It's hard to believe this site began nearly three years ago when I had only a vague understanding about blogs. My brother suggested that we start one to promote our screenwriting, and after returning from a European vacation, I began $2 Dollar Productions with this tiny post in October 2004:
"I just arrived back to the U.S. after a tour through Italy and Ireland , red wine and Guinness and too many public bathrooms where you had to pay to enter. But it's nice to come back and find this thing off and running and chronicling our attempt to write and sell a comedy script from the ground up. We'll see. In the meantime, a brutal and savage re-write is needed before anyone should be subjected to actually reading this thing."
That was like dipping your toe in the deep end of the pool, and I quickly realized that I could not fathom a blog which focused solely on my writing experiences because there are only so many posts detailing how I:
A) Sat alone listening to music and writing
B) Drank beers with my brother and discussed plot points for the scripts
C) Sat naked, drinking coffee and cursing myself for being unable to write a decent scene
The act of writing itself is highly individualistic, and about as entertaining to the outside world as Kevin Federline trying to perform Hamlet on Broadway (which might actually be very entertaining now that I think about it). 
Besides, I had scripts to write and a life in transition as I was moving from Plano to Austin, shifting careers from personal training to technology, and still figuring out the blog universe.
And so $2 Dollar Productions languished, malnurtured and neglected, while waiting to ultimately provide an island of reality in a sea of diarrhea. It wasn't until May 2006 that I began producing more than 2 - 5 posts per month. 
At that time, I decided to simply write about whatever was on my mind with the exception of politics or religion, topics which I find personally interesting (and enjoy reading about from others), but don’t care to blog about because they typically lead to like-minded people affirming your beliefs or opposing forces who tend to check reason at the door.
Life is too short, and it is also too frequently irritating to dwell on depressing topics in this space. I prefer to throw humor at things, policies and people and attempt to laugh because I've always found that to be a fine way to cope. So, $2 Dollar Productions has focused on movies and music, breasts and buffoons, failed endeavors, vacations, Hollywood, pornography, and an extended fitness modeling odyssey that took me from Austin to New York City. 
I also tried to come up with original series ideas, which I tend to like, and by the numbers they are:
The Greatest Sex Around - 9 entries
Bathing With The Drunken Viking - 13 entries
Lesser of Two Evils - 8 entries
Explain Yourself & Your Music - 3 entries
Up On The Mountain - 13 entries
Is It Really Cheating If - 11 entries
Quick Hit Friday - 50 entries
Since life tends to be circular, there will be much more forthcoming about the actual screenplays, and what might happen to them. Both comedy scripts are now wrapped and ready, and my brother and I are currently putting together marketing material and tapping anyone we know whose second cousin's, half-brother's ex-plumber's kid might know somebody who can read and/or help get a movie made from outside of Hollywood.
Hell, comedies are cheap, and if they're funny, they make a profit. We'll see.
But regardless of my initial reason for this blog, it's been a highly enjoyable ride, a journey that has given me a unique chance to interact with people from around the world. One of the best things about this medium is the opportunity to discover others that you would likely never come into contact with, yet the Internet makes it possible to be suddenly thrust into their minds - for good or ill.
It's been more than fine from my perspective, and just like people you see in everyday life, bloggers drop in and out at random. Others are dependable for the long haul, and it's the general diversity of ideas across the spectrum and the people that express them which keeps things interesting for me.
I feel very lucky to have made it this far, to have come into contact with interesting people and survived these past three years relatively unscathed. "Buy the ticket, take the ride" as Dr. Hunter S. Thompson used to say, and I believe that to be true just as strongly as my own opinion that the best is still to come.
{Editor's Note: $2 Dollar Productions will be taking the week off to re-charge some creative juices, and recover from the 500 post celebration}
-BDS
Congratulations on your 500th!! It's interesting you had 50 Quick Hit Fridays as well. You don't realize how addictive blogging is until you do it, and you got me wondering how long I have been at it, so I checked and it's been a little over 2 years for me. I've had a crazy ride as well with various people(good and bad) and hope to read a whole lot more from $2 Productions in the future. Have a good break and I think we're due for another "Lesser of Two Evils" post when you come back...
Hunter S. also said "Electricity, elecricity. It will kill you if it can." Then he would say something completely unrelated but as if it were. So happy 500th. Here's to many more. If nothing else, you've made me want a Shiner Bok - which I've never heard of before.
Congrads!!!
Jlee - Thank you, and it's one of those cliches that is also true - it's semi-amazing how quickly time moves. You're also right about the evil thing, which I'll work on and let's hope it's not as crazy for me.
Getoffmylawn - That's a good quote as well (I find he has a lot of them which can be used for many different situations). As for Shiner, I just had one last night and if you like dark beer, it's pretty damn tasty.
WhatIGot - Thank you as I like round numbers and celebrations.
congratulations, and i look forward to watching your movie whenever you do finish it. "i... kind of know the guy who wrote this!" i'm counting on you to be my famous blog friend.
Phew I though for a moment there that you were throwing in the towel.
Congrats on 500 posts and here's to many more *holds up a glass of water as she's not drinking until October* Hurry the fuck up October :)
congrats. I had another blog that I deleted that was more popular than the one I have now. Just got sick of it, deleted it....and then regretted it.I tried to stay away, from blogging, but couldn't. thus....bluestateofmind. Thank you for checking and writing in to my blog regularly and for giving me a great escape from my day by reading all about what is going on in your mind.
have a great week off.
Congrats! I gave you a "shout out" on Friday......
LOVE the t-shirt logo.
Enjoy your sabbatical, just make sure you come back.
Kismetic - I hope I can make the story come true as I would love to get a movie made before I kick. We'll see. Your new pic is excellent by the way.
Miss Ash - Ha. No throwing in the towel for me, although some days I'm sure we all feel that way. I didn't realize the no drinking thing, but good luck with that until October and I'll have one for you.
Vivavavoom - That's too bad about the previous blog, but sometimes you do need to cleanse/purge something and move on. At least you're back now, and I always enjoy reading as I align fairly close w/ your policitical views too. Ha.
Anonymous Boxer - I saw that this weekend, and I appreciate it quite a bit. I would have thanked you in yr. comment box if you had one. Ha. But thanks and I guess you weren't reading when I gave some t-shirts away, but send me a note if you want one as I have some extras laying around.
Happy 500 posts!! I started blogging about a month after you,funny! Can't remeber where I found your blog (I'm a notorious blog-surfer), but you earned a bookmark early on. Keep up the good work, always entertaining. Hopefully I'll be writing about your movie one of these days!
Linda - Thank you, and that would be a very good thing as you watch quite a wide variety of films, which I can appreciate. And I'm glad the bookmark was earned rather than given. Ha.
If I relied on my own life for blog fodder, I'd have a pretty boring blog! I get inspiration from things all around me -- stories on the news, things that happen to my friends...you never know where inspiration will come from.
Congratulations on your 500th post! I hope that you celebrate in style and that fireworks are involved in some way.
Stephanie - Very true as it's hard to mine your own life for everything unless you lead an extremely dynamic one or you're supremely narcassistic (sp?).
Sherry - Thanks, and you're right about the fireworks as they liven up any celebration. I make no promises though as I have none on me, and I'm too lazy to drive to Mexico.
happy 500! glad i've made your blog a regular in my reading.
kudos on finishing the scripts! can't wait to see them on the big screen some day!
Glad I showed back up in time to celebrate the 500th post! Congratulations!!! And lucky, lucky us. Glad you stuck it out.
And how hard did I laugh at this:
A) Sat alone listening to music and writing
B) Drank beers with my brother and discussed plot points for the scripts
C) Sat naked, drinking coffee and cursing myself for being unable to write a decent scene
Change "beer" to "vodka" and "brother" to "the Divine M" and you've captured my life!!!!
Well played two dolla. Best of luck shopping the script. A lot of brilliant ideas have died in the embers of frustration. You might consider investing in an agent if you're really behind the idea. A lot of apointments don't even happen unless someone with a reputation is calling. Just a thought.
Yours is a mighty blog. Congrats.
Cats - Thank you very much, and I'm glad you've enjoyed coming around. As for the scripts, I'm with you 100% on seeing them onscreen someday. Now, the hard part . . .
Bostonpobble - Great to see you back in action, and I hope the sabatical was helpful as it was well-earned. And I should have know you would understand the writing process better than most. Ha.
J717+ - I appreciate the sentiment, and I especially like the "embers of frustration" phrase. True. As for the agent, that's honestly what I really need right now & I'm trying to tap any resource available. Writing the actual script was hard enough, but now this is an entirely different animal.
Congrats on your 500th!! Enjoy that week away for recharge. I know how you feel. I've not written much myself lately. Just not in the "mood". Love reading your words of wisdom, wit, and critiques. Keep up the good work!!
you are not back yet I guess....but my lord, that is quite a 6 pack. okay...what should I do to start on one for myself. I have had 2 kids and the muscles are just too spongy now. help mr. trainer.
Symplyamused - Thanks a lot, and I understand the just not feeling it feeling. Ha. But we all need a break, so enjoy it and keep plugging away.
Vivavavoom - I'll be back on Sunday, and if you really want advice on the 6-pack, then shoot me an email. As a general rule, your abs are about diet and cardio - we all have abs but if they're obscured by fat then you're not going to see them. Seriously. It sounds silly, but it's true.
this weekend I'll have a pint to another 500
Congrats, sugar, you're doing great.
"We are, after all, professionals."
Idig - I appreciate it as I hoisted a few myself this weekend.
Melissa - Great quote. We professionals must stick together.
Congrats $2! Your blog is still the best!
Thanks Friday as flattery will get you everywhere around here. I won't even pretend otherwise. There's enough bullshit posturing in the world.