As you may have guessed by now, today is not a normal update day...I'm going to a little party happy because it's not every day you celebrate a site's 15th birthday! <g> I was going to revert the site to it's original design and colours and I did but my eyes couldn't handle it and hated it. I've never been one to yearn for the past so why start now, right? Right. So the current design has been rejigged a bit. To your left is the one and only time I will ever post a picture of myself on AUSXIP. <g> That was created by Lucia Nobrega.

Well. How time flies when you're having fun! AUSXIP, the site that was only supposed to be one page (that's why it was called the AUSTRALIAN XENA INFORMATION PAGE) it was supposed to be just for my art and to have links to my favourite Xena, Lucy and Renee site. Looking through my older pages, that plan lasted less than one week and then the site shifted to include more of Lucy (outside of Xena) and more of Renee (outside of Xena).   It has grown up to become more than a few pages (I have lost count on how many pages there are on the server). I have some figures below that give you a rough idea of what the site contains BUT there is something on that list that doesn't tell you what's most important about AUSXIP (to me personally).

The figures below don't tell you the absolute pleasure I've have received from doing this site. It won't tell you the countless of hours of pleasure I get from tweaking, updating, creating new sections or creating new banners or creating new art. It won't tell you about the highs (natural, of course) that I have experienced when hanging out with my mates who I met because of AUSXIP. It won't tell you the travels I have undertaken and the wonderful people I have met and befriended. How can you put a price on meeting people who you would NEVER have met in a million years from all walks of life and places? So many special people that it totally blows my mind.

That fortuitous night of 14 December when I sat down to record Sins of the Past changed my entire life. Seriously changed it in ways I can't begin to tell you. AUSXIP was born the minute I watched Xena come out of the bushes and attack Draco's men (see below for the short video clip). When Xena did her maniacal little laugh...BOOM! I was hooked. There she was in her underwear and fighting off thugs...and laughing! How cool is that? Cool enough that the idea for episode montages entered my head and wouldn't leave it until I did something about it. So designing AUSXIP Mark 1 was really not that big of a problem as I was already running the Babylon 5 John & Delenn Information Page (you see where I plagiarized the name? I'm so creative) and I copied myself with the design (horrible horrible and utterly horrible).

As you can see the number don't tell the real story but they are cool to look at (and now I'm tired just thinking about it).

MY ART: (since AUSXIP was intended for this role): 600 individual pieces of art NOT including banners and other artwork for the site. Back in 1997 I received my art back autographed which sent me into the stratosphere. First artwork to come back was from the episode Destiny with Lucy's autograph. Lucy didn't know me from a bar of soap but she made one fan so deliriously happy. I can't begin to tell you what kind of squeeling I did and jumping around when I opened the envelope and saw it. The following week I received the Renee montages! As any artist knows, it is without a doubt a HUGE thrill to get your work recognised by the person who the art is about. Over time I would got super nice emails from Steven Sears (adorable man that he is) about my art. You can't put a price on that; the art is worth zilch to anyone else but to me they are treasures. I still own all of them and have never sold them nor will I.

HOURS SPENT (VERY conservative estimate): 15,000 hours creating, tweaking and updating. I have no clue how many hours I've spent but it's more thant 15,000.

NEWS POSTED: (VERY conservative estimate): 10,000+ news items

IMAGES:: Forget it, lost count many years ago but let's put THOUSANDS.

ARTICLES: I have no idea. LOTS of them.

VIDEO: (Conservative estimate): 1000+ (hosted and embedded)

FANFIC: If someone counts them please let me know as I have lost count. LOTS of them

TRAFFIC: MILLIONS of hits during the last 15 years. AUSXIP generates thousands hits and unique visitors a day and repeated offend...er..visitors and that is why it's on it's own dedicated server and has been since 1999. It requires alot of space and resources. AUSXIP has NEVER had the Xenaverse crash it <g> It came VERY close during Lucy's first concert at the Roxy in 2007 when it was teetering on the edge and sending me warning messages but it never went down. I suspect this is because of great service of my dedicated server host Hivelocity who are INCREDIBLE. What did crash the server was the almighty hack attack which deleted AUSXIP completely. Thank goodness for backups..love backups...

CREATING AUSXIP: PRICELESS

That is what is special about AUSXIP. It is the love, it is the bond and it is the pleasure. Absolute pleasure in doing a site that is about all those things.

A HUGE thank you goes to my loyal and tremendous sidekicks: Roger, Lori and Mesh who are always there in support. Who never say no to any of my ideas and jump in after me even when it means there is a lot of work. I'm sure they dread the email that starts off with "I have an idea..." <g>. A very special shout out to Roger who never waivered, never said it was too much, never took a backward step in helping me with the AUSXIP Charity Auction from 2006 and on. THAT was a huge job that couldn't be done without Roger's help and support. Since 2006 Christa and Roger have been part of the team that has kept the AUSXIP Charity Auction running smoothly. Lots of hard work and lots of joy. Thanks to all of you we have raised over $82,000 for Starship, for the ROC Outreach Fund and other charities. Without your support that wouldn't have been possible.

Thanks also to all the AUSXIP reporters and regular contributors. It's not just me; there is a whole ARMY of people who want to help make AUSXIP even better than it is. That always blows my mind (the little that I have left).

Now of course I can't finish off this blog entry without thanking the people responsible for all this mayhem.

Firstly to Rob Tapert whom I adore. Without his vision there would be no Xena and no Xena, means no AUSXIP. Rob created the template for all the other strong female characters who came after Xena and deserves all the thanks but it's more than that. Rob is a thoroughly decent human being.  Renee O'Connor who gave life to one part of the dynamic duo and who is so talented and kind hearted; she truly is a great storyteller herself who makes you think and feel about her work. A very classy lady.

Last but never least is Lucy Lawless...is there anything I can write that I haven't written before or you guys don't know how I feel about this woman? Probably not. I will say it anyway. Thank you Lucille, you are one of the most loyal, talented, genuine, intelligent human beings I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. AUSXIP is here 15 years after it was born BECAUSE of who you are. Thank you for the all the joy you have given me and through AUSXIP I have created friendships and experiences that have enriched my life.

Now THAT is priceless.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller

Battle On!

MaryD