The Century Mark

I was born in December of ‘81; 16 months later, Nathan was born in April ’81. This would be of little consequence except that it’s taken the exact same amount of time to reach the century mark for posts on Cyber Commorancy (12/05-4/07). Yeah, I was thinking the same thing…Twilight Zone.
This post is commemorating this significant event, so break out the bubbly and put on your party hats cuz it’s gonna get CRAZY! Or, more realistically, stay in your pj’s, take time out of work or a break from homework. If there’s a vending machine near by, maybe you can buy a soda…I'd use the bathroom first because it's hard to sum up 100 posts.

A Girthy Post
I never realized I was so diverse and wise (some would counter with ‘scatterbrained’ and ‘egomaniacal’…touché) until blogging. Nor did I realize how many words I could make up - like the word ‘Girthy’.
Regardless, there have been a myriad of topics discussed - more vast than Rosie O'Donnell's waist line and just as scary. Of the past hundred posts, 18 have addressed moral/political issues; 14 have related to family; 12 have been “Shout Out’s”; 6 have been catch-ups. Of the rest, football and the break-in have pulled 3; x-box and the Buck got 2; Oprah, Dr. Phil and Verizon each got 1.

What’s the Scuttlebutt?
One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most over the past 100 posts is the feedback from you, my loyal fan base; let me change ‘fan base’ to readership as I’m pretty sure some regulars loathe me. Political and moral diatribes actually draw the least amount of comments; humorous and shout-out based postings get the most. In general, we feel obligated to say something when something’s said about us and not too many people care enough about social issues to say anything. Or it's been put so eloquently no one has anything else to add. (If you're a gambler, I'd put money on the former rather than the latter.)
Of the first 100 posts to Cyber Commorancy, the top comment-garnishing posts are:

My Top 10 – (5) My favorite tunes from high school.
Weight For it…Weight for it – (4) My ever growing waist line and beard.
If You Haven’t Already Heard – (4) Announcement of a little one on the way.
Shout Out: The Buck – (4) Eulogy to the greatest car a guy could have.
Shout Out: The Sound – (4) Tribute to a little game called ‘Halo’.
House Sitting – (4) A chronicling of the weirdness of living in another’s house.
6 Degrees to My Biznas – (4) Tracing how fast gossip travels
An Ounce of Prevention…And a Slug – (3) Recounting the break-in of our apartment.

Of the 94 comments left over the past 100 posts, some are instant classics. They range from odd to funny to gratifying. Here they are, unedited and uncut:

Jeff: Weird, wild stuff: Having done a statistical research project with you in Sis Hendricks (to which the quote from you of "I wish I had a gun to shoot myself in the face" will live in infamy) Math is certainly not your strong suit, nor mine. But are you really serious about the count being that high?

The Ames Family: Complete: (This comment by Shantay was funny, but really long. Click on the link above to read it. Worth your troubles, I promise.)

Nathan: Shout Out: The 1st Sister-in-Law: Good post. Made me love my wife more, and made her cry. In a happy way.

Lindsay and Rachell: Complete: Logi-After much deliberation, Rach and I have just recently decided that you are hilarious. There is a certain and distinct hilarium about you. We enjoy you very much. Thanks for the continued entertainment you provide two lonely and bored sisters. Love-Rinds and Lach

William: If you hadn't already heard: Congratulations! Molding a legacy is a lifetime effort, with huge rewards. Good luck! BTW: Walter Payton is a good name, as well as Mike Singletary, Dick Butkis, and Brian Urlacher.....- William –

Anonymous: Breakfast Memories: "Hurrah for Cream of Wheat!" exclaims the random passerby.I was surfing blogger for tips on how to jazz up Cream of Wheat, and your blog was in the top ten for "most recently updated." Thanks for the tips on that and other inexpensive breakfast foods!

Nathan: Happy Birthday... : You're good, real good. BTW, happy birthday to you too. May there be many more years of both you and your blog!

Nathan: Shout Out: The Buck : The Buck Died? When did this happen? How did this happen? Is there anyway to save it? Seriously, I got a little choked-up when I read that last line.

Anonymous: Shout Out: The Sound : I have just spent two hours reading your blogs instead of doing my homework.

Dave: Something You Didn't Know : Great diction...would you like to come teach a writing class to my students? Give us more.

Archie: Shout Out: Archie “Slam” Ames and Zach “Cack” Shoemaker : Thats some serious "SHIZZLE MAYHEM." There's nothing like the good ol' college days. Oh wait a minute i'm still in college and it sucks now cuz the LTrain left. We will meet again though and he will probably lose to me at Blitz like he ussually did.-SLAM

Location, Location, Location
Girls get around more than guys - I mean, their blogs do. They have this intricate network of acquaintances – I'm not even upset; that's amazing. Anyway, I use this awesome tool called Google Analytics to track the hits on Cyber Commorancy. It was really cool until I realized Paula gets a ton more visits to her site than I do; then it really stunk. Anyway, as time has gone on, the word has gotten out and reader hot spots have grown and changed, not totally unlike Barry Bonds' forehead since he's been popping 'roids. I’ve had random hits from all over the world and I’ve taken three snapshots in time from the tool and thought I’d give you an idea of who’s reading where. The bigger the dots, the more hits from that area. (Click on the maps to get them big enough to see.)

June and July 06
In the beginning was...the South. When I started using Google Analytics mid June, the local friends and family really kicked this thing off. As you can see, nothing else was even close, though I did get some love from back home and friends at the 'I'.






Dec 06 and Jan 07
Happy Holidays! The dynamics changed some; though Metro Atlanta still led the way, LA was second, followed by a sudden spike in Greenwich, Connecticut. My peeps in Idaho and home remain true. As you can see, there was some spotty international reading, but almost nothing that stuck; however, some faithful readers in Canada still read. I attribute this to Lindsay and her international roots.


Mar and Apr 07

Currently, there are four major hot spots in a little place I like to call the USA. Metro Atlanta still carries the most weight, but Idaho and LA are really showing the love. Greenwich virtually disappeared, but Minneapolis has shown up with a flurry of activity, so we're Even Stevens. I also noticed some hits from Communist China. If they change to an elected form of government, I think I deserve some credit. If I don't deserve it, I still want it.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little trip down memory lane as much as I have. Just want to give a shout out to you, the folks who make Cyber Commorancy part of your life.
Whether you read for fun, to keep in touch, out of spite or cuz you're just plain bored, I appreciate you reading - 3,092 visits and 5,111 pages views (since starting tracking in June)- and the numbers are growing. I’m stoked for the next 100!