Welcome to SethBlogs. I’m your host and leading-Seth-expert, Seth.

I am not embarrassed to admit—although you may be embarrassed to hear—that it only occurred to me now, as I prepare to set sail on this online journal, that the term “blog” sounds a lot like a (ship captain’s) “log.” Indeed, I’ve just checked with Wikipedia, and it has politely confirmed that “blog” is short for “web log.”

Who knew? (I’m guessing not more than 90% of the web-going population.)

This news delights me because it’s a perfect justification for what I’d already planned to do: I intend to offer this blog as a log, not only for my current thoughts and adventures, but also for my previous ones, which I don’t think should be punished for their author’s delay in learning to blog them.

And, for those who would object that blog entries should arrive fresh and topical to the internet, the following conversation can take place:

WISE SETH: So how do you like my blog?

CYNICAL CATHY: Um, your last entry seemed like it featured an event of more than ten years ago.

WISE SETH: Very observant: yes, my millennium party story is not particularly current.

CYNICAL CATHY: Then why are you putting it on your blog today?

WISE SETH: Because I think it’s a good story.

CYNICAL CATHY: But it’s out of date.

WISE SETH: Yes, well, when you find a shipwreck, and the attached captain’s log, are you going to care if the captain posted his or her log entries ten years after the events, or are you going to be glad just to have the log?

CYNICAL CATHY: You make a good point. I could learn a lot from you.

WISE SETH: Yes, you could: I recommend SethBlogs.

And we all read happily ever after.