Nothing… that was a trick question… there is nothing wrong with any of my posts… but it is a recycled post from the very early days of my blog… as you will see it you read it… because I think we are all getting sick of my Maui posts… so I am going to mix in some other stuff too… This one was called:
————————————————
I was feeling pretty good about myself…
————————————–
But that never lasts forever…
So far, I have had 199 hits on this little experimental blog of mine. In my ignorance, I was thrilled by that number. Almost 200 people at least took a quick glance at my words and art and ideas in a month. That is much better than trying to lure people into my home and then giving them the ‘Arthur Browne show’, as my family calls it.
Then my older daughter came to visit yesterday. Jessica and I tend to drive each other a little crazy. We realized recently that this is because we are so exactly the same in so many ways. And to be honest, from my point of view, it sort of bugs me that she is, if anything, a better me than I am… And she is smarter than me. She has been since she was three or four years old.
I told her proudly of the vast number of hits I had achieved. After rolling her eyes and reminding me that she didn’t really want to hear me talk about the blog all the time, she calmly asked, “How many followers do you have?”
I had my answer and my joke ready… “Four,” I replied, “I am now the official leader of the world’s smallest cult!”
And then she said, quite reasonably, “So out of 199 people, only four people are planning on sticking around?”
I hadn’t looked at it that way. I didn’t want to look at it that way. But she had a point…
And once I started looking at it that way, I couldn’t stop looking at it that way. I assume that most of the 199 hits are from family and friends, people who already love…(or at least tolerate)… me. People I had been begging nonstop on Facebook to please check out my blog. And even they were not signing up to follow it! I felt the first waves of depression setting in…
Jessica tried to cushion the blow to my ego in that way that only cool, popular, well-adjusted 21-year-olds with lots of friends and a real social life can do, when they are talking to a parent that sort of embarrasses them, but that they love enough to feel sorry for…
“It doesn’t have to be all about you,” she said.
(She knows me well enough to know that isn’t true, but whatever)…
“Most of these people don’t know you, so why should they care about your life?” Again, she asked a reasonable question.
“But it is supposed to be about my life, it is my life, that’s sort of the idea,” I tried to explain.
Then she went on to point out that I didn’t need to show every piece of art I ever created, because nobody cared. She reminded me that I even told people that I was showing mostly my old artwork that wasn’t all that good. I made jokes about it. I tried once again to defend my actions by telling her that I was attempting to show the whole life-long development of art in a person, how it improved and branched out and evolved, and how it was a journey for all of us. I tried to explain how I was making lots of jokes at my own expense, and trying to tie my early work into the narrative in a fun way, while showing people that if they want to do art, they will start off with silly pictures that will not impress very many people, but that they can and will get better, and they can have fun doing it. And, I didn’t want to show my best work first, and end up with the crappy stuff still sitting in drawers being unused and unseen.
As for all the family stuff, the pictures and back-story, I just sort of had fun when I started doing that. None of this is planned, by the way. My mind just doesn’t work that way. Each part of this blog is just what happened that day, based on finding a new drawer full of poems and songs, or new disks full of old art, or new files in the computer with old family pictures. I make a few wisecracks and tell a funny story and throw in a few pictures. That is my life. Unplanned, rambling, sometimes funny, occasionally exciting, often boring, now and then just sad. It bounces around like the thoughts in my head.
“Maybe you could talk about current events, you know, stuff people are actually interested in,” Jessica suggested helpfully…
(Ouch)…
Well, I could tun this into a blog that is a commentary on modern life and politics and all the crazy stuff that people do. I have some pretty funny opinions on everything…if you ask me… and I do want this to be a success. On the other hand, there seem to be millions of blogs that do that already. Do we need another one? If so, maybe I could start a second blog that would be more popular. But for now, unless you all agree that I am wasting my time telling my silly little story of my life and how art takes over every aspect of that life, I am going to carry on rambling…
Just as an experiment, here is a political observation; I can’t help thinking that the only way to make Newt Gingrich a more focused, effective politician, is to have him newtered…
Pouring My Art Out 
First, Nobody has a blog like you and I feel I know you as a person in a way I don’t know most bloggers because of the things you share. I like knowing about you..you are a good storybook. 🙂 Also, you have more loyal followers who consistently comment and start conversations with you than any other blogger I know. So there is that and I like your blog…and so do all your other followers.
And you have a smart daughter. Big followings are for commentators and community blogs. People tell me all the time, nobody likes poetry, they don’t want to read it and a few times I nearly quit BUT I enjoy it and I have friends and they are worth being ME for.
Well said… I always say that if you read my whole blog, you would know me better than you know anyone else
So how many followers now?
2,116 or so…
Ah, this post was good. I have a sudden urge to go digging around in your archives, if you don’t mind.
Please bring a flashlight… some rubber boots, fresh water, a rope, oxygen tank, food, a life raft, snake bite kit… and don’t touch anything… the exits are clearly marked… if you can find them…
I’m all equipped, bar the oxygen tank, but I’m sure I can find one down there. Other than that, I’m set to go, thanks.
I hope you meet some nice people… the best place to do that is on the post where we are trying to set the record for the most comments on one blog post… there is a link to that one at the top of the sidebar. Great place to meet people… just send them a random comment.
Ooh yes, I visited that post a few weeks ago. Interesting stuff. How many comments are there now? I think I’ll visit again.
Almost 30,000, I do believe. Say hi to Julie or Trent or List of X… my official minions and keepers of the comment patrol.
I will do! And 30,000! That’s an astounding achievement.
We did it all with love… and… stuff…
Must be the best stuff around
It can be if you do it right.
I hear you.
good
But there is also original music, and… other weird things to see around here…
I’ll check it all out, for sure
No pressure.
I can tell you this, my friend. Truly the only person important enough to satisfy is you, yourself. I do remember this kind of feeling, though!
That puts a lot of pressure on me to satisfy myself… wait… that sounded sleazy… oh well…
Funny joke at the end. Cute piece. Why don’t you write more? You’re good at it. Lucy
This blog is full of stuff I wrote… and… those books I wrote… and the songs I wrote… and stuff…
It’s fun to see how far you have come and how you have evolved. OK…evolved isn’t really the right word for you, but it is still fun to see then and now.
Ironically, I am the best proof of evolution that currently exists…
Wow, and look how far you’ve come… early days indeed. I don’t think you need to do current affairs, etc., I think people find lots of interesting stuff on your blog as it is. I’m still pushing for the tasteful nude angle… I said TASTEFUL!
I could give it a shot I guess.
Well you do sometimes. I think people stick around here for the variety, so popping in something about what’s going on couldn’t hurt. For instance, you could talk about how a mild-mannered Canadian has infiltrated your country with thoughts of bringing the love. Yes, that’s right. Trent Lewin is currently in America. God help us all.
I feel the need to say, “Come home,Trent. We miss you.”
never say that too him… he will end up living on your couch…
My friend, Michelle, this is my home.
He has a cot down in the break room…
I was going to ask you about that… it’s a bit dirty down there…
And who is responsible for putting up the minion chore list?
Oh crap… I’m a sucky minion.
If you weren’t so funny, I might have replaced you.
Be careful Trent. I heard that the NSA has monitored your blog and were just waiting for you to cross into their territory so they could nab you and put your insidious talents to work for their nefarious purposes. I certainly hope they don’t get hold of you – the cream of the Canadian thinkers and a CBC interviewee. The amount of damage the NSA could do in the world with the aid of a towering mind such as yours is truly frightening.
So, have a great trip and I’m with silkpurseproductions – Come Home Trent, we miss you!
I hope the NSA is at least smart enough to counteract on crazy Canadian minion…
Ha! Yo NSA, kindly and in the best possible way, please suck it. We Canadians and CBC acolytes are totally onto you.
My friend Michelle from silkpurseproductions is well-intentioned and a totally great person, but I have to say in my defence that I’ve posted like twice in two weeks. It’s a record, I tell ya!
I am still recovering from the first post…
But we never got a warning from the State Department…
Hopefully, Jessica is now impressed by you having thousands of followers, hundred thousand views, and the fact that you can have dozens of people looking through your vacation pictures – a task many people try to avoid even with their own relatives. 🙂
HA!… she becomes less impressed with time… but that last part cracked me up.
My worst fear! Thinking that I’m really funny and then everyone else rolling their eyes! That is the basis for most of my social anxiety! We’re in this together!
I will be following you!
Yay… I need at least one more babbling buddy!
Hehe. Don’t we all??
Well… usually I am that person.
Cool post Art. Love the “newtered” joke.
Who doesn’t love a good neutered Newt joke???
😀 NOSTALIGAAAAA!!
Gah, this was so cool! I shall now go round the archives..:)
I keep telling people to put on their rubber boots and explore the swamp…
Hehehehehhe!
(Also excuse me for writing “NOSTALIGAAAAA” you know what I meant.
But really. What IS that.)
😀
I think it is an STD…
OH MY………..
:O
sorry… that’s just what it sounds like…
Heheheeheh
yup