
How did I miss this? Maybe a gig that’s contributed to sleep deprivation. But still. I can’t wait for a little space next week to savor all those posts again. Congratulations, and thank you! That’s definitely not enough. I love what you’ve contributed to Oakland, and I’m so glad to be working with you on these issues. And yes, as Dave C. says, “Happy Birthday! Keep up the great work, both on and off the blog!”