Hiya!

As you may have noted, I now have a blog. I have hopped onto the proverbial bandwagon. But that begs the question: what is a bandwagon? Why do people jump on them?

The word "bandwagon" is derived from two words: "band" and "wagon". "Band" derives from the Old French word "bande", probably derived from the Primitive Germanic word "bindan", which means "to bind or tie", and probably referred to a band of cloth worn by a group of soldiers or others, for identification purposes. From there, by 1660, it came to refer to any closely knit group, and in particular a group of musicians.

"Wagon" derives from Middle Dutch "wagen", from Primitive Germanic "wagnaz", and ultimately from Primitive Indo-European "wegh", which means "to carry" or "to move". The English word for a wheeled vehicle was originally "wain", but after we borrowed "wagen" from Flemish immigrants and Dutch traders, "wain" sort of fell by the wayside.

The term "band-wagon" itself comes from 1855, and was coined by the Americans to refer to the wagon the band played on in a circus parade. Since they also used band-wagons in political victory celebrations, it wasn't long until Theodore Roosevelt used the term in 1899 to refer to people who jumped "on the band-wagon" in an attempt to ride the coattails of a venture that looked likely to succeed.

So that's what I, having been convinced by certain friends, am doing. Everybody and his dog seems to have a blog now, so it seemed appropriate that I should too. I figure this way, I can ramble on about things no-one cares about, and no-one can stop me! Muahahaha!

Anyway, welcome. I guess.