Sorry, I’ve been having so much trouble with my host, keeping my blogs online, even with the exorbitant hosting fees I pay them. I thought that when I left BME that Zentastic readership would slowly trail off as people lost interest, but I’m quite surprised to see that it actually climbs constantly and that it’s significantly higher than it ws years ago (and BME, conversely, has readership numbers that keep dropping and dropping, which I have mixed feelings about). My zombie disposal truck has been getting lots of blog attention on Digg and elsewhere (watch for it on Torontoist too), so that’s probably meant a little bit more load than usual as well. Caitlin got me this nice farm sticker for it.
So true! The other sticker is a fishing sticker, and although I don’t really fish, Caitlin took Nefarious on a fishing trip this past weekend and she (Nefarious, not Caitlin) caught, if I remember right, eight sunfish, more than anyone else. Catch and release; we didn’t eat them. But it’s enough that I don’t feel like so much of a fishing poser with the sticker… now I can just tell people it belongs to my daughter!
In vehicle news, after something like a month and a half of sorting out the logistics, the windshield for my Sterling should arrive tomorrow morning. The mechanical work is essentially done — I just got a great new exhaust system for it as well — so maybe I’ll actually get it on the road soon. It still needs to have a pile of bodywork done, and it needs a complete interior fabricated, which is probably the biggest piece of work. Fingers crossed the windshield won’t be cracked when it arrives.
My neighbor’s band (Effigy) is doing a couple big shows this month so they’ve been practicing like crazy. I’m not a big fan of the nu metal sound that they have because when it comes to metal I usually prefer either oldschool metal (Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Judas Priest, etc — stuff from my childhood) or oldschool deathmetal if it has to be something heavier… But they have been experimenting from time to time with a sort of psychedelic metal that reminds me of stuff like Praxis that’s actually not too bad to hear through the wall and I don’t mind hanging around for. That said, the girls are always desperate for the band to play because they know I’ll take them to the park. We took these “ghost pictures” the other night.
Oooooooh, scary! Love extended exposures.
Luckily they’ve been cool about wrapping up early so I’ve been able to get Nefarious to bed in time — since this is the first week of school there’s no more sleeping in and it’s important that she gets a full night. Last thing she needs is being tired and grumpy on her first week in a new class!
It’s been really nice for Nefarious being back at school, starting her first year of the three year lower elementary cycle in Montessori. I’ve already toured the school and met the principal of course, but today we had the first parents orientation night which was nice, getting to see the teacher and some of the other parents (a number of who I know from the Casa — kindergarten — program). I won’t ramble about it now, but I continue to be a strong advocate of the Montessori program for both academic and social development reasons. If any parents reading this have questions, I’m always happy to talk, so feel free to email me. Today when I picked her up from school, she was in the front foyer playing a game of chess with a much older girl, who I was happy to see her destroy, mwah haha hahaha! The coaching that my brother and I have given her in the game has obviously paid off.
I’m looking forward to tomorrow as well, because an online friend is flying in from an incredible distance because his film “Last Ride” is playing at the Toronto Film Festival and Caitlin and I are joining him for the opening. I’m also seeing Romero’s new movie Survival of the Dead on Monday which I’m also looking forward to greatly, and hopefully I’ll make it to the Zombie Walk this weekend as well. In TV world I’m looking forward to the Big Brother finale, and then the new Survivor as well as the new Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights show, which should be a good one.
Speaking of story telling, I’ve been writing a story called “Ariel Underground” about a little girl based on Nefarious that gets lost in an underground world and has all sorts of adventures. I’m four chapters in, and have been adding to it daily because it’s what we’ve been reading at bedtime — talk about pressure. I got a test domain (ooh, cool palindrome) over at Blue Host that I might post the story on, and, if I continue having problems here I’ll move the rest of my sites over there as well. Anyway, sorry for my absence. Finally, here’s a couple more pictures from the CNE:
See ya! Now Caitlin is “making” me watch the season premiere of 90210.
Oh, and I forgot… I’ve been doing some interviews for my memoirs, talking to friends of Jason‘s to try and really understand him. I think that the best way to do someone justice is to tell their story accurately. It’s been both difficult and nice, trying to see clearly, both on this venture and on life in general.
17 Comments
90210 is so bad it is good! train wreck!
Way to go Nefarious on catching those fish! I miss doing that, I was never very good though.
Some pretty cool photos as always Shannon.
Keep hosting your blogs and I’ll keep reading.
- M.
I am not surprised that your readership has gone up, while BME is losing it’s readership. You inspired, educated, and opened many people, including me, and I will forever be in debt to you. You changed my life, and helped me to find out exactly who I am.
By the way, I think this is the first time I’ve seen you smile in a picture in a long time. It looks good on you, and I’m glad to see you so happy. I can see it in your eyes. :)
Shannon,
I am not surprised that your site is gaining in popularity, while the BME site is failing.
People knew you, and knew you put your energy (soul?) into that website. Without you there I can only imagine that BME/IAM are a cold, heartless shell (and of course I have other feelings about it too — but I shall refrain)
I left BME/IAM when you did: with you gone, the blood life of the site was gone too.
Your new domain palindrome just made my day :)
I am one of those readers you gained. I always liked your updates at BME more, and I like the way you write. I’ve bookmarked you and your a regular read for me.
I think I’d endorse the other comments made so far. Your blog is always well-written, interesting to read – and the content is varied. I get the impression BME has, sadly, lost its direction a bit and is drifting rather aimlessly at the moment. I didn’t actually know it was losing readers, but I’m not altogether surprised.
I was reading your posts long ago on BME, and wondering where you would always come up with these truly interesting things. The quality and interest was there. It’s simply not now. Corners are being cut all the time now.
I keep reading your blog though, even though it’s not so much modification related, because you always have something fun to share and you update all the time. I love it! It’s like a tv show that doesn’t suck and isn’t on the tv!
I’m not surprised with the stats, either, although I do understand your feelings – it’s very sad to watch BME changing for worse.
I guess it shows that it’s not enough to post a few images of some mods or write a goofy post; one must really have sth interesting to say/share to keep ppl not only interested but also to turn them into loyal readers.
You have it, the new BME does not!
I know their myspace says “Effigy from Toronto” but you should probably let them know there’s already a popular long-running crust band called Effigy.
I couldn’t tell you the last time I was on IAM.
I check modblog rarely, it’s not that I have lost interest in mods, I have just lost interest in BME.
However, I still like bringing up my blogreader and seeing you have posted. It’s been almost 9 years that I started reading your posts and it’s rare that I don’t enjoy a post.
I love watching Ari grow up in your pictures and to see how brave and smart she is. I love your cooking posts (when you do post them), and I love your wacky housing ideas because they make me think outside of the box.
echoing what everyone else is saying really: I left BME the day you did, it instantly lost something when you left, it’s taken me a while to figure out exactly what, but it lost the thing that keeps you coming back and reading, whatever that is. I keep coming back to this blog though. (is that weird? reading about a total stranger’s life? It feels weird to me, but I always get something out of reading your blog, no matter what you post). sorry for rambling, I’m not the most coherent person. don’t ever stop blogging :)
Sarah-did you watch Melrose Place? Talk about train wreck, even I don’t know if I will be able to stick with it, my goodness.
90210 is quite shocking, is it not a teen show? The sexual ‘innuendos’ are over the top-hence the quotation marks.
MAKE you watch it, ha ha ha!
Just like everyone else has said, there’s a reason BME readership has gone down while yours has gone up. You were the heart of the site; you educated and inspired countless people. It’s a shell of what it was. We miss you.
This is gonna sound weird, but when I went in to get my very first piercing I saw your book in a corner. The sight comforted me like nothing else.
I don’t read BME anymore. Not to sound like a kiss ass, but honestly, without what you put into it, it’s just kinda perverse (in a bad way) and stale.
Modblog isn’t interesting anymore since you left I think…
I’m not sure what it is, it seems the site lost it’s “soul” (in a very unchristian way).
I used to read page/blog but then life got in my way. I wouldn’t have found it if it wasn’t for Twwly.
Think a lot of us read your blog(s) not just because of the modification but because it was a good personal blog. In a day where every nonsense should be summed up in a tweet, it’s nice to actually read a blog about not just a person, but the world he lives in.
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