Happy Hanukkah!

Enjoy the Hanukkah Channel …

We recently celebrated the 5th year anniversary milestone, but let this post mark our 3,000th post for Wade on Birmingham.

A little statistical perspective:

• It took 561 days to reach 1,000 posts.
• Another 722 days to reach 2,000 posts.
• And then another 594 days to reach this 3,000 posts.

I’m proud of the quantity and quality of posts on this site, the first of my blogs. I have lots of ideas for posts, but never enough time to get them all out there. That’s right: I could crank out another 3,000, if only I were a bit faster.

In any case, a quick rundown of the state of the blogs.

• Wade on Birmingham — A successful 2010 so far, with great political coverage (even if the candidates weren’t always so great), an outstanding series of guest posts on the local food scene, three(!) reality shows and more. Plus, daily haiku, lively guest essays and an unflinching look at life in Birmingham. And the same dull look since 2006. (That last one is unintentional.)

• Wade Kwon.com — A terrific repository for my thousands of tweets. And not much else. Easily the most neglected of my blogs.

• Media of Birmingham — Not mine, per se, but one that I created for the organization. Also dangerously neglected, though I have some good stories that need writing and posting. I’ll have my byline on those stories from now on as others join in the site maintenance.

• Birmingham Blogging Academy — Ever since I returned from BlogWorld in October, nothing. Nada. I have a great one just two steps away from publishing, and a never-ending supply of ideas. Notice a recurring theme?

But wait, this should help explain my neglect …

• Magic City Post — More than an hundred posts in little more than a month. All about Birmingham. All focused on the positive. Meet my newest baby. We launched it on Oct. 18, and if I haven’t mentioned it here before, we’re still getting it just so. But do check it out: I’m proud of my work there and invest much of my time and energy in getting this new project moving quickly.

Thank you, my friends, for continuing to read my posts on this and many other sites. It’s truly an honor to write for you every day.

Wade Kwon is a Birmingham native and publisher of Wade on Birmingham.

What did you expect, a turkey card?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Also:

• Thanksgiving restaurant options around Birmingham
• Thanksgiving prayers from Birmingham spiritual leaders

Video: A message from the Veterans Day National Committee.

Have fun with the tricks and/or treats!

Blogging takes you places. This blog has taken me to places around the state and around the country. That may sound odd for a news site focused on Birmingham, but that’s how blogging works. It opens the door to places beyond your tiny domain.

Wade on Birmingham celebrates its fifth anniversary today. Let us look at the places charted and uncharted on the journey to date.

The blog of 2010 is not too different from the 2005 model. I still write a majority of posts, including a daily haiku. I still focus on Birmingham with occasional glances at the newsworthy in Alabama, too.

But looking closer, the evolution of this news site becomes more apparent. Nearly 3,000 posts have made this into a unique resource for the metro area, with 20 guest bloggers to date. I’ve had countless scoops and exclusives, plus special reports on everything from politics to crime to food to pop culture.

Why? Why invest so much time and effort and even a little money into this humble enterprise?

Because the opportunities continue to pour in for this online journalist.

I talked about blogging last week in Baton Rouge and will discuss it again next week in Las Vegas. I’ve already booked a speaking gig for 2011 here in town. So working on this site contributes directly to my expertise in this niche area.

Wade on Birmingham also gives me the opportunity to talk about this community: its challenges, its successes, its future. One reason why I believe many residents have become apathetic about the state of the city — and the city is in bad shape — is because they aren’t aware of the alternatives.

When you travel, you see amazing things and meet amazing people. You see how other cities have reliable and affordable buses and trains, or attractions where vacant buildings once stood. You see thoughtful development and invading tourists and hometown pride.

In short, you see the things Birmingham is not. Or the Birmingham that could be.

(I wish more of you would slip the surly bonds of Jones Valley to voyage to other places. Travel broadens the mind and ignites the soul.)

A few would prefer that Birmingham’s problems remain unnamed and unpublicized, that it creates an air of discontent. I respectfully disagree. If you want people to stop talking about the numerous long-term problems of this city, let’s solve them once and for all.

Ideas are fine. But actually working together to put those ideas in place? More of that, please.

I don’t have all the answers. But many of you do. This site is built not on one individual’s efforts, but on the collective efforts of too many people to name here. I’m eternally grateful to the readers, who never hesitate to give praise or criticism when needed.

I’m also grateful to tipsters, fellow bloggers, interview subjects, sponsors, photographers, rabble rousers and developers who had a hand in what you see before you. It really took a village.

Blogs come and go, many during these past 5 years. But this blog will be around for awhile. As blogging here has taken me places, let it carry you to the undiscovered corners of our fair city. Let it showcase the heroic efforts of everyday people. And yes, let it also continue to bring persistent problems to the forefront, so that we may defeat them rather than defer them.

Whether you came in on Day 1 or Day 1,827, welcome to Wade on Birmingham. We have a lot to talk about.

Wade Kwon is a Birmingham native and publisher of Wade on Birmingham.

• • •

First, second, third and fourth anniversary posts.

Photo: Jelani Newton, J&M Photography and Design

Enjoy your holiday with this video treat! Our pal Eric, star of the “What It’s Really Like to Work in a Music Store” videos, talked with Mashable recently about becoming an Internet sensation.

When did you start making these videos and why?
About a year ago. I never intended a series ’cause I can’t make this stuff up; it just happens. My friends liked the first one, so I started looking for those kind of situations. They’re rare; it’s like hunting snipe. Don’t ask me about my inspiration.

We posted some of our favorite videos from the series for Labor Day, because as you know, sometimes work sucks.

Video: And on keyboards …

Video: Guitar zero.

Video: “What?”

See more videos from Eric.

You look hungry.

Starving. Ravenous. Like you haven’t had a good meal in … forever.

Let us help.

We’re going to show you the best Birmingham has to offer from its kitchens. It could be your favorite restaurant, or a place you’ve yet to visit, or a recipe you’re dying to try.

Welcome to Birmingham’s Best Eats, a monthlong spotlight on our city’s finest fare. What can you expect? Taco trucks, a grits bar, cupcakes supreme, barbecue, slaw, canning, Asian markets, sweet pies, savory pies, bourbon and Buffalo Rock!

Our team of creative culinary bloggers has put together a bounty of delicious treats, yours for the taking (or reading, because it’s still a website).

Have we whet your appetite? Join us all throughout August for Birmingham’s Best Eats, only on Wade on Birmingham.

• • •

Subscribe today to receive all posts by e-mail or RSS feed.

• • •

Hungry now? Check out our Birmingham restaurant guide.

• • •

besteats.wadeonbirmingham.com

Photo by Kenny Louie, Creative Commons 2.0 license.

Celebrate your freedom, Americans! Enjoy two free concerts around town today, plus fireworks on Red Mountain.

Video: “Fireworks” from Schoolhouse Rock!

“Celebrate the independence of your nation
by blowing up a small part of it.”

“Now which way to the welfare office?”

If you really want to honor the soldiers who gave their lives for this country …

Vote on Tuesday.

Also:

• Memorial Day 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006
• Vote 2010 coverage

Video: A look at the best from Peeps Show IV.

Have a joyous Easter, y’all!

And take a few minutes to admire the wonderful Peeps Show gallery from the Washington Post.

With spring nearly upon us, you may be in the market for a new house. Or condo. Or just a fresh new apartment to rent.

It’s a buyer’s market these days, but you still need to know what’s available right now.

Our new Birmingham Real Estate page has up-to-date listings for the metro area, brought to you by local professionals. Check in any time day or night to see the latest open houses, properties for sale or for rent.

And if you’re looking for an apartment, we have a special $10 application fee discount available.

Home buyers, apartment dwellers:
Visit Birmingham Real Estate today.

I started using Twitter on Feb. 4, 2009. As @WadeOnTweets, it’s been a great way to stay informed, connect with old friends and complete strangers and let people into my life.

I’ve been lucky enough to attract more than 1,700 followers and spout off nearly 9,300 tweets. I put together this short video to show my favorite tweets from the past year.

• Music: “Nostalgia” by Alexander Blu (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license)
• My friend Erin Shaw Street, @erinshawstreet, joined Twitter around the same time and loves it.
• Special Birmingham Twitter lists for nonprofit groups, real estate and restaurants.
• This post cross-posted at Birmingham Blogging Academy and Wade Kwon.com.
• Follow @WadeOnTweets on Twitter.

Happy Martin Luther King Day! Enjoy this 18-minute video of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, a reminder of what this day is about:

We have come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Decade!

Celebrate, shout and breathe a sigh of relief. All the best in 2010 for Birmingham and beyond.