Happy Panda-versary!

Two years ago today, something wicked this way came. It has been a pox upon both the English language and the blogosphere in general. The architect of this diabolical blog is a former soldier with a very bad attitude. In short, this evil takes the form of a size three, tattooed, usually pregnant, minx whose sole vocabulary is made up of “sentence enhancers.”

But I just call her Pandy.

What Panda? debuted on January 30, 2005 with the force of Hurricane Katrina, and it hasn’t stopped since. In her two years of blogging, Pandy has changed templates 258 times, changed her hair color/style 47 times, and changed her blog name 18 times – although I actually know her real first name. Don’t worry, Pandy, I’m not telling.

Of course, when you get past the tough exterior and the less-than-welcoming templates, you find real gold. For this Panda, born and bred in semi-captivity, has a lot to say.

And you should be reading it.

You should be reading about how her husband (Sparky) made the selfless decision to begin another tour with the Army, even though it would move their ever-growing family to Italy. And no, Pandy doesn't speak a word of Italian. Well, she probably knows Italian "sentence enhancers," but that's all.

You should be reading about the time she stated her intention to run for President in 2012, her first year of eligibility. You should be reading about her new sidebar edition - an American Cancer Society Awareness Badge - which she is asking her friends to add to their blogs. And you should be reading about the pride she feels while serving her country . . . even if she gets a little dirty while doing it.

But most of all, you should be reading What Panda? because unlike some bloggers (read: me), she doesn't pimp herself out for Site Meter hits. She writes for herself, and if people read, they read. If they don't, they don't. That's her style; her charm. A style and charm that should get a lot more exposure, because it is a crime when a blogger of her caliber has a mere 8,769 hits in two years.

It would be great if y'all stopped by her place and wished her a Happy Panda-versary!