"Hello friends, welcome to the tea party."

With those words almost a year ago today, we started on a fantastic voyage into local music, graffiti, zombies, video games, Rick Astley, mustaches, pirates and bacon.

The NXT Desk is ready to celebrate its first birthday.

It all started with a conversation with the editors shortly after they launched Down to Earth and Clearing the Bases about starting up another franchise.

Starting a blog was something I had wanted to do for quite some time and seemed only natural coming from the column and everything I write about.

At the same time, a blog sounded like a great way to write about all the things I either didn't have the time to chase or the space to put into the column. On top of that it was a great way to interact directly with readers (if you did it right).

Two-hundred and sixty-one posts, 429 comments and one year down the road I think it's safe to say this thing has taken on a life of it's own.

And it's all because you guys keep reading and commenting for some reason.

So to mark the one-year blogaversary of the NXT Desk we're going to do what any sensible person would do: Throw a party.

Mark your calendars for the First NXT Blogaversary and Meet-up on Saturday, April 19 at Dock Fore.

No joke.

It's a chance for me to say thanks to everyone for reading, commenting, contributing to podcasts and generally helping to make the NXT Desk what it is today.

In this town, it's also another opportunity for people to just get together and maybe, possibly, meet someone they've never met before. (Which in Portland may seem impossible some times!)

Still working out some of the details – the beverages, vittles and maybe some NXT prizes (anyone know where I can get a T-shirt gun?) – but it would be prudent to start planning now.

Stay tuned for more details. Music, graffiti, zombies, video games, Rick Astley, mustaches, pirates and bacon may be just the beginning.

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