As 80-something celebrates another birthday, no one could be more surprised than me. If I had known in January, 2008, that I would still be writing twice-weekly in January, 2025…
Until Peter died three years ago, he contributed a once-yearly post that was always welcomed by readers. This year, I have asked our two sons, Seth and Jeremy, to step in to share their experience as blog stars. Today’s post is Jeremy’s.
“While middle-aged dads are known to avoid the spotlight, I have spent recent decades seeking it out. I don’t recall being starved for attention as a child, and 80-Something Blog loyalists know I have a loving – if not doting – mother.
But something in my DNA has led me on an intentional, often wacky – and always fruitless – pursuit of fame. I once founded a company that got me an interview in the Baltimore Sun; I go all-out on Halloween (can you believe Kornacki didn’t retweet this?). I’ve been on a billboard, handled the family holiday mailing, created a comedic riff on Clifton StrengthsFinder, sponsor an annual clementine-eating contest, and performed rap (and Sinatra) on Chilean buses.
My never-ending effort has even led me to seed this blog post with self-serving links in hopes that a reader will discover me and extend my twelve or thirteen (fifteen seems too generous an estimate) minutes of fame. Geesh, what does a guy need to do to get a couple million fans around here?
Alas, my sports photography Instagram account boasts just 190 followers at the time of this writing (but maybe nearing 200 by the time you read this??).
Despite all that effort, it’s become clear that my most prodigious flirtation with fame has been here on the 80-Something Blog, representing the Maryland Kugels in regular – if generally unauthorized – appearances.
So, dear readers, I thank you for allowing me to become at least sorta famous. It may never get better than this. And that’s totally OK by me.”