Wednesday, December 19, 2012

#135. or, I'd like to give you some schwag

 So, here's an interesting little tid bit. Today's post, or, more accurately, today's date (December 19th), marks the completion of my first year of attempting to be a blogger. I can't begin to tell you how much I wish I had one of those New Years Eve, noise maker things, that unroll like the tongue of a lizard in the jungle, rolling it out to snag a passing bug.

 Cause I'd blow that noise maker right now to signify fanfare and exuberance. That, and we'd all get to wear silly hats.

  WOO HOO, will have to suffice.

  I think it's been a pretty interesting year for me here. It's been quite a learning curve from the day that I pushed that publish button, on my very first post until now. In fact, there are still certain things that I'd like to be able to add, that I'm not quite sure how to, just yet. That will come, I hope.

 I'm little bit disappointed that this is only my 135th post. Truthfully, when I began, I had intended to be somewhere between 200 and 300 posts right now. But the fact that I'm still here almost every week, at least once, isn't too bad, I guess?

  When I started this, I never really expected to have too many followers. Other than, of course, my relatives and the few people that I chatted with over on facebook. Now, I have 61 wonderful people who are listed as my followers and have had around 23000 views on my blog. I suspect that that's middle of the road numbers, but that's OK. I'm a middle of the road sort of guy.

  So, are there any crappy things about doing this? A couple, that I can think of. It's been really difficult to give some of the other bloggers, that have been so supportive of me, the time they deserve in having me return the favor of commenting back on their posts. I read a lot of blogs. Sometimes I need to think about them for a while before I comment. Once in a while, I just forget to go back to leave a comment. That's something I wish I could do better.

  Also, I've been getting A LOT of spam comments the last month. It always excites me when I get a notification of a comment that somebody has left. When I go to check to see what's there, and it's somebody   leaving an add for something, it's rather annoying. I don't know how to fix that, other than to turn the stupid CAPTCHA back on but I don't really want to do that.

  I would like to think that my writing has improved a bit over the last year. I still spell like shit, but have developed a phenomenal friendship with the spell checker. It makes me look much smarter than I actually am. I have also bought my domain name, and would like to switch my blog over onto that in the new year. If you were to google, Ken-inatractor.com right now, you get a picture of a boat, or some such nonsense. I'd like to get something there that's at least relevant to this site.

  Now, without all of you, I'd most likely still be here, but I wouldn't be having nearly as much fun. So here's the good part. I want to give you something. I would like to give EVERYBODY something, but I don't know how to do that. Also, I can't afford that. So, until I'm able to become a billionaire, playboy philanthropist, through my imaginary job as a male underwear model, only one person will win something.

  This something :

........because, how can you look bad in a John Deere hoodie!

  From today, until January 1st, I'll keep track of all of the comments I get on my posts, and from the comments on posts that I link to facebook. Of those names, I'll draw the name of one person, who can decide which hoodie that they would like, and I'll mail it to them. Simple as that. I hope you win.

  In other exciting news, the fine fellows over at Dude Write have seen fit to award my last post with a Chairman's Choice Award. High praise indeed!



  And finally, if you're at all interested in burning off that gallon of gravy and egg nog that you plan on consuming this Christmas, don't forget to go to my blogger 5K page tab, on the bottom of my header picture. You can leave a comment there and my friend Kianwi and I would love to add your name to the list.

  Honestly, it's the end of December already and I've only been to the track one time. There's no need to feel intimidated about this. We're all friends here, and we don't judge.


28 comments:

  1. Happy 1st Blogoversary, Ken! Giving away a John Deere hoodie is PERFECT!

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    1. Thanks Debra,
      It took me some time to decide what the give-away item was going to be. I'm glad that you have confirmed my decision.
      Well done on being the first name in the pot. I'll be sure to mix it up good to give you a fair chance. :)

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  2. I'll take the black one.

    Oh HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. WOOO HOOO.
    Last year I got my phone on the 19th, the day before my birthday. A month later I joined Twitter and there I found you and your delightful blog. How fortuitous. :)
    What a grand and exciting year. Glad I could share it with you.

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    1. Hi Kait, if you win, the black one is yours.

      Fortuitous indeed! Thanks for bringing that fancy word to the party. ;)

      It's certainly been fun having a friend who is the twitter sensation that you have become!

      And now I'm never going to forget when your birthday is because of all of those significant details.

      HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAIT! :)

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    2. Aww thanks Ken.
      I would have been first comment too but my phone had other ideas. :)

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    3. I think, because this is my contest, everybody gets to be first. :)

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  3. Happy Blogoversary!

    Oh man, I want that hoodie!! I am going to comment and comment and drive you crazy :) It's funny, because before finding your blog, never in my wildest imagination would I have wanted a John Deere hoodie, but now? It would be awesome :)

    I still haven't done my second run, either! I have been so stressed at work, I am exhausted when I get home and don't want to do it, and can't seem to drag myself out of bed in the morning. I'm looking forward to some days off so I can get my lazy butt running!

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    1. Hi there, Kianwi,

      Feel free to comment as much as you like, I'll never go crazy chatting it up with you. :)
      You would think that John Deere might want to kick a little commission my way for all of the advertising that I seem to do for them?

      I think, when my wife has a few extra days off next week, we're just going to do nothing for a couple days. (other than chores) We've been running like crazy, getting ready for Christmas and the bedroom reno, we just need a break for a bit.

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  4. You do give us all something every time you post. Thanks.

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    1. Well, thanks so much! When you put it that way, it makes me want try to step my game up a bit.

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  5. Some good news:

    Well, actually, given 135 posts, you've actually averaged twice a week! :)

    Blogger makes it REALLY easy to post your blog to your own domain name - if you need help walking through it, I'm happy to do it for you. I'd done it myself years ago, but have since let my domain name expire (different blog, different life).

    Blogger is pretty good about filtering out spam comments, but I know it sucks. :/

    I'm sure I had some other good news or thoughts to share when I started writing, but it's late and I'm having an insomnia moment, so this will have to do.. ;)

    CONGRATS!! Happy anniversary!! Go dance with your wife and enjoy! :)

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    1. Hey there, BB!

      Well, the math does say that, but it's only because I was a posting machine for the first couple of months. I seem to have settled into the schedule that I have now.

      Now you have me excited about this mysterious good news that you have. I'll be expecting an update on that. :)

      I shall inform my wife that you said she needs to dance with me now. She doesn't usually need much coaxing though. ;)

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  6. OMFG I want a farmer hoodie from Canada.

    No seriously. I. WANT.

    I would look so hot in one of those.

    Anyway.... congrats man... and the spam comments drive me nuts too - but I look at it this way - the spam bots wouldn't be bombing you so hard if you weren't important! :)

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    1. Hi Six.

      Actually, I'm pretty sure that the hoodies originally came out of the US. Or perhaps, some slave labor shop in the orient? I'm not so sure.

      I suppose that I should try to spin the spam thing into some positive angle. I'm pretty sure that there's going to be a post about it, so that's a good thing?

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  7. I get spam comments too. No way around it really, becasue I hate captcha as well. Congrats on your blogging. I can only find time to update once a week too, so no worries there. :)

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    1. Thanks Holly,

      Sometimes, it's funny to read the spam and see how terrible they are put together. I am almost happy when one arrives with complete sentence structure and good grammar. (but then, I suffer from poor sentence structure and bad grammar as well, so I'm probably not the best one to be pointing fingers.)

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  8. Congrats on surviving your first year in the blogsphere! Your presence here has added so much good reading, both serious and humorous fare. It's nice to have another very real person in our midst! Congrats on the Chairman's Choice Award at Dude Write, you've contributed some great stuff there too, and obviously they agree! Isn't it amazing how blogging can change our outlook on life and give us something new to look forward to?! Wishing you many more years of great blogging, and maybe that writing career some day in the not too distant future! Oh, and I'd love to win one of those awesome hoodies, it made me think of my Dad and smile! Wishing you and your family a Christmas that's warm with love and bright with laughter!

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    1. Thanks Josie,

      It didn't take me long to find out that everything that I post can be humorous, but I try to keep coming back to that.

      While I try to remain upbeat and positive, some days are just more stressful than others. I guess, in that regard, what I write, is a pretty good representation of my life. If I can be entertaining while doing that, then I'm happy. :)

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  9. Happy Bloggoversary!!

    I never thought to have a birthday celebration for my blog. I just checked - I started in May of '09!! This coming May I will have had the hammock for FOUR YEARS. Maybe a blog make-over is due for my place. I am thinking about it. Anyhoo - here's something that should make you feel better - you've had yours for a year and have had 23,000 some odd views? I've had my blog for going on four years....and I've had 18,284 views...So dear friend, be glad! You've done VERY WELL and will continue to just get better, I am sure of it! :)

    I know what you mean about spam - I don't actually get a lot of spam comments but when I look at the stats traffic sources, I must scrunch my eyebrows in suspicion. That and the fact that I get an abundance of traffic from Russia...is that bad that I am distrustful? Anyway, yeah no on the captcha thing - annoying to have to enter that and find one you can actually read!

    Also congrats on the win at Dude Write! Whoo hoo's all around!

    So glad I found you/you found me-however it came to be - Yippee!

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    1. Hello, my friend!

      Thank you so much!
      I'm pretty certain that the numbers that I have are where they are from the link-up type things that I did this year. When I started to get involved in some of those, that's when my numbers really started to climb. And really, there were days that I didn't feel much like posting or was pressed for time, the link-up forced me to put something up. I think it's a good thing but I don't want to get tied up in the circle of all of my posts being generated by that. I have some good ideas for posts, I think, about my life stuff, and I want to try to work on getting some more of those out in the upcoming year.

      I find the Russian contingent a little suspicious myself. If I could get even one of them to leave a comment, I'm pretty sure those suspicions would go away.

      In, what's been an exciting year here, and with all of the wonderful new friendships that I've made, You have certainly been a bright spot for me. Thanks for that! :)

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  10. Congratulations on your Blogiversary. Do those hoodies come in chubby sizes? Sign me up.

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    1. I'm certain that they do Stephen, so glad to have you have you join in!

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  11. Well, Congrats! My one year blogiversary was on December 18th and I failed to recognize it. I struggle with commenting and such, too, because I read so many blogs.

    You are doing great and I really enjoy your unique perspective on things!

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    1. Hi Tracie,
      I never even realized that we almost share a blog birthday. That's pretty cool.
      I read a lot of blogs off of my phone, and I'm not all that crazy about commenting from it. Although, I do it sometimes when I have to. But more often that not, I usually forget to go back to something that interested me later, to leave a comment when I get home.

      It makes me happy that you like the way that my mind works. Or at the very least, how I relay that into a story. I don't really think that I could do a picture post like you do. I'd like to, I just don't have a clue how to go about it. I think that the things you do are pretty great as well! :)

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  12. This is very cool! You have an awesome blog, Ken. I enjoy each post. Your recognition is well deserved. Congratulations!

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    1. Thank You McGuffy Ann,

      You do realize that you're making me blush over here, don't you. :)

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  13. I'm not a big egg nog person, but I could probably drink a gallon of gravy. I have seen a huge increase in my spam traffic as well. I have considered the same thing, but really don't want to do it.

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    1. It's not something that I really want to do either. I suppose that I'll leave it as it is until it becomes too much to deal with?

      I can't take my egg nog straight up, it has to be thinned a bit with spiced rum. :)

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