Well folks, here it is - the inaugural entry in what promises to be a sporadically updated and sometimes entertaining blog of questionable value.

While I first uploaded this Work In Progress some two years ago, it has received little if any love and attention in the time since. My plans, of course, are grand. My effort, however, is severely lacking. So in pondering where to begin, please allow me to introduce myself:

My name is Chris, and I am The San Diegan.

How can I bestow upon myself such a title you ask? Well, it's a simple matter of genealogy. You see, like many San Diegans, my mom is from here. So is her mom. And so is her mom's dad. And his dad. And his dad. And his dad. And his dad was none other than Jose Francisco de Ortega, the man who served as the Pathfinder to the Portola-Serra Expedition of 1769 that resulted in the Spanish "founding" of San Diego. Some may argue that the actual Spanish "founding" of SD dates back 220-odd years before that, when Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailed into the bay, but he named it it "San Miguel," which didn't stick, so he's out. Others may argue the founding dates back to Sebatian Vizcaíno's stopover in 1603, but he, like Cabrillo, were in realty San Diego's first tourists.

So there you have it. I stake my claim as being the San Diegan, and I'm sticking to it.

What does that mean, you ask? Well, aside form a family heritage of which I'm rather proud, in all honesty it means Jack. It is in truth nothing more than a self-bestowed titular crown of self-importance that I happen to wear with pride.

However, it is this genealogical history that drives my passion for local history (ask the average San Diegan, and most probably can't even tell you why Mission Valley is named Mission Valley). It is this family heritage that allows me to flag blue and yellow each football season and brown and yellow, blue and orange, or blue and whatever-the-hell other color the Padres' Owner of the Month decides to dress them in each baseball season, regardless of how many disappointing seasons we San Diegans endure year after year. We are, in truth, the New Boston of sports fans, but that's another story for another post. And at this rate, by the time I actually write and post that entry, we will have a ring on each hand.

Sadly, our local history is far too under-appreciated. Most folks don't know the significance of Old Town, the Mission (de Alcala), or the Presidio, have never been to San Luis Rey, and have never heard of the Battle of San Pasqual (but in all fairness, ask them where to get a good fish taco, and they're usually spot on). Considering our little waterfront tourist mecca marks the very birthplace of the most populous state in the Union, it seems, oh, I don't know... relevant.

And thus, it is with a personal connection to this history and a sincere and deep appreciation for it that I have launched this website, with the goal of providing educating and entertaining private tours and public speaking engagements that in turn help me keep the lights on.

We have also just launched a program to help raise money for our local schools, called Cafe Escuela. We're importing 100% Costa Rican whole bean coffee, and marketing it through local schools, with a large percentage of proceeds from each bag going directly to the program of the school's choosing. So if Johnny and the Fallbrook Flying Elvises (Elvii?) need new uniforms, you can now caffeinate your way to an upgrade by getting your parents, aunts, and Uncle Festers all gyrating to our java.

Speaking of our delicious and thirst-quenching fundraising efforts, some woman asked us the other day at a street fair if - because of its Spanish name ("Cafe," which means "coffee," and "Escuela," which means "school") - the money we raise is going "over the sea." I don't even know where to begin with how wrong this question is. Suffice it to say when I reminded her that "San Diego" was in fact a Spanish name, she immediately ran off to Arizona and proceeded to find the nearest policeman and present her documentation providing proof of citizenship.

(To be fair, nothing gets my man-panties up in a bunch faster than someone telling me California is "part of Mexico." No, dammit, it is not. The Mexican flag flew over Monterrey for all of (barely) a quarter-century. Contrast that with the half-century of Spanish rule that preceded it and the Buck-Sixty of American statehood that has followed, and any ridiculous and erroneous claim of "stolen" Mexican land is patently absurd.)

There... I'm not yet done with my first entry and I've already managed to offend at least some of my readers and launch into enough digressions to justify a trip to medical school just so I can prescribe myself Ritalin. Mission Accomplished (pun intended).

Which all begs the question: So what can you expect in the days, weeks, and months ahead?

This blog is my voice. I plan to share my thoughts - regardless of their banality - on All Things San Diegan and some things not. I do, however, also have some specific plans in store. I hope to soon launch dedicated local wine reviews... while Napa and Sonoma might be the heart and soul of California wine, it all started here some 240 years ago, and we produce some damn tasty vino around these parts.

I also want to use this site as a sounding board to both vent my frustrations with local (bad) vendors and lavish the good ones with praise. Consider it my own personal Complaint Department and Suggestion Box combined into one, long, meandering blog.

Lastly, aside from a passion for local history, I also have an interest in All Things Old and Crusty. In the days, weeks, or months ahead (at this rate, the smart money is on the latter), I hope to launch and integrate an online antique portal specializing in Spanish Colonial artifacts.

But alas, these things will invariably take time, and as of now, I have no set schedule for their completion. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Stay classy San Diego.