The primary joy of rebuilding a website is that you no longer have to look at the former version of your website. I cringe at my early attempts and I’d be naive to think that I won’t cringe at this attempt when looking back on it 40 years from now. In order to save myself from future embarrassment, I should probably publish nothing at all and remain an anonymous hermit. The image below is the homepage from my first website – 2006 – built in Adobe Flash. I was convinced that Flash was the future. I was convinced that my design was edgy and attractive. I was wrong on both accounts.

Furthermore, I recognize the inherent bias of any personal website, constructed by its author to portray themselves in some way for some reason. Whether or not I choose to acknowledge it, some of what’s said and seen here probably tends toward flourish, the expression of a state of mind that was sure of its truth only at the time of its making. The image below is the homepage from my website on pause – 2010 – after Apple abandoned Flash. I was convinced that the issue would resolve itself. I was convinced that my font choice showed character. I was wrong on both accounts.

And so, I publish now with a full understanding that websites begin to feel outdated from the moment they’re published. I say without a doubt that I won’t fail in keeping bkjournalism fresh and updated even though I never have before. As sure as I was in 2006, I’m sure in 2022. And when I pen the next version of myself in the next version of my life, I’m sure I’ll look back with a laugh or a grunt, confident that I’m still making progress, getting closer to some truth.