HAPPY 2ND BLOGGIVERSARY, VARSITY BASKETWEAVING!

Two years ago today, I had a dream. I don't remember what it was about, but it probably involved a cliff, some clowns, a pretty girl and Herve Villechaize.

Anyway, after I woke up that morning, I decided to launch this blog and write this post. Little did I know that it would lead to bigger and better things, particularly in its second year.

Between the first VB anniversary and November 2006, things were pretty typical in my blogosphere. In those six months, I wrote some things and some of them were allegedly amusing.

Then on Nov. 15, I decided to make a commitment to this wacky thing and buy the domain name www.varsitybasketweaving.com. Because, y'know, so many people were spilling blood to try to get it.

Exactly one week later, I analyzed an old music video that appeared on PBS' "Reading Rainbow." VB attracted an unprecedented number of visitors -- 6,000-plus in a day, 12,000-plus in nine days -- after high-profile Web sites GorillaMask and Cracked linked to the post.

Less than a week after that, because of Varsity Basketweaving, I was invited to write the first of many posts for Suburbarazzi, my newspaper's blog about celebrities with a connection to New York's Lower Hudson Valley. Within weeks, Suburbarazzi enabled me to interview one of the first stand-up comedians I ever liked (Kevin Meaney).

Two days after singer/songwriter John Mayer returned to the Comedy Cellar Jan. 5 to perform stand-up, I gave a 10-point synopsis of his unannounced show and published an exclusive photo on Varsity Basketweaving. Comedy Central, Gawker, Gothamist, Brooklyn Vegan, The Apiary and Stereogum all linked to the item, and there was much rejoicing.

The next week, I began writing for The Journal News' TV blog, Remote Access, primarily to cover "American Idol." One week after my first Remote Access post, I became a WVOX-Radio guest on a weekly basis to discuss entertainment on Phil Reisman's "High Noon" broadcast. (Thanks again, Phil!)

Because of all three of these blogs, I also attended NBC's first annual Blogger Summit in New York City.

The last week of February was all about sprucing up VB. Within a one-week span, Varsity Basketweaving joined the BlogBurst network, had a new logo, incorporated Google Ads (which don't look half-bad!), installed RSS feeds of Suburbarazzi and Remote Access, and showcased perhaps my favorite widget: the lovely Label Cloud upgrade that's simultaneously color-coded and size-dependent to indicate blog topic frequency.

In March, the two Journal News entertainment blogs allowed me to conduct exclusive interviews with fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi and Fox 5 anchorman Ernie Anastos. And on March 5, I launched my Headline Punchline blog that features "actual headlines, marginal punchlines." It's been on hiatus since April 8, but I hope to get back to it soon.

This month, I began appearing regularly on RNN-TV as an on-air correspondent for Suburbarazzi, which might never have happened if I hadn't first made my mark with Varsity Basketweaving.

In truth, these last couple of months have featured fewer Varsity Basketweaving posts than the previous 10. That's due to a few factors, including a few changes in my work schedule and beat, as well as more frequent postings to both Journal News blogs -- especially as "American Idol" wrapped up. But I hope to pick up the pace and continue to post interesting content on here for years to come.

Thanks for reading and commenting these last 24 months! Here's to more 'Weaving!