I’m not good at math, but I know I wrote my first column for a magazine (the old RSC) published by BNP Media (then Business News Publishing) in June 1985. I’ve written a monthly column ever since.

By counting on my fingers and toes and then recounting, I figure that this coming May 3 issue ofThe NEWS will mark my 300th column for BNP publications.

Here are some things I know.

• I have not come up with 300 original ideas for columns. In fact, I figured I have repeated myself more times than I’ve come up with original ideas.

• I have managed, I think, to garner as many favorable (or mildly accepting comments) as negative comments. I’m not 100 percent sure of that, but I know I’ve never been overly pumped up or deflated about comments so I figure they’ve evened themselves out.

• I figure I’ve educated readers about issues maybe bit more than I’ve confused them over some aspects of the industry. That latter point may be due to my being confused or the industry being confused as in the early days of EPA regulations regarding refrigerants.

• I do know that writing an entire 750-word column on the fact that I have written 300 columns would be a total waste of space on the editorial page of The NEWS. And in fact I’m not sure it wasn’t a waste of cyberspace in a blog. But I’ve done it here in blogdom, and I won’t say anything more about the topic until I reach my 600th column.