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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Wow – was that 15 minutes?


Since I have been writing my blog some people have said to me that my blog is so good I should write a book and become rich and famous. Well I used to tell them that really was the stupidest thing that anyone had ever said to me but of course I had nothing to back it up with - but now I do.
Now I could say that between 22 April and 5 May more than 13,000 people viewed my blog at an average of about 1,000 per day. Since 6 May – when I disappeared from the Blogs of Note page – the average daily viewing is about 100.
That is – 13,000 people found my blog so fascinating, so absorbing, and so hilarious that they could not wait to leave it – forever – leaving a trail smoke and of burning rubber.
Unless of course they are all afflicted with paroxysms of laughter and are rolling helpless on the floors of their lounge rooms and studies – unable to get back onto Vienna for Dummies for trembling so much with mirth and fascination.
Anyway the locusts have feasted and departed - and it’s just us left. Back to normal. But from the 13,000 or so casual visitors who arrived from my unexpected burst of ‘Blog of Note’ publicity I seem to have picked up a a few new regular readers.
I am not sure if these are stayers because a quick trawl through the new ‘followers’ reveals some of them to be committed Christians - so when I am roused by some bible bashing lunatic who wants to flog gays or garrote lesbians -  and I go on one of my rants - they will vanish quivering into the night clutching their rosary beads or whatever weird shit they do when they are terrified by us pagans - and abandon me forever. I expect to be de-followed quite often over the next few months. I have girded my loins in anticipation of these bitter blows. 
As for some others – well this follower has got to be a bit suspect. The profile on the blog page says:
‘GOLDEN PHOENIX -A CHINESE RESTAURANT at Tangra Township, Kolkata. We will treat you like 'guest' at our premises. Car Parking Available’
Next time Cate is in Kolkata I will ask her to pop in and check to see if they are regular readers. And there are a few others like that – and there are others that are completely impenetrable.
I am undismayed. I started the blog for my children and a few friends when I came to Vienna. I blog because – like William – I enjoy blogging. It keeps Cate amused when she is away – which is a lot of the time – in far flung and often gruesome places.  I have attached a picture of her in the gear she is wearing today in a country full of very strange men who are so frightened of women they cannot bear to look at them.
There is nothing that makes me happier than when she says that she enjoyed my blog. Well – actually Caramel and Pecan ice cream will almost do it. Not that she does it very often because she does not like to spoil me – or else I may not try hard enough.
About once a very twelve months she says that she enjoyed my blog so much it made her laugh. That makes me so happy I usually rush out and buy a new Mac. Hey – maybe that’s why she doesn’t say it all that often.

14 comments:

  1. I didn't know you were a Blog of note? Well done - that's proper impressive.

    maybe you SHOULD write a book.

    or at least order a take away

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  2. I'd but your book, then interview you :)

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  3. *buy
    haha apparently this journalist can't spell either....LOL

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  4. don't worry - we're still with you for the next 15!

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  5. I'm new... not sure about 'normal', but certainly not christian! I enjoy your writing, although it's everyday life to you, for me it's a little bit of escapism. Your cynical phrases make me chuckle... in fact I read something the other day and thought 'ooooh I relate to that'... now what was is?... will trawl back through and find out...
    Thanks for sharing!
    Kathryn

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  6. Well...I still love you.
    Warts and all (well, not actual warts).

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  7. Love the photo of Cate. That made my day - at first glance I thought it was Gandolf or that guy from Star Wars :) No disrespect intended.

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  8. Fame is a strange unpredictable thing. I watched a series of teleBision shows about movie directors and the most impotant thing I learned was from David Lynch who emphasized that its really the creative process that he gets the big kick out of in life, the in-the-moment 'wow'. I get alot of "readers" for one particular blog post from a while ago, but when I check the source it appears that they are coming from an image of mine, "Gold As Smoke", and it ranks high in spot 1 to 6 out of Google's supposedly 13 million hits. But there are questionable other photos as well, several cannabis related! Hah! I have enjoyed your writing, and even have your web site as a browser favorite so I don't have to go through Blogger's messy system, well, messy for an iPad. I thoroughly enjoy blogging as well. Hang in there and keep "write" on doing your thing.

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  9. Oh, I loved the Taj Mahal photo, a very beautiful big bold thing on the outside just to hold some bones of someone who died a long time ago. If everyone got a TM then we would soon use up all the rocks .... ... .. .

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  10. Glen: That's a tough decision. I will sleep on it.

    whatalindsey: I will give you the first copy and the first interview.

    TNDW: You are much too kind. That's one reader signed up.

    Kathryn Ashcroft: Three. Thanks for reading.

    freefalling: Four: I still love your old town hall pic - its so....familiar.

    KP: You should see her with the scarf. Scary.

    esbboston: You are too kind. I will always write as long as my three children bother to read - hello are you there kids hello? Yes I know they are.

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  11. As long as wan sticks around I will too

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  12. I'm a new follower, a Christian and completely normal (at least in my own mind). I love to hear other people's opinions and rants on things even when they differ from mine. Isn't the Christian message supposed to be love your neighbor? I don't think that means to love only the ones that are just like you. ;) Just sayin...
    I'll be sticking around because I find your blog hilarious! Thanks for the giggles!

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  13. Cheers: Thanks - but I do tend to go on a bit sometimes so be ready to grit your eyes.

    lenny: I think I scared wan off?

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  14. well I'm a new follower d/t Blogs of Note, and really enjoy reading your wry humor and the descriptions of Cate's death stare!

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