7th January 2002
Hi all,
First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our readers.
Bit of a step back in time this week, as we go into the history of the Bizarre Thought for the Week...
May 1998 - I had just moved house, I had just started going out with Lorraine, my life was making some major changes. Possibly the least significant thing was getting to grips with the distribution list feature in Pegasus Mail, but as a bit of fun the Bizarre Thought for the Week started.
Initially it was light hearted, something to raise a smile as the weekend came to a close and the working week loomed large. Of course with the fun (cough, splutter) I had working at Bird Semple it enabled me to rid myself of some frustrations in a light-hearted way.
February 1999 - A busy time and the onset of Glandular Fever result in a few other people taking the reins on an occasional basis.
May 1999 - Left Bird Semple, not of my own choosing, but probably in better timing than I would have planned myself. I leave behind a place I would sooner forget, but go with lots of "material" that I have used before and can draw upon again.
At the same point lots of subscribers e-mailed me, offering support, advice and even simple "chin-up" remarks. They were appreciated! By this point the subscription readership is around the illustrious "20" mark, and executives at magazines like "Time", "Newsweek" and "People's Friend" are reportedly "(not) shaking in their boots".
April 2000 - Neil gets completely lost while sight-seeing with Lorraine in Dumfries and Galloway. I don't know why Lorraine is laughing because she was map-reading! (Sorry, but that line will always be funny.)
July 2000 - Lorraine and I get engaged. The whole event is totally overlooked in my weekly ramblings for some strange reason (I've no idea why!).
October 2000 - Domain time! The trulybizarre.co.uk domain is snapped up for our usage. The readership hovers around the "25" mark. Some of those 25 are actually thought to read it. Editors of numerous company newsletters let out a collective yawn.
August 2001 - The trulybizarre.co.uk site moves to a virtual server, and starts to have its archives filled.
September 2001 - Lorraine and I got married (just in case you missed it).
December 2001 - The annual "Year in Review" quiz gets a record number of entries. Executives at Bananalotto.co.uk fail to notice.
So that is a basic summary of our history to date. The thoughts have developed a bit over time, as I've tried to consciously move away from being personal about people ("Ooh, Joycey!") and widen what I write about somewhat (by the way, other writers are given a pretty free reign, so if they take a pop at me that is their prerogative).
Being somewhat more serious for a second I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the subscribers for all their e-mails, links, stories, jokes, laughs, and even the serious stuff they send onto me in response to the weekly e-mails. Your responses make it all worthwhile, I just hope that ultimately I cheer you all up as much you cheer me up.
Have a good week!
Tony
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