And 472 posts later it was over

This is the end. Say goodbye to Mr. Wright. Counting this one: 472 posts in 1,244 days. It's time for this D-leaguer to finally go pro. Mat\hew C. Wr1ght, as the professional version of me is called, is now the proud owner a bonafide, real-deal photography website: mattwrightphotography.com. It's about damn time.

But since I still hold vague hopes that my lost literary love will someday return (and because I'd like to try writing a blog that I'm comfortable with my mom and employers reading), I've started a new blog to accompany the website, http://www.mattwrightphotography.com/blog/.

Please update your bookmarks, send me feedback, link to me in your blogs so I'll show up on Google, all that good stuff.

Now it wouldn't be a farewell post of sorts without some nostalgia. As Zunta did on their fourth anniversary, it's always fun to look back at that very first post, before you had any idea what would happen with that space or blogs in general, to say nothing of your life. Or, in my case, it's fun to look at that first full day of posts, which quickly established the mercurial tone of Mr. Wright's early days.

Friday, April 04, 2003

I'm not sure what I intend to do with this space. I enjoy my friends' blogs, although I used to think the entire concept bordered on lame. I'll let the purpose come to the site. Honestly, I'm a little worried about what will come out of me when I'm sleepy or drunk or in one of my venting moods, so I'll keep this under wraps for a bit.
— posted by Matt at 3:06 AM

OK, I've got a goal for this thing now, I think. I'd like to be able to write for myself in a way that other people enjoy. As is, I still feel like I'm writing for other people, trying to please them, trying to rein in my natural inclination to melodrama. I'll also post pictures on here, as soon as I figure out how. I'm entirely too sick to be up this late.
— posted by Matt at 4:20 AM

I just blew my nose so hard my ear clogged up. Now I'm chewing gum, which I hate, to slowly alleviate the pressure. Been that kind of day.
— posted by Matt at 5:12 PM

You know what, fuck this thing. I can't do graphic design for shit. I can't get that fucking gray box around the archives to disappear. Everyone I tell about this thing just makes fun of me. Fuck it. All I wanted to do was put some goddamn photos on the web. I'm out.
— posted by Matt at 6:53 PM

The Matt who wrote those words would be amazed to know that in three and a half years he would be: living in glorious domestic sin with a hot, awesome girlfriend; mulling career choices between the fucking Wa/sh|ngt0n P)st and giving professional photography a shot; be the primary photography contributor for a blog that receives 3,000 hits a day; wishing I could return to Europe; owner of a bad-ass kitten; be published in several major publications; and have a collection of 42,000+ digital images &mdash. The whole thing kind of blows me away.

Mr. Wright will remain online as an archive of all that. It simply won't be updated anymore. Of course, I'm playing up the significance of all this changeover — the new photography blog looks and will feel just like this one, but it's still kind of an end of a personal era.

Mr. Wright is dead! Long live Mr. Wright!