I have an anniversary coming up on November 15th. On that date two years ago I wrote my very first post on this blog. Initially, I created Hole In The Donut to allow my friends and family to follow me as I backpacked around the world. For six months I traveled to places I’d always dreamed of visiting and stayed up half of every night downloading photos and writing. By the time I returned home, in addition to being addicted to travel, I was addicted to blogging.

Of course, once I returned to the States my posts began to deal with subjects other than travel; these days I may upload an inspirational video one day and criticize the government the next. But at least half of my posts still deal with my true love – travel – and so I was delighted when I learned recently that the “T-List” has ranked Hole In The Donut as the 157th most popular travel blog according to Technorati, the website that is generally considered to be the largest index of blogs on the Internet.

This most prestigious list is painstakingly compiled by Guido over at HappyHotelier.com. Why Guido does this is a mystery. He certainly does not receive any compensation for his efforts and he is the first to point out that the whole process is something of a horror. But I am delighted that he does.

Guido is the proud (and happy) designer, developer, and owner of Haagsche Suites, a small and very luxurious hotel in The Hague, Netherlands. In his own words, he is also a happy doorman, bellman, concierge, front desk agent, technology engineer, limo driver, valet parking attendant, city guide, Sargent at Arms and photographer at wedding ceremonies, cleaning boy, gardener, pond and central heating technician, personal assistant, butler, and cook. Seems the same attention to detail that serves Guido in his tenacious creation of the T-List also serves him in the oversight of his boutique hotel. In case no one has thanked you lately for your devotion, let me say it. Thank you, Guido!

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