I wonder sometimes.
Well, I wonder when I go to the Recent Visitors link and I find someone who regularly visits this boring little blog of mine that seems to have no substantive value other than my own misguided belief that I had something to say worth reading. There's probably a half dozen posts or so that I think are worth reading, other than that, I just have a boring little life in middle America.
So I wonder when I see someone visit often that I cannot place because they never comment. And I wonder how they got here, why they read my posts and who they are. I used to get regular visits from someone that worked for a local law firm. Then, poof. They were gone, or at least gone from reading occasionally at work.
I get way too many visitors from all over the world looking up the picture of Swanson's chicken broth, which directs them to recipe on homemade chicken and noodles where I say I DON'T use that stuff. Bet Swanson isn't too happy about that.
Got one this week from someone who googled, "Vietnamese prostitutes of the "60s". Hilariously enough, it took them to my post about Jane Fonda. Serves her right.
I can tell that Average Joe lives approximately 30 miles from me. And since I know where GB and CJ live, I always assume visits from their part of the country are them. Some people are easy because I visit their site regularly too and they tell where they're from. That can lead to some interesting misunderstandings when Dana thought I was one of her asshat relatives that hijacked her blog.
I get a post now and then from Babs, so I know whenever I see a visit from that area, it's likely her, but I have no idea how she ended up at this godforsaken blog. Hi Babs.
Then I have some people that read and comment semi-regularly, but they never show up in the IP addresses. It's like they're IP ghosts or something, but I'm glad they visit.
The last one comes from someone that comes here often and never comments. I wonder who you are Denver. I suppose I don't have to know, but thanks for stopping by anyway. I have never been to Denver and hear it's just beautiful. Got an email from a recruiter a week ago asking about whether I would accept a 6 month contract there. The job was an exact match for my background, so I spouted off an hourly rate double what I've ever made, but still "cheap" by consulting standards and got a quick response back. Checked out the recruiter's background and company and it's legit. I'm assuming he sent my information on. While it would be odd to commute every week, it would be nice to make that kind of dough for half a year. And it's not like it would be having to go somewhere like Gary, probably the ugliest city in America.
So hello all you people I don't know. Glad you come past. Well except for those 500 or so that google chicken broth. They just get on my nerves.
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26 comments:
Your IP had me SO parnoid. Like you, I kept wondering "who the hell IS this!" then I looked at a map and said "Oh SHIT! It's part of the Asshat brigade!"
The asshats still sleuth my posts and I wish there was a way to do an instant job of vaporizing them.
I look at my visitors from everywhere and wish they would SAY SOMETHING!!!
It's aggravating, and a sign of my greatest flaw: I'm a control freak and I WANNA KNOW why they visit yet never speak.
I have no idea who (or how many) visits my blog.
I remember Freddy putting up a post similar to this, and for some reason she mentioned her unknown visitor form Ypsilanti, which was me (and I commented fairly frequently).
Is this a tool blogger gives you?
I pay for my own URL and the host/provider has a free blog app which doesn't give me a lot of control (like getting rid of "Powered by Doteasy" or a 3 minute lag between comments). But for $25 a year...
Ed, it's beta.statcounter.com. Free. If you want to keep historical information longer than something like the last 500 visitors, you can pay to do that, but I don't get that many people that come along, so it works nicely for me. Blogger has some stats too, but I'm used to statcounter.
And blogger is free, I'm too cheap to actually pay to have people read about my boring little life. I knew you were one of those northerners up there in Michicanland.
And Dana, you should have seen my surprise when you thought I was one of the enemy. I somehow felt so GUILTY, like I really was. lol.
I might be one of your "invisible" visitors - other people have told me that I never show up in their stats. I don't know why. But I'm here, always listening.
That would be you Jeff. I could never figure out why you just don't show up.
I'm in Arvada, CO. Perhaps I'm showing as
Denver. I read you regularly and enjoy your posts. I'm female, just turned 78 and use Facebook with my kids and grand children. The computer keeps me in touch with the world and so glad my kids talked me into buying one six or seven years ago and taught me to use it. I still have an active outside life but do enjoy my computer. Keep posting.
I actually pay for the domain to have my last name as part of my e-mail address. It's a small conceit, but my brother and kids use it also.
Before FB I was going to give each family member a page to post on. Wish I'd thought bigger.....
At last lili, I FOUND YOU. I'm sure if you live close to Denver, that's you I've been seeing. My IP address shows me some distance from where I live, I suppose it's something to do with where the host server resides. Welcome, my friend.
My mother just turned 79 this year and thankfully she also began using a computer keeping connected. Before Facebook (and even now) our family stayed in touch through myfamily.com, a site we pay for and is nice when we don't want everyone on facebook knowing our business.
Not sure how you got here, but then I can't remember how I got to Average Joe's or Dana's or Ed's. Probably through some crazy connection with Greybeard, AKA Pitchpull. One connection leads to another, kinda makes the world a smaller place.
Thanks for solving my puzzled curiosity.
Ed. I try to keep my last name off my site. I'd prefer to be like Cher and only known by one name. Actually that's not true, I think Cher's just another out-of-touch over-paid Hollywood ego.
I kinda blew the keep my last name off my blog deal with my latest blog. it was all over it. oh well I dont think I have any stalkers
:-)
Pretty sure that wasn't the first time you mentioned Riley, but I could be wrong. It's just hard to keep names from slipping out. I sometimes wish I hadn't used by real first name, but it would have ended up somewhere in a post or comment I'm sure.
And it's difficult to keep approximately where you live from the posts too, unless you only post about politics or some hobby.
What's our next "He Said, She Said" topic? Any ideas floating around in that empty space you have up in your head Big Bro?
yeah, got a few im pondering, will let you know when i come up with a good one, your not gonna take 6 weeks to write yours again are you ? hahaha
how about going to Newton Stewart and hanging out at grandpa's general store?
maybe you dont remember too much about that since you were too little!!!! Little Rita
Funny that I was thinking about the same thing, probably because you mentioned Uncle Carl taking you there in your post.
And though you are WAAAYYYY older than I am, I do remember a lot about Newton Stewart. Your memory of old events are probably fogged up from your years of......let's just say.....hard living.
Well, your post had about 50 words, mine had 18,000 or so.
oh and you saying your blog is boring and such, reading your blog is what made me want to start my own blog. you have a hell of a following, that should tell you something.
Well, I'll admit what I lack in quantity of followings, I make up in quality. That part IS really cool.
But reading some others, I've found that my delusional fantasy of ever writing a book finds me lacking in true quality writing skills. I've read some blogs that were absolutely beautiful writing. The one I found most profound I had to quit reading and removed them from my reading list.
I love to read some from different viewpoints of all types, but when she posted that she was glad she had aborted her baby because she never had to wonder about him like her mother who gave hers up for adoption I just could not morally go there any longer.
To advocate adoption was worse because the mother was always left wondering what happened to her baby over a woman who aborted and there was no doubt as to the baby's fate. Well, that was just too much. I have a lot of friends who disagree with me on this subject, but none of them would suggest adoption should be rejected because it would leave the mother wondering.
I check on you from home. I check on you from work. My work IP is the one you're probably associating with me 'cause my home IP shows up as the company's HQ four or so States away.
(I like being a mystery man so I won't tell you which State.)
I never considered myself a good writer and never contemplated writing a book. But reading the work of others and just trying to do better work on my blog has, I think, improved my writing pretty dramatically although it still needs LOTS of improvement. (I'm still too liberal with commas.) But it has been interesting watching some who start out thinking they're gonna set the literary world on fire with the blog as a first step, only to have their blog wither and die when they realize it's more work than they thought.
I like coming here Rita. I'm glad you and CnC haven't quit putting thoughts on (virtual) paper.
I can tell you "straddle" a couple of states GB. I, too, end up with overusing the comma thing, but they suit me. Kinda like my "quotation"-fetish. Just have some quirky writing habits, like not putting myself in the sentence structure. Dang, couldn't get through that last one without "myself". That part is just simply a writing style choice.
Read once that good FBI profilers can tell amazing things about people by the way they write. They'd have a field day with my style.
HI RIta - Babs here.
I can't recall how I first connected to your blog, but I remember how much I enjoyed your writing and choice of topics. Your politics and beliefs seem to reflect mine, so that's another reason I check in now and then. I enjoy clicking through your "you might also like" links, and have read some things on your blog that make me laugh, and some that have made me cry.
I live just up the road from you, near South Bend. Those of us here in the Midwest have a different take on things, so I enjoy reading someone who lives close by and not in New York or L.A. Just seems more like you are a real live person than they are, for some reason.
Thanks for mentioning me. Glad to know I was "noticed". Keep up the great slices of life from middle America.
Hi Babs. Thanks for the compliments. I only figured you out when you first commented and I looked at the IP place that arrived at approximately the same time.
Btw, ever heard the old saying about the towns in Indiana?
"South Bend is North, North Vernon is south and French Lick ain't what you think it is."
I've never heard that one before, Rita! Very funny. We're still relative 'newbies' in Indiana - we've only lived here for 17 years. Hubby and I are born and bred Michiganders, and met in college in Kalamazoo in the early 1980s. We still think of Michigan as home.
One suggestion - take a vacation and go to visit lili's home of Colorado! I just moved my daughter to the LIttleton area, where she is living with an aunt and uncle while she searches for work in the Social Work field. She's loved it out there all her life, and after getting her Master's decided it was time to take the plunge. We've been out there several times, and it is truly breathtaking. Do yourself a favor and see a piece of America that is TOTALLY different than Indiana!
Well, this is my first visit to your blog. I like it.
I wanted to make a snarky comment about nothing in life is ordinary, except death, but I realized deaths are never ordinary either. So, I'll have to think about it and, maybe, come back and make a snarky comment.
I found your site through the blog "Fetch my Flying Monkeys" I'd write that's Laura's blog, but I think she made up the name. Even if she didn't, I think she'd probably tell you she did.
Thanks for stopping by Jess. Interestingly enough I happened upon your blog a couple days ago and tagged it as a favorite to come back are read more.
FMFM aka Laura is definitely an interesting read. She's much more creative than I am. Well I'm assuming it's creativity and not craziness, not that the two are mutually exclusive. She does make me laugh.
As to the Ordinary Life thing, my first post might explain it best. You can find it here.
Hey! There's nothing ordinary about your blog. You do an excellent job with it.
And you only think you know where I live...
Nah. That's me way up in the boonies...
cjh
Aww come on cj. I know you are Ed are some of those yankees that probably pronounce hoedown like hoedon.
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