Two years ago today — March 6, 2009 — “06880″ was born.
The first post described what this blog would be: open-ended conversations with a Westport angle, no matter how tenuous. I invited comments, feedback, tips — anything.
No one responded.
Things picked up soon — my 2nd post, on a Staples PTA’s “Risky Behaviors” panel, drew 5 comments. “06880″ was off to the races.
Time flies when you’re having fun. Exactly 2 years later, my blog and I celebrate our 2nd anniversary.
Thinking of a gift? That’s sweet. The traditional 2nd-year gift is cotton.
But I’d prefer money.
Feel free to donate as much as you wish to “06880.”
For the past 2 years, “06880” has published 1,280 posts — nearly 2 a day. Some have been international in scope — the ones on porn star Marilyn Chambers, “Paranormal Activity” star Micah Sloat and supermodel twins and “Amazing Race” stars Derek and Drew Riker still draw viewers, months later.
Others are intensely local: drivers who leave the Robeks parking lot by going directly over the curb onto the Post Road. Septic tanks. Lou Santella‘s incredible service to Saugatuck, and the town.
I’ve posted stories and photos of windstorms and blizzards, and called out clueless Westport drivers. (Amazingly, not one of those spectacularly rude people is an “06880” reader.)
It's not what you think. "WTF" referred to Wakeman Town Farm. You'd know that if you read "06880."
I’ve given shout-outs to Westport kids — international science fair winners, Justin Bieber movie contest winners, winners who overcame incredible challenges you’d otherwise never know about.
I’ve covered Al’s Angels, the Tea Party, the environment, education, restaurants, artists, oystermen, the movement for a new movie theater, and the movement of the Y.
I’ve provided a forum for wide-open discussions of anything and everything — on-topic, a bit tangential, and way, way off.
And it’s all been free. A public service, if you will.
Of course, even servants like to eat. So in honor of my anniversary, I’m making an NPR-style plea. If you like what you read, please consider supporting “06880.”
Am I worth $1 a month? $1 a week? Perhaps (my choice!) $1 a day.
If you think “06880” deserves 10 cents a day, that’s only $36.50. If you think it’s worth more — and you can afford more — well, who am I to argue?
Unlike Channel 13, you won’t get a Peter, Paul and Mary DVD. Or a tote bag. Donations are not even tax-deductible.
What you will get is the chance to help me recover a bit of the cost of registering domains, keeping “06880″ ad-free, and spending 1 or 2 hours every day interviewing, researching, writing, responding to comments (public and private), taking photos, and scouring the web for appropriate (and occasionally inappropriate) graphics.
Thanks for 2 great years. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing, whether anyone sends an anniversary gift or not.
But it would be nice.
You can donate by PayPal: click here, then go to “Send Money” and enter this email address: dwoog@optonline.net. You don’t even need a PayPal account!
Or checks may be mailed to: Dan Woog, 301 Post Road East, Westport, CT 06880. Put “06880″ on the memo line. It won’t do anything for the IRS, but it may help you remember at tax time why you sent me something.
Thanks Dan.
Thank YOU for your very generous contribution!
Very Happy Anniversary Dan… I wish you all the best ideas one can think up… I think you missed one other aspect of payment that could be very valuable and interesting… Barter!!! Your service is surely worth some goods…
Happy Anniversary Dan. You are the best!
THANKS!
I’ll send you a check tomorrow, Dan. I love this blog!!
And right back at ya: Defying Gravity is great! http://defyinggravitynow.blogspot.com/
My Pleasure. I like the info and the cast of characters. ALL OF THEM.
It makes life more interesting. Have you noticed PATCH seems to be following your lead. A day late. Your fans are far more interesting.
Never cut them off or expose them. The DEVERSITY makes it work.
No cutoffs, no exposure. It’s the “06880” formula, and it seems to work! THANKS again!
diversity, sorry, I got it confused with deviant behavior.
That works as well.
i will be sending another check. and, your headline is fabulous; happy anniversary!
Much appreciated!
Thank you Dan for being you ….. check is in the mail!
Awesome!
I can see that my lady already contributed but your check based on $2.73 a day is scheduled for March 15th. Hope you can wait that long! While your stipulation that such related cost is not tax-deductible, I disagree. For any of you self-employed out there, I consider my check a subscription cost and fully deductible. I learn more here than any local newspaper, that is for sure. I read in the NYTimes Magazine that a bored housewife on dooch.com blog is making $50,000 a month complaining about her washing machine and kids. Perhaps it is time to jump into the fray, sell your soul and market advertisements??? I am sure many local merchants, realtors and the like would be glad to have some of your space. Happy Anniversary Professor!!
THANK YOU, Dude! I never say “never,” but I’d rather be a wholly owned subsidiary of my readers than of local businesspeople. Can you imagine if (to pick a name out of thin air) Dunkin’ Donuts had bought space on “06880”?
I value my independence — and my readers. Together we go boldly forth.
A man of honor. Few left. A caveat, however, is that the dooch.com blasted Maytag so bad that they gave her a new washer plus one for the homeless shelter she selected. My favorite “Never” is Never eat Cheez-Doodles on the way to a funeral, especially if you’re a pall-barer. Our buddy Mushnick.
Well, despite all that publicity Dunkin’ Donuts didn’t even invite me over for a free donut hole.
congrats on the Anniversary, Dan! 06800…keeping discriminating ex-Pats in the loop for 730 days…and counting!
Happy to help!
The check ain’t in the mail, Dan. It’s Sunday. But it will be first thing tomorrow morning. Thanks for keeping me conected 3000 miles away.
Subject for a future blog: If all your readers and commentators feel they have an honest,fair point of view on whatever, why don’t they all use their own names?
Should be interesting.
Why don’t you read Mark Twain and find out, Mr. Singer.
I believe that is Mark Teixeira. But as a Red Sox fan, I just call him Tex-ass with due respect to the Lone Star state.
Red Sox fan? Not that you were worried, Dude, but that just gave you +10 points in my book. I’ve been a season ticket holder at Fenway since 2004 (I bought mine in December of 2003, and clearly timed the baseball market much better than the stock market).
Looks like a very good year for them this year. Yanks gonna stink w/o pitching. Enjoy!
Dude, does he play first base for the Yankees?
Google (see, I’m honest) tells me that Clemens used the name Mark Twain to symbolize life on the river. Google couldn’t find a symbolic reference for The Dude Abides, so I guess it’s another reason. In any case I (mostly) enjoy your posts.
Ah ha. I opened the door and you peeked! According to Professor Shelley Fisher-Fiskin (Staples ’67), a chair at Stanford and foremost authority on Teixeira, Sam was afraid of retaliation from his critics. He often used the pseudonym of Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass in his early works. No Google for the Dude? Try Dudolph H. Abides, my true name. 3,000 miles? What are you in China? Better Fed-Ex that check to the Professor.
Thanks, Woogie. I already gave at the office. (snarkiness intended)
Check forthcoming !
Thank you!
Dude, to illustrate how old I am, I was friends with Shelly’s dad, Milton. They
lived very near Staples and both Milton and Shelly would help with backstage chores and production stuff for the Westport Community Theatre, long before the theatre was relocated to the gym of the old Bedford Junior High. 3000
miles isn’t all that far. We’re in Sarasota, on the beautiful Gulf Coast in South
west Florida. I would Fed-Ex the check except it’s already been mailed to Dan.
Not old. I remember BJHS as Staples. Shelley and Jim Fishkin, both professors at Stanford, are our tenants each year in Westport for a month in the summer. Small world of Westport past & present. A good friend from Houston, Dr. Ernie Henley, owns Pasadena Yacht & Country Club in Gulfport down your way. Nice lay out if you play the links.
We think you’re so terrific, Dan, and a very happy 2nd anniversary! Your blog gives us so much to talk about. And even though it’s Sunday, we were able to send you a donation on PayPal. Hugs from us!
Happy to help with the conversation — thank YOU!
Congratulations, Dan on your 2nd anniversary! I cannot even begin to tell the range of emotions I’ve had reading your blog — arghh! to some of your readers! But mostly, great joy at staying connected to a wonderful home town that has changed but there are some things that will always be Westport. I love when you have pictures of familiar sites that can only mean Westport — Main Street, the Y, Compo cannons and beach, the silver bridge, Saugatuck scenes and more. So, thanks for taking time out of your day to write your blog. I wonder if you could ever do a piece on Willowbrook Cemetary? Before we moved to another part of town, we used to play in and around there a lot, lots of ball games in their field they now call the “Labyrinth.” Pretty cool place still, it seems.
THANKS for the props — and the story idea. Feel free to send along some thoughts on the cemetery (which I know has a storied history), and I’ll follow up. My email is dwoog@optonline.net. Gracias.
Happy anniversary…you are the greatest…what would Westport be without Woogs World…Lots of Hugs, Betty Lou
And what would the world be without Betty Lou?!
Dan, congratulations on your 2nd Anniversary and thanks for all you do and write about.
I’m a little late with this comment but maybe Dunkin’ Donuts is still annoyed with you from that time one summer night back in high school when you and some friends got kicked out for having no shoes on, and the rules clearly stated you must have your feet covered at all times, so you and friends took empty bags out of the trash can and put them on your feet. It was a genius move and I’ll never forget what it looked like.
And wasn’t that DD on the Post Rd right over the Fairfield line? Not sure.
Hah! I can’t believe I’m letting this very embarrassing comment stay up!
Dude, one of the reasons we’re here in the Saratoga area is the we have 15 very good ( a few great ) courses within a 15 miute drive. I live on a fairway of one. And I manage to get this Octogenarian + body on one of them a few times a week. We have everything here but good writers like Dan Woog.
And say hi to Shelly for me this summer.
Probably a Ringer. But you get up this way, let’s hit Longshore. Been playing there since ’60. Unlike most things here, the course gets better
every year!
OOps, I meant SARASOTA area. My wife went to Skidmore in SARATOGA and I still get the two interchanged.
Dan,
You have got my support! I love reading your posts…they are insightful, local, often humorous and always fun to read. Thank you so much and keep at it!
Maggie
THANKS — and thank YOU Maggie, for all you do for all of us!
Interesting that you get 147 comments on marijuana and 128 on Dunkin’ Donuts but only 40 some odd on contributions. Check is in the mail. Keep up the good work.
There’s no accounting for taste. THANKS!
After ya buy pot and caffeine, ain’t much left.
And only 15 on the school budget.
A belated “happy anniversary” – and hope that you continue for many moons to come.
I read your blog for real insight – conveyed gently and with humor – about what’s really going on in town.
Congrats, Dan on creating the best blog ever devised for keeping us Westport expats connected with the town’s past and present.