Today's Apocalypse Sign: A Day Late and Some Bloggers Short

Of course I am late to Alex's Blogfest but I am going to cast my lot anyway. And since Alex included a mention of me and my site on his list, well now I really feel bad about missing the action yesterday.

A little history first...in the beginning of my blogging career (can you call it a career when you are not being paid??) I had no idea what I was doing. I knew I could put a couple words and a few sentences together and maybe documenting my thoughts and what have you in a blog format would be kind of fun. I knew nothing really of meeting and connecting with people in the blogosphere and forming cyber-friendships. This was all really new territory for me. Putting opinions and observations out there for other to digest and agree, disagree, or ignore at their will. Getting "followers" was a afterthought to just hoping someone would find my little blip on the blog radar and then choose to read it. I was content just to mosey along and letting things take their course.

Then Pat Tillett came along and decided (at his own risk mind you) that he would press that fateful follow button and forever be derailed into my cyberlife. Alex was not far behind him. I do not even know how or why they found and chose to follow my ramblings. I know I found a few sites that were interesting from Bloggers Blogs Of Note and began following them. I certainly have never been a Blog Of Note. That would really be hilarious!!

I credit Alex with boosting my follower count when I joined my first A-Z Challenge...I believe it was in its second year at the time. Lucky for me my site began with the letter A and since Alex had chosen to feature blogs beginning with the letter of the day during the challenge...I was in his first heavily read post. I awoke the next day to about 25 comments on MY post...people led there directly due to Alex putting my site in print on his. This challenge increased my followers by around 70 or 80. I was all "Holy sh*t", what is this!! Do I need to dress better now when I post? I was overwhelmed.

Granted those that had joined as followers of my site did it out of some frenzied zeal that the opening days of the challenge generated. Since I am not of the "writing clan" of which people like Alex, Milo, Nancy Thompson and others rule, I am not surprised to have had many of those followers wither and depart...left as a hollow shell in my follower count.

I have no idea where I was going with all this...as usual (see, NOT a writer by trade). I end this by saying thank you to all who read me, enjoy my photos and leave comments both always and periodically.
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This post is really about those who I miss. I truly miss their writings and postings and drawings and whatever they would choose to put out there. Narrowing to three is hard but here goes:

Hyperbole and a Half. Created by the hilarious Allie Brosh. This is an example of a virally successful blog. Two years after creating her site, she last posted. At that time she had over 58,000 followers. So many that no more people could join...like ever!  Her hugely comical posts were sometimes months apart and would generate over 1000 comments with in the first couple hours of a new one being published. Her last post so far was the announcement that she had a book deal to publish her blog posts and new material. Sometimes I go back and read her post on 7 Games You Can Play With a Brick...pure comic genius with great pictures. Fun fact: when that post came out it got 86 comments and one of the commenters announced she was the 999th follower...that was in March of 2010. I miss Allie.

Us and Them. Besides being a great Pink Floyd song, this site operated by Captain Dumbass and revealing the trials and tribulations of life with his demon children is really missing still from my reading. CD is another one of my original followers. He has not published in 8 months and since he is from BC in Canada, I am concerned the Mounties have gotten him. Read this post...would your wife let you do this before delivery?? Funny stuff Capt'n, you are missed.

Blackerries to Apples. This was a Blog Of Note I began following early in my blogging life. Meghan is a young Alabama girl who moved to the Big Apple in search of furthering her writing and "self expression" career. Obssessed with Lady Gaga and the eclectic life she has found in New York, she morphed her writing blog to a more picture and, I must say, Beyonce oriented site. She is now teaching and practicing yoga and apparently doing quite well. She was my vicarious New York vacation. I got a different perspective of writing style when I read her posts. She is missed.

Honorable mention: Pat Tillett has been absent for a few weeks and I am anxious for his return.
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Those I would miss if they were abducted by aliens tomorrow??

Alex J for sure, and not just coz he has been a good friend and follower despite being the busiest blogger on the planet. His site is a must read. Alex has helped so many writers in whatever way he can. Truly a humble scribe. He never fails to comment on anything I post. And I appreciate that. His appetite for good music knows no bounds. Thanks Alex.

Rawkn Robyn...her reasons for celibacy alone keeps me in stitches. Plus she loves fair trade chocolate...woohoo! I like reading about her quiet little NorCal town and her pizza stories! She also is a faithful commenter. Thanks Robyn.

Patrick Tillett...his photography, his marine corps stories, his travels...I enjoy every single post this man has ever written. I have often said that an afternoon relaxing with a few beers, Pat and Alex...that would be a good time. Thanks for being there from the beginning, Pat...congrats to making it on both my lists!!

My listing for both categories could include so many more and I want no one to feel slighted for not being listed in this post. Lucy, Hilary, Rita, Nancy, Shannon, Jeremy, Stormy, Jen...and you most of all tin man (my Oz reference) Geoff from the Man Cave...etc. etc.

I have enjoyed my internet journey so far and consider this my second home...now who is hosting Thanksgiving???