Three years ago today at 12:20 p.m. I hit the internet wilderness. I signed up at WordPress to write this blog.The first post was “Hello World” and it was an automatically generated post.
When I hit that enter key, I really didn’t have anything specific in mind other than the fact that I’m a writer and I need to write. It’s not one of these, “I like to write” points of view.
I’m not big on diaries, memoirs, journals and writing posts about what the family did on their summer vacation. Members of my family are usually spending time scratching their keesters, pooping on the nearest toy or they’ve decided to throw their breakfast at the wall. So you won’t see a lot of posts about my heading out to the Grand Canyon or Wally World with the kids.
It’s very simple:
I. Have. To. Write.
This is what I have to face every day:
My Friend…and sometimes nemesis.
Sometimes I’m not real thrilled about it. But I have to. To me, it’s as natural as breathing. Or eating ceviche.
I really had no idea what direction Parrot Nation (PN) was going to go. I had no idea where I was going to take it, or where it would take me.
It’s funny sometimes. I now exist online. That is indeed where a nice portion of the interesting parts of my life now exists. I don’t mean that I spend my life online. I simply mean that my identity has been put out there. My words are there. My writing is there. So are my opinions and my ideas.
My adventures are here. Penguins. Elephants. Lemurs. And of course, parrots and occasionally people.
It got scary at times. I’d get riled up about something and post my opinion. I thought I’d get flamed or at least get a trip behind the woodshed.
Instead, these posts where I rant about something that bothers me became well-read. Responses came in. People seemed to like the posts where I am upset and honked off. I can only venture to guess that they were about as honked off as I was about the very same things. The only difference is that I wrote about it. I became their voice, the thought in their head. I suppose I validated the same damned thing they were thinking.
However, over the years, PN became more than just a blog. More than just a place where I wrote. It became a place where other people could come and voice their opinion. It became a platform for other people, other causes and ideas.
It became something else:
Parrot Nation came into its own.
I’ve written posts for Parrot Nation in hotel rooms, hotel lobbys waiting for a van to the airport, in bed, in airports, sitting in the back of a plane, even sitting in the back of a hotel room listening to a lecturer. The word multitasking took on a new meaning for me.
It’s times like that when I can make everything else go away and it’s just me and the words.
I really hadn’t hoped for anything for PN other than I wanted it to remain alive and breathing. I wanted it to take on that life and in turn, teach some people, lead others somewhere, or spark someone’s imagination. I wanted people to think.
And I didn’t want them to just think about parrots. I wanted them to expand, to grow, to imagine and to morph into something more than what they were before. And I wanted them to have fun doing it.
Somehow, I wanted to make a difference to the world.
I’m sure as I move on with this blog, it might change direction. It might turn into something other than what it has been. I’m hoping it becomes better; easier to navigate and more fun to interact with. I have some thoughts about adding some features and a layout that will be more in service to the viewer.
Eventually, I’m sure I’ll take it independent. I have the domain rights to the name and while going further out into the wilderness on my own is scary at best, I hope to be able to sprout some wings and head out on my own beyond the safety of WordPress. But it’s fairly snug in here and with three hundred and seven posts in three years, I’ve never had a problem.
I’m happy to have been able to keep it going for this long and hope to continue. I have a lot more adventures in the animal world planned.
I’m also going to jump into the technology of the twenty-first Century. I lug my laptop with me on trips. It’s a great laptop and I love it more than my luggage. But then there’s that little issue with my nine dollar cell phone that’s made of wood…
I’ve had enough. I’m getting an iPhone. I’m also going to work a little extra overtime, tighten my belt and spring for an iPad. I just can’t stand it any more. I’m taking the plunge because my wooden phone just isn’t making it.
Photo at “appleinsider.com.
There’s a lot more in store for PN. Keep on eye on it, because I have lots of ideas, tons of things to write about and even more in store in the next year or so. I want to wrap this up by thanking all of my wonderful supporters. The people who subscribe and who have stuck with me through the years, left commments, offered suggestions, entered the contests and forwarded the posts they liked to other people.
You’ve kept me going and kept me writing. You made the difference to me. I deeply appreciate it. I will drink champagne and toast to all of you who have been so supportive and encouraging: The Cincinnati Zoo, Bird Talk Magazine, Best Friends, Bird Lovers Only, Hungry Bird, BeakBook, Best In Flock, Heckled By Parrots, Phoenix Landing, and all of the other blogs and websites that found my content to be of any worth. Thanks to Susan Friedman who began this “writing thing” for me, Janet and Cameron, Deb White, Irene Pepperberg and Arlene Levin, Jacque, Steve Malowski and Carol, Kent and Evelyn, Irena, Silvia, Lindalee, Shari, Nan, Bill, Lisa Licare, Jason Crean, Aminah, my editor Jessica Pineda, Beverly, David Cutler, (He’d kill me if I didn’t put his full name here…) Gio Benitez, Melissa Kowolski, Melanie Phung, Odd Todd, the “Choppettes” and the Fort Lauderdale Mafia Flight Crew. And if I forgot to mention you, I’m sorry. I’ll update the list.
As I said, I don’t know the future of it. I can tell you this: I’m unsure what PN morphs into next. But whatever it decides it’s going to become, it will always be honest.
Thank you all for the great ride. I know it’ll get even better. I’ll be celebrating today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
June 25, 2011 at 10:52 am
Congratulations Patrica! You are among very few people I know that would have the discipline to work so hard over the last three years on your blog Parrot Nation. Even more amazing is that you continue to offer us interesting, humorous and intelligent content.
Kudos,
Kent and Evelyn
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June 25, 2011 at 11:06 am
Congratulations! I’m looking forward to reading many more!!
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June 25, 2011 at 11:20 am
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL AT PN when i first signed up i had just temporarily agreed to look after a friend two hahns miniatures everyone said i was mad and to start with i agreed with them as i didnt have a clue what i was doing then someone told me to check out parrot nation since then i have learnt how to make chop ive even made a human/parrot version so we can all eat together i had no choice as scoobie my little boy hahns used to craftily pinch food off my plate and i became concerned that what i was eating may not have been right for them so as the old saying goes if you cant beat them join them so i have adapted as much of my diet as physically possible to be like theres but that is just one change that pn has made to my life you have given me more confidence as a person and parrot handler in general than anything else i was only talking to a friend of mine the other day about you after i forwarded you post on heroes and villains on to her as she has a grey by the name of rio hes only 33 weeks old so we nicknamed the picture of the supergrey rio of which he liked lol but i was saying to her how fantastic it would be if you could come over to the uk as i would be one of the first to buy tickets to attend the lecture. not only have you extended my confidence in the home with my guys but i was always scared before of the bigger macaws i think it was a case of the size of the beak and lack of confidence then one day my friend came round and told me we were going out i thought it was to our favourite shop for more supplies for the guys where yes they have parrots in the store but they are all safe in cages but no we ended up going to tropical birdland here in the east midlands of the uk not only that but the birds there have access to open flight and there were macaws everywhere two even landed on me normally i would have panicked but for some reason i went with the flow it was like heaven so much so that i have contacted them again and got consent that when my time to cross the rainbow bridge into eternal bird land comes my ashes are being buried there under a tree where most of the parrots spend the majority of their day chatting amongst themselves but that is in the future for the immediate present in the next couple of weeks i am buying my first official hahns shes 6 years old and the youngest of the three as i went on to long term foster and hopefully in the near future adopt the other two as i love them with every piece of my heart so my friends may have been right in the beginning saying i was mad but i feel i have come along way physically and mentally since then and now i protect my guys as they do me all the way
in closing i would just like to add that no matter where the next three years may lead the one thing you must not ever do is finish parrot nation as we all love you and im not just talking about me and the birds here in my small insignificant family but i mean within the family of parrot nation followers
enjoy your celebration you’ve deserved it!
lots of love always
jane, scoobie and ralphie
xxxxxx
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June 25, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Big, fat, sparkly, squawky congratulations to you, Patricia! 😀
Looking forward to reading Parrot Nation for many, many years to come!
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June 25, 2011 at 8:36 pm
Happy Anniversary to PN! Congrats on hitting the 3 year mark. It amazes me what you can accomplish with your blog in 3 months, let alone 3 years. I’m so honored to be your friend!
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June 26, 2011 at 9:44 am
Happy Anniversary! Your’s was one of the first parrot-related blogs I found and quickly added to my Google Reader. You have such a great voice for letting people into the world of parrots and other birds, their people and the world they live in. Best wishes for the future and whatever it holds!
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June 26, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Congrats on your anniversary! Cheers. Look how far you have come. You have much to be proud of! Spreading the education is a good thing!
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June 27, 2011 at 8:48 am
Congratulations! And many more to come! I’m a big fan of your educational Chop posts and demonstrations! I think you’ve helped so many people begin to offer a greater variety of good food to their birds.
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June 27, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Congratulations, I hope that you continue to write and blog just the way you have been these past years. I love your blog and most of the posts I’ve read here inspired me and got me thinking on whole new levels. You really do have a great talent for relating to your readers and getting people interested in what you are writing. Thanks! 🙂
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June 29, 2011 at 5:52 am
You have such an amazing gift, an amazing voice and an amazing way of putting into words what we mere “non-writers” think. Some of us are given gifts…..Thank God you have chosen to share your gift with all of us. Here’s to the future….whatever it may bring…….
PS…..just make sure if someone asks you to come to an event you know EXACTLY what city you need to fly into!
Thanks for being a friend……in oh so many ways!
The Ze’ Birdy family loves ya!
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