Blogging as a Popularity Contest: I Lose!

I'm often humbled by the sheer number of people who e-mail me regularly asking me to please post here on a more frequent basis.

Being only human, I have to admit that this flattery often feeds the small part of my ego not already being nourished by my overinflated sense of self-esteem and narcissism. Really? You like me? Oh goody!

But as you can probably tell, I don't really write here because I want to be popular. If anything, I think I'd actually prefer a little more anonymity. 

Why?

When you're young, all you care about is having lots of friends. Then, as you mature, you realize there are much more important things in life---like having lots of friends who are less successful than you are.

Just kidding.

I think.

I might have to get back to you on that one.

Anyway, in all seriousness, I admit that this blog has a certain amount of internet-induced popularity that I'm slightly conflicted about it. On the one hand, I don't give a shit about what other people think of me but, on the other hand, I'd really like to be remembered as the guy who didn't care what other people thought of him. I like to call this the "Fonzie Dilemma."

Anyway, part of the reason that I don't blog more regularly is because I don't want this blog to become too popular. As I look around the internet, I see a lot of bloggers who are more overexposed than George Hamilton slathered in baby oil lying on a bed of aluminum foil under a magnifying glass at high noon in Palm Springs. Their constant self-promotion leaves me feeling a little nauseated by the whole thing.

I don't want to be one of those people whose lives becomes obsessed with blogging. I'll never be one who posts every day, comments on hundreds of blogs, and falsely assumes that quantity can trump quality. Traffic and popularity don't mean that much to me. 

I just like hanging out with you guys and shooting the shit.

Anyway, I would like to start posting here a little more frequently. It's just that things have been, as the kids say, "mad crazy." I'm watching my portfolio shrink so quickly that I picture myself spending my retirement greeting people at Wal-Mart. I'm cleaning my apartment so I can see more than 10 square feet of space at any given time. I'm cursing the fact that I bought a car that gets 12 mpg. I'm subsisting solely on meat and cheese. I'm weaning myself off coffee. I'm catching up on 3 months worth of personal e-mails. I'm purposefully losing daily games of Candyland while teaching my daughter how to tie her shoes. And I'm reading five books simultaneously while trying to figure out whether I should keep watching "Fringe," "The Mentalist," "My Own Worst Enemy," and "The Sarah Connor Chronicles."

Oh yeah...I'm also ruminating on the fact that I turned 40 last week!

More importantly, what's up with all of you?

Comments

[creative type dad]

Happy 40th

That George Hamilton reference is just wrong...

[Devra Renner]

Okay you whipper snapper,happy belated birthday! Why are we not having a very karaoke birthday for you? Did I miss the karaoke? Please tell me I did not.

Pssst, In April I will have the answer to life, the universe and everything.

[papa2hapa]

Happy Birthday. We're both Scorpios? Oh, and I vote for keeping the blog and the baby oil, and George Hamilton. Locked up.

[Courtney]

Happy belated birthday!

I wouldn't worry too much about whether you post too much or too little. People will read if they want to and leave if they want to and that's that.

[the mad momma]

well look who makes 40 look cool!!

happy birthday metrodad... and lets not talk about the portfolio please. you have no idea how Lehman Brother and Co have taken us all down the crapper - all the way in India!

i'm going to have to start blogging for money - so yeah - vote for me and visit my blog!

[3boys1mommy]

It takes a real man to throw a game of Candyland MD.

COME VISIT MY BLOG!!!

[mommyknows]

Oh please tell me you didn't just say all that stuff about not trying too hard at it because you'd end up too popular. UGH!

You assume ... you'll never really know. I mean maybe you *couldn't* be THAT funny, witty, entertaining five days a week?

I've loved your posts, until this one.

[Pepa]

¡¡Muchas Felicidades desde Madrizzzzzzz!!
Welcome to 40's club!! Bienvenido al club de los cuarentones ;)

I just wanted to say that this Fonzie Dilemma and the 5 simultaneus piles of books is just the key to understand this kind of hedonist people who enjoys life in broad, vertically & horizontally ;) !

My Bossman recommends you "Black Mass" by John Gray for your next pile of books. I am saying him that it's july 2007 book, even if it's a new arrival at Madrid.

Take care!!

[gorillabuns]

Please share your shoe tying teachings as I have moved on to duck tape for my unteachable kid.

[Jen]

You are way more successful than I am AND you're younger. I am definitely friendship material, heh. Nothing too exciting happening--if there were, would I be netsurfing? It's snowing a lot here and everyone has a cold. My 3yo daughter's feverish cheeks could substitute as stop signs they're so red. When I snuggle her, I feel guilty that I enjoy the heat so much. I'm studying Dutch and plotting ways to pry my man away from W.O.W.. Big whoop, huh? Happy Belated Birthday, P!

[the weirdgirl]

Happy Birthday, MD! Yeah, I'm totally late. Your not posting has been like my not reading. I say, wear the bad blogger badge proudly!

I think I'm going to have to give up Fringe. I like the premise and the guy playing the son, but that FBI chick? Not so much.

[Velma]

The lateness of my comment makes it obvious that I, too, am a blogging slacker these days. There's so much... life getting in the way, you know? Anyway, welcome to the 40+ club - I have to say, I love being a member. :)

[TheChick]

You are too cool for 40..and that is coming from a rather nerdy 22 year old.

Trade your big car in for a hybrid. It gets great MPG and the younger kids thinks that it's super rad, Dad!

[mom101]

Ok so I KNOW I posted big birthday wishes and some snarky comment about you not actually being popular but it disappeared.

So maybe you're actually even more popular thank you think. Maybe you have ten times the comments and they all get eaten too.

In any case, hope the very beginning of 40 is delightful, but not nearly as good as the end.

[Steve]

Belated Happy Birthday.

If I had to worry about quality when writing a post I would never get one finished. I'd have about 9 posts instead of about 900. What matters is I get it all down somehow, so it's there for later, for my kids.

I did think about adding a "this ones worth reading" tag for anyone who wanted entertainment and not just my diary. But hell, I like other people's diaries and seeing the simple stuff in other folks' blogs, so who am I to judge.

[SunSpotBaby]

My Own Worst Enemy? Gone, baby, gone....

[twizzle]

Just dropping by to say 'hi' and that I can totally relate to your conundrum about blogging vis a vis popularity/anonymity and shit.

What's new? I have been working my ass off to the detriment of my sanity. But I do get two weeks of vacation soon!

Go Bears!

xoxo

[Grandma Seattle]

There are only two blogs I read. My daughter's, http://othejoys.blogspot.com/ and yours. Both of you make me cry either by touching my heart or making me laugh so hard tears roll down my face (Chinese Gymnast deserves the Blog Oscar award). Although I grew up in a NJ suburb of NYC, I now live in Seattle - the two most awesome cities in the USA. I love that both you and my daughter are perfect blog writers. You appreciate that our collective attention spans on the web are short - resulting in short paragraphs, lots of white space, and pictures when appropriate. Some critics think the short story takes enormous talent - done well - more than a novel. If so, then the blog short story takes even more. Thanks for making me cry from my heart. Grandma Seattle

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thnks

appreciated what this blog had to say

[Aleix]

I've been following for quite some time and this is my first cmmneot. I applaud your ability to clearly explain even the most boring topics, and make them a joy to read. You are a master word-smith!

[Mariana]

HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY!!! I was gonna mail you a special b-day camel from my big sand box over here, buujuuuut it unfortunately wouldn't fit in the cardboard box I had. Happy Birthday buddaaay!

[Eycah]

Hahaha! Love it! Naked flashlight dicnang! And, cheating at candyland? Is it the fantasy of somehow getting extra, virtual candy at the end?? Sounds like a fun=exhausting vacation! Hope ya got some zzzzzzzz's []

[Dalia]

Tiffany,You have truly inspired me to flloow my dream of a Castle Coop My husband and I are in the process of looking at property's and homes. We have been reading and studying and asking anyone that has chickens how to house and raise them properly. To our dismay, most of the people we have spoke to don't seem to really care about their chickens. They let them run in open fields and say if they get eaten oh well ! We are firm believers you get what you raise. If you care and show passion and compassion you reap the benefits. I am so looking forward to decorating the castle coop and adopting the ugliest, the cutest and the zaniest chickens I can find. Just to give them a beautiful dwelling and treat them with royal respect and love .mmmmm I can just taste the reward of the finest eggs in the county. (A big sorry' for all of the vegans reading this right now. No offense meant.)I will send photo's of the final project when it's complete.Once again, thank you so very much for you , your writings , your sharing heart your creativity your stunning photography oh my thank you for everything.Sue from Canada

[Meenu]

hiyes i loved your coops and the story behind them, but i know they r not for me, i have a very basic but very funnitocal coop which has no fancy items in them (vintage or otherwise ) but your coop (i mean your chikcne coop) was surely an eye candy, thnx for sharing.what i really want to know is how did u train your chickens to return to the coop every night? i am a true beginner when it comes to keeping chikcens and right now i hv 7 of them, 3 pullets and 4 even smaller than a pullet, but though they do come near me when i go there with food, they r not at all ready to be touched and sitting in my lap looks a long way away.so how did u train them to return to coop and how did the friendship started? i hv only got these chicken with me for the last 15 days but would like them to be my pets.sorry for the long rambling question,

[Siyamthanda]

Excited to see and hear them tomorrow. Will have to video Bear taikng a look at them. =) Oh and I want some cred for helping haul the coop in my awesome truck! hehe

[Alina]

I have just become faliaimr with the remarkable DOI CHAANG coffee from Thailand (thank you Robert) which is not only top quality but pays the people twice Fairtrade prices and gave the Akha people 50% of the Canadian company..P.Pachecos, Calgary Alberta

[Vitaly]

I love the same ones that you like, but there were a few more that I like as well. Do I get to pick one? I can't wait for the wedding as well. Love you both!

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