You didn't think there was a method to this madness, did you.  

       But there is.

1.  From inception to final published product, a strict time limit.  A surprisingly short one.  In fact I practically dash these things off.  As you can imagine, I have lots of other important things to do with myself.
2.  Self-promotion is nothing to be ashamed of.  A Blog can be a perfectly respectable marketing tool.  I know because I've done research in this arena, for instance at a very early age when I used my mother as a role-model.  I consequently discovered that acting like a middle-aged woman when you're an eight-year-old boy is NOT a wise marketing strategy.  Yes, it endears you to a certain type of elementary school teacher (the old maid type, to be exact), but trust me, you're in for some unpleasant blowback on the playground.  I learned about blowback from the CIA -- it's the unintended consequences of our actions on other people's turf, which those people don't like and they return the favor.  You can't always know the effect you'll have, but don't be too disingenuous, is my motto.  You know what you're doing more than you think you do.
3.  FORMAT: There must be a relationship between Past and Present and from there to the accompanying illustration.  All tied together in one lovely package.  This does not always happen.
4.  Of COURSE there's a reason for 1904 of all years.  Of COURSE it means something.  I'll get around to explaining exactly what it is too, one of these days.
5. The Daily Blague refers to this site as a "Memoir of Then and Now."  I'd once thought of calling it a "Research into le temps perdu et inconnu."  Not exactly the same thing, but close enough.  This is a vital contributing factor to keep in mind.
6.  There are degrees of relationships amongst the various parts of any one post which can in turn be further connected in varying degree of significance internally as follows: 
         Primary: Title Event occurs on the same day in 1904 as day of post in present time and further related to an identical event in the present. [Ex. Deng Xiaoping was born on August 22nd, the same day as the post for August 22nd, 2007.  NOT a primary relationship, however, as no one of equal importance is known to have been born on this day in 2007 except possibly the Anti-Christ -- which, as yet, remains unconfirmed.  I will keep you posted.]
         Secondary: Event of the year 1904 similar to an event in the present [Ex.  "The Cherry Orchard," "Madama Butterfly" and "Peter Pan" all premiered in 1904, and all contain plot points integral to my own autobiography, as in: 
                  a. holding on to something in the past
                  b. dating the wrong people
                  c.  trying to fly
         Tertiary: Event in the year 1904 symbolically, or metaphorically related to an event in the present. [Polo Championship in 1904; lunch at Polo Lounge.  I rest my case].  The bulk of posts fall into this category.  But I have aspirations.
7.  Illustrations should be drawn from the public domain, my own creation, or copyright expired.  And I could spend more time on this particular aspect of any given post than on anything else.  The words are the easy part.
8.  There should be some take-away element.  A Bon Mot.  A turn of phrase that lingers.  [Ex. "Never die."]
9.  More rules as necessary.
10. Breaking rules doesn't mean they don't count.
11. A certain magic ought to be involved, strictly of a benign and benevolent variety, and let's not forget that divine order exists even if we're not paying attention; the music of the celestial spheres is always there, even when you're not really listening.
12.  We move from one piece of holy ground to the next; some of us need to count the number of steps and try not to land on any cracks in the process. 

I'm not as calm a person as you might think.  This calms me down.  Be grateful.