A 20 or 30k SP delegation up front with a 180 day double-up clause guaranteed at 40 or 60k contingent upon my production would’ve been nice but it didn’t happen—so much for that. #steemfest tickets, roundtrip airfare for two, and somewhere to crash in Thailand the first part of November would’ve been nice, too, I should’ve asked for that. Only thing better would’ve been the tickets and the delegation combined but, I’m not picky, I would’ve settled for either given the opportunity.
I never had the opportunity. I not only did not get #steemfest tickets, I didn’t even get #steemfest monopoly money tickets and, the 30k SP and all of that clause guarantee whatever stuff I said, that never happened either. I’ll share some of the blame here, in all fairness, it’s just as much my fault as it is yours. The one feeling I try not to bring to the Internet with me when I’m on this thing might’ve been crushed if you missed my Steemit birthday had I not missed it myself. Speaking of things I’d rather you didn’t miss—check out second place in Trending this morning—go, HF22!
Eh, 
Years now. <— In case you missed the first one. Is that the weakest cover image in my two year career or what?! Pretend it’s cooler than that. When you go there, click on ‘personal,’ you’ll see: Two Years On The Steem Blockchain. Yup, I did that. Two years doing anything backed by an unpredictable bear market is worth mentioning—hence I mentioned it. It’s more than one year, we all can agree on that. I think it’s easier to have this much interaction with someone for two years, whom you’ve never met, versus this much interaction for two years with someone whom you’ve known your whole life—you know what? Scratch that, don’t tell anyone I said that.
I’ve learned a lot here. I’m repeating myself to a bunch of you but this is my first social media type experience with the exception of MySpace. The first two years have been an exciting learning process. Nothing is given here and no author takes anything for granted. As much as the content creator wants their most recent article to be their best material to date, it’s what the viewer expects. The #steem blockchain isn’t a playground where everyone gets a turn, it’s a platform where everyone who deserves a turn earned it.
I’m learning how to deal with complications surrounding a satire type persona on the blockchain—don’t! It’s tough to be funny when you’re the only one you know is laughing and everyone else is on the other side of a screen where they can’t see your manurisms, facial movements, hand gestures, nothing. Add to that, we’re surrounded by a plethora of cultures who don’t necessarily laugh at the same things you think are funny. It may not even be in their culture to laugh, imagine that—trying to make a person laugh who’s not allowed to laugh. Like driving a car without an engine—or transmission, no tires, no seats or windows or anything, either, there’s actually no car there at all and here you are expected to drive the thing—virtually impossible.
Nice to know you’re still here—thanks for sticking around. What I’m trying to say is, thanks for supporting what I’ve been doing around here the past two years. Thanks for all of your resteems, your encouraging words, your Upvotes, of course thank you for the Upvotes. I hate to sound cliche but, without you, I wouldn’t be here. No, really, I wouldn’t be here—on the top level of this public bus thumb punching a birthday letter to all of my virtual friends on #steemit while en route to Manchester England.
I’m going to let you in on a secret, it’s just us here, right? I’m going for that seven day award..... again. Remember back in April when I posted seven days in a row so I could unlock that “weekly author” award? Well, here’s how the award sets today:
I found out today was my Steemit birthday and was “yes! I have something to punch my thumbs about on the train.” Saturday is Pura’s birthday, birth birth, not block birth. I’ll try to get Saturday’s post typed up tomorrow so I’m not the guy who played with his phone so much during his wife’s birth-birthday he went blind—don’t want to be that guy! Sunday will just be a reminder letter to 
