On the First Year

Well, I have been writing the blog for officially one year. May 16th, 2012 was the day I posted my first entry. It wasn't much of an entry, just a brief explanation of what the blog was going to be about, but still the beginning. What a strange journey it has been, for those that have been following it. There have been a number of embarrassing stories, from the time I pooped the bed, to the fact that I actually listened to the 50 Shades of Grey books at work. I have talked about the challenges of Diabetes (okay, maybe it has just been me whining about the food and drink I can no longer enjoy), my neighbor and his cereal exchange program, my children, and even tapped into some deep feelings to talk about friends/loved ones lost, and other personal stuff. What can I say, it's all about me!

Mostly, I have tried to focus on random non-sensical stuff that strikes me as funny. Whether it is about automated bathroom fixtures, lawn sales or the Olympics there is little rhyme or reason to my subject matter. I try not to get too political, but every now and then, I feel compelled to say something. Which is often a mistake, but what can I say, the level of political nonsense seems to be at an all-time high. But then again, when isn't it? Believe me when I say I have a lot more to share, and I always seem to run into stuff that makes me laugh (sometimes I'm the only one laughing), so don't think I am running out of stuff to write about!

What I really wanted to do with this post is to thank all of you who have shared or commented on my ramblings over the last year. It has been appreciated, and I am going to try to get back to a regular posting schedule. I started this as a way to try my hand at writing, seeing as how I never really wrote anything before. I never took an English class past high school because I was never really interested in it. I always wanted to be an artist and took drawing in college, but that has fallen by the wayside, and now, I really don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Writing is fun and therapeutic (you are all saving me a fortune in therapy), and is something that has my interest right now. Maybe I can figure out how to make something of this--I doubt it, but you never know!

Since I am insecure, I find myself constantly checking the stats on my blog (and now my Facebook page). I thought I'd take some time to share some of the numbers I have pulled. Compared to a real, professional blogger, my numbers are quite pathetic. Professionals probably get as many hits in a day/hour as I have gotten in months, but, because I am new to this, I am happy with any numbers I get. So without further ado, here are they are. (These are the numbers at the time of my writing. They may have shot up a whole point or two by the time anyone reads this.)

The post I have gotten the most hits to date is the one about wedgies and the Olympics. I have 322 views and every time I click on the post, the number seems to increase by one (just kidding, I stole that from The Office). The worst post so far was my first post (technically the second--the first, as I mentioned earlier, was the intro to the blog): apparently no one cared about my revelation that the short urinal at work was for midgets, not children (that is speculation on my part, but I still believe it wholeheartedly). It only has received 18 hits, but also has no tags and was before I got onto Google Plus, so maybe I should revisit it...

To go back to the more successful posts, my piece about stand-up comedy and unintended plagiarism was at 206 hits, making it the second most-viewed post. My review of the 50 Shades of Grey series, and the challenges of listening to it in the workplace, came in (no pun intended) at number three with 150 hits. The fourth and fifth highest are neck and neck, with 110 views logged of the story about when the crotch of my pants ripped out at a temp job, and 108 views for the one about the annoying energy-supplier-sales people who had been bombarding my house last year (and I see them again, walking the streets).

Most of my posts seem to settle in at around 50 views or so, with some spiking up over 70. A few have struggled and not been able to get much over 30 views, including such classics as the first Diabetes post, the story about pooping the bed, and the one I wrote about the Sesame Street Sex Scandal. I have no idea why some seem to take off, and others just do nothing. I don't think it is because of subject matter, though the "political" posts are among the lower viewages. Maybe it is the subject matter, maybe it is my awesome writing (that, I doubt) but what ever it is, I will keep writing about whatever, and maybe a pattern will reveal itself.

I have 35 posts to date, and I hope to match this number for the next year. A post a week seems a bit daunting, but we will see. Thanks again for reading, please continue, and feel free to leave comments on the page. I promise I will respond when I get a chance. Also, spread the word! Tell your neighbors (even the creepy ones who bring you half-eaten boxes of serial) and your friends about the blog. Don't forget to like the Facebook page as well. I only have 41 likes for the page and would like to get more (https://www.facebook.com/NonWisdomFromTheFirstStall  ). I have been trying to make pseudo-memes (the random non-wisdoms that have been appearing on my pages feed) through the FB page and it seems to be going well so far. Anyway, I am rambling and I want to get this out. Thanks again and I will be getting another post out soon! I also added a list of the top ten of my posts on the site... enjoy!