Welcome!

I have been toying with the idea of writing a blog for years. Yes, I realize that it appears I am on the tail end of a trend; however, I was actually blogging before it was even a concept. Way back in 2001, I began sending a series of long e-mails every couple of weeks (or months when I was taking media law and media econ) to keep my friends and family posted while I was in graduate school. Some funny, mostly newsy, these were my attempt to stay connected to the world outside of group projects, reading, reading and more reading, pimping the benefits of university housing (that was my part-time gig - yes, I said 'gig') and the oh-so-fun comprehensive exams. On the whole, these e-mails were well received and I have always wanted to get back to it.

So here I am, a mere nine years later when blogging may not even be cool anymore. No matter, I've jumped in the ocean and can't wait to see what the tide brings in.

Why American Presidents? It starts with an Atlanta book club where one of the books we read was "The Know-It-All" by A.J. Jacobs. He took on a personal challenge to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, a daunting feat indeed. He did it and managed to write a very humorous and fun, fact-filled book about it. BTW, I highly recommend the book. I also read an excerpt of his latest book, "My Life as an Experiment..." where he eliminated multitasking from his life (it's much harder than you think). Again, witty and insightful. Needless to say, I am a fan.

When I moved the our nation's capital, I became fascinated with facts about American history, and in particular, our presidents. There have been some real characters in that big white house and I became interested in learning more. So I had an idea...what if I read a biography about each president?

Not dwelling on the sheer magnitude of that idea (you know that's 44 books, right?), I went out to my Facebook friends for recommendations. I entitled it "My Own FB Project - American Presidents" and I got some very good recommendations. That post was on July 13, 2009.

Okay, so life happened and I haven't started yet. But never fear! I have actually obtained the first book. It's an ambitious one (507 pages) and aptly named, "The First of Men-A Life of George Washington" by John E. Ferling.

Tomorrow, we begin this journey together. Me, George and then the 43 presidents who follow (I'll list them for you in a separate blog), and anyone out there in cyberspace who wants to tag along. Come on in...the water's fine!