diff --git a/server/storage.ts b/server/storage.ts
index f52b7eb..df953af 100644
--- a/server/storage.ts
+++ b/server/storage.ts
@@ -283,8 +283,10 @@ export class MemStorage implements IStorage {
       description: "Died in St. Petersburg from wounds received in a duel with Georges d'Anthès"
     });
     
-    // Create sample blog post
-    const blogPost = this.createBlogPost({
+    // Create sample blog post - work around async issues by creating the object directly
+    const blogPostId = this.blogPostId++;
+    const blogPost: BlogPost = {
+      id: blogPostId,
       title: "Exploring Russian Poetry in the Digital Age",
       slug: "exploring-russian-poetry-digital-age",
       content: `
@@ -308,16 +310,21 @@ As we continue to develop the Tercul platform, we're committed to addressing the
       `,
       authorId: user1.id,
       excerpt: "Exploring how digital platforms can help preserve and promote the rich tradition of Russian poetry in the modern age.",
-      publishedAt: new Date()
-    });
+      publishedAt: new Date(),
+      createdAt: new Date()
+    };
+    
+    // Add the blog post to storage manually to avoid async issues
+    this.blogPosts.set(blogPostId, blogPost);
+    console.log('Created blog post with ID:', blogPostId);
     
     // Add tags to the blog post
-    console.log('Adding tags to blog post', blogPost.id);
-    this.addTagToBlogPost(blogPost.id, poetryTag.id);
-    this.addTagToBlogPost(blogPost.id, romanticismTag.id);
+    console.log('Adding tags to blog post', blogPostId);
+    this.addTagToBlogPost(blogPostId, poetryTag.id);
+    this.addTagToBlogPost(blogPostId, romanticismTag.id);
     
     // Add a comment to the blog post
-    console.log('Creating comment for blog post', blogPost.id);
+    console.log('Creating comment for blog post', blogPostId);
     this.createComment({
       content: "Fascinating exploration of how technology can preserve literary traditions!",
       userId: user1.id,
@@ -325,7 +332,7 @@ As we continue to develop the Tercul platform, we're committed to addressing the
       translationId: null,
       lineNumber: null,
       entityType: "blogPost",
-      entityId: blogPost.id,
+      entityId: blogPostId,
       parentId: null
     });
   }
@@ -483,15 +490,29 @@ As we continue to develop the Tercul platform, we're committed to addressing the
   }
   
   async getBlogPostTags(postId: number): Promise<Tag[]> {
+    console.log(`Getting tags for blog post ${postId}`);
+    console.log(`BlogPostTagsRelations map:`, Array.from(this.blogPostTagsRelations.entries()));
+    
     const tagIds = this.blogPostTagsRelations.get(postId) || new Set();
-    return Array.from(tagIds).map(id => this.tags.get(id)!).filter(Boolean);
+    console.log(`Tag IDs for blog post ${postId}:`, Array.from(tagIds));
+    
+    const tags = Array.from(tagIds).map(id => this.tags.get(id)!).filter(Boolean);
+    console.log(`Found ${tags.length} tags for blog post ${postId}:`, tags);
+    
+    return tags;
   }
   
   async addTagToBlogPost(postId: number, tagId: number): Promise<void> {
+    console.log(`Adding tag ${tagId} to blog post ${postId}`);
+    
     if (!this.blogPostTagsRelations.has(postId)) {
+      console.log(`Creating new tag set for blog post ${postId}`);
       this.blogPostTagsRelations.set(postId, new Set());
     }
+    
     this.blogPostTagsRelations.get(postId)!.add(tagId);
+    console.log(`After adding tag, blog post ${postId} has tags:`, 
+                Array.from(this.blogPostTagsRelations.get(postId) || new Set()));
   }
   
   // Bookmark methods