An exhausting 24 weeks

Can I be honest with you? I'm tired. It's been an exhausting week. Much like the last 23 weeks.

Let's take a moment to recap, shall we? On Nov. 16, Window Media dies, closing the Washington Blade and leaving me jobless. Word of the Blade's closure makes international news. Encouraged by an outpouring of support, many of the former staffers band together and start DC Agenda as volunteers. The first issue is published in time to match the Blade's old publication schedule without missing a beat.

I write that we've reached the finish line. I couldn't be more wrong. The marathon is just beginning.

Reality hits: We're starting a business during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. My initial feelings of panic subside, but a sense of urgency remains. Some people share it. Others do not. Mistakes are inevitably made. We curse. We cope. We forge ahead.

Window Media's liquidation gets expedited. The Blade's name and assets are put up for auction. The owners of DC Agenda bid and win. Discussions begin about resurrecting the Blade name. Varied opinions are voiced. Readers are polled. A decision is made. A flurry of work ensues. Twelve hour working days become common as plans are brought to fruition. But finally — miraculously — the Blade returns on April 30. The photo above is proof.

Never, I daresay, has so much gone into 64 pages.

It's been an emotionally tumultuous and physically straining five months. Anyone truly involved in this venture who tells you otherwise is mistaken. Of course, the undertaking has not been without rewards personal and communal. I've again secured a steady paycheck. And the steadfast support from readers and advertisers has been amazing. So many people refused to let the Blade die — and every one of them contributed in some form to the publication's return. This shared victory is simply astounding and something I'll always treasure.

So where do we go from here? We go back to normal. Or at least to what passes for normal these days. Our offices at the D.C. Center will soon be displaced as the building is demolished. New accommodations must be found. Plus, we're just five weeks out from the start of Capital Pride, our busiest time of the year. We're about to face a whole new set of challenges.

But you know what? After these last five months, I'm not worried. If we can bring a newspaper back from the dead, we can do just about anything.