Say, gang! Let's all drink a toast to eight whopping years of pointless blogging

That's right, eight years ago today, Sept. 13, 2004, I first put fingers to keyboard and, for no particular reason, fired up the blog you're reading. Other big news from that fateful day?

Noah Wyle was quitting "ER" after 10 years. (He'd be back.)

Dougray Scott was going to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond. (He wouldn't.)

Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott signed to star in the big-screen version of "The Dukes of Hazzard." (Unfortunately, they did.)

And what was I doing? I was writing the following post, which takes an almost (I said almost) charmingly innocent look at an Internet that didn't yet know about Twitter and barely knew Facebook. So here's what I wrote:

Welcome to the future! Now leave!

You know, when I first became aware of the Internet back in the mid '90s, I figured it was the turn of the century version of the CB radio. Lots of people talking to each other, using crazy "handles," without a whole lot to say. 

But now that I've been "surfing the Web" (as the kids say) for about 10 years now, I've got a whole new respect for the Internet, and realize it's not the CB radio of the 21st century. Nope, it's more like the adult bookstore near the off ramp of the 21st century, except it's so big it takes up the entire interstate system, leaving a tiny little bike ramp for all the other content. Content like insane political conspiracies, 12th-generation nude photos of "Star Trek" extras and "Manimal" fan fiction. Oh, and plenty of pop culture blather....which, naturally, is where I come in.

 I signed up for this blog on a whim, and really have no idea what I'm going to fill it with. If it's like most of my other projects, look for a whole lotta nothing. But, on the offhand chance I actually follow through on something, it could be fun. Or at least something to look at when you're pretending to work. 

All together now: EIGHT MORE YEARS! EIGHT MORE YEARS!