red_turns_21 raze today is the 21st red_blather_birthday. red was born on january 24, 2001 (010124). it was officially announced on the "red_blather" blathe on blue the next day. the first red blathes were "test" and "red". the first words ever written here were: "hi there." the closest thing i've found to an explanation for why red was created comes from something dallas said, quoted by daxle in 2002: "the red_blather was intended as a fresh start for some of the early users who were feeling alienated by what the blue one had become. now there are just two of them for no real good reason." initial reactions ranged from excitement, to indifference, to bafflement, to contempt. red never saw as much traffic as blue did back in the crazy days of old, but over time it developed its own rhythm and cast of characters, and a whole host of people filled this place with all their love, hate, hope, fear, creativity, compassion, cruelty, insight, and random_blatherings. i tried to compile a list of every 'skite who's ever blathed here. i gave up somewhere around 400. the busiest red day of all time was january 25, 2001, when 72 blathes were written. there were no days without blathes until june 6, 2006. though the level of activity and the amount of contributors went through a series of wild fluctuations, things were pretty consistently active until 2016. the writing really started to drop off after that. the most inert year in red's history was 2019. there were 288 days of silence. at one point there was a 29-day period in which nothing was written. i think dallas would have been forgiven for pulling the plug after seeing red in that state. but he didn't. we're still here. the last dark red day was july 17, 2021. i can't begin to articulate how rewarding it's been to be a part of this improbable red_blather resurgence over the last six months (though that hasn't stopped me from trying on a handful of other blathes). today is the 7,671st day of red's life. when i hit the "blather" button, this will become the 20,426th new red blathe. happy_birthday_red. here's to another 21 years of sharing our hearts and minds in words. 220124 ... past . 220124 ... nr cheers, red_blather. i am toasting you with some red_wine. 220124 ... kerry unreal! 220124 ... tender_square my six-month engagement on this site is but a blip in red’s longstanding history, and yet, whenever i read past blathes from former and current ’skites my heart is pulsing through their words; it’s as though i’ve always been here. i like to call what’s been happening in this half year a “red renaissance,” because the six of us that have been committed to showing up regularly have been painting these walls with the renderings of our love, pain, laughter, growth, and questions—a living work of art that becomes more intricate, varied, and true with each beautiful blathe added. (and hopefully our ranks are expanding with ’skites of yore reappearing from time to time with their lovely words.) 220125 ... epitome of incomprehensibility Late to the party, but I'm here with my toast of mint tea. Here's to red_blather's health, long may it thrive. 220125 what's it to you? who go blather from