Wednesday, December 19, 2007

One year later

Today, December 19th, 2007 marks the one year anniversary since I wrote my first blog post. A lot has changed in the last 12 months. But, before I get into that, let me include some interesting blogging statistics. (At least they are interesting to me. But, I'm a nerd - and proud of it!)
  • There have been 6,984 visits to my blog since May 1st when I started keeping web site statistics. The astute reader will note that number is much higher than the statistic that shows on my blog. The astute-er reader will note that the number which displays on my blog is since July 26, 2007. The astute-est reader will note that this number was obsolete as soon as I typed it.
  • December 4, 2007 set an all time record of 96 visits on a single day. That is the day after I ended my month long sabbatical (I was averaging about a dozen visits/day during that month of no posting).
  • Visitors to my blog come from 45 countries. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of visits originate in the united states; however, other countries which have a significant number of visits are: Austria, Canada, and Kazakhstan
  • Firefox is the browser of choice for my blog visitors with 48%. Internet Explorer accounts for 45% of the visits. The remaining 7% is made up of miscellaneous browsers, such as Opera, Safari, etc. Does this mean that Firefox is the official gay browser?
  • Counting this post, I've posted 164 times in the past year. My most prolific month was January 2007 (with 21 posts) followed by February and May 2007 (with 19 posts each). My least prolific month was November 2007 with zero posts.
  • My most popular blog post (number of hits) is The "M"word, which is also the post which generated the most comments (29 comments). Which begs the question, what are you guys going doing when you're not reading my blog?
  • February 15th marks my first blog post with an image attached. My most controversial image was this. I'm still a bit confused as to why it generated such negative feedback. I mean, I've used similarly edgy images before, such as this, this, this, this, and this with nary a "tsk tsk". I'm thinking it's because Beck posted this image the day before - and two edgy images in a 24 hour period was more than some people could handle.
  • When I first started blogging, I would receive an occasional email from some stray straight LDS guy who happened upon my blog - usually calling me to repentance for heading down a dangerous path towards embracing a deviant lifestyle. I was really bothered by these emails at the time; but, now I look back and laugh. I haven't received one of those emails in quite a while. While I don't miss them, I do wonder why they stopped. Did straight people stop visiting my blog? Are the straight people who visit my blog more tolerant and understanding? Have the straight people who visit my blog given me up as a lost cause?

I've changed a lot in the past year. I've gone from wringing my hands saying "I'm gay, woe is me" to "I'm gay - deal with it!" OK, I'm not really quite there yet - but I'd like to be. But, I am much more comfortable in my gay skin than I was a year ago. I still revert back to my "I'm gay, woe is me" phase occasionally, but I'm getting much better about it.

I got this idea from

Some of the language you've come to use and ideas you're growing to embrace are much more reminiscent of the Affirmation crowd than one who is as committed to the Church and your family as you say you are.
Ouch! That stings!

May 2, 2007 - In the gay world, but not of the gay world
There is a common axiom we often hear in the LDS church: We should be in the world, but not of the world. I've used this phrase with my children and when teaching lessons at church. It rolls off of our tongues so easily, but what does it really mean?

June 3, 2007 - Guidelines for Gay Mormons
There is an idea that has been brewing in the MoHo community for the past week or so. It started out in private chats, and became public in -L-'s blog; that is, the need for something like a "For the Strength of Gay Youth" pamphlet to help people with SSA understand what is OK and what is not in their unique situation. This has generated a whole lot of discussion over on -L-'s blog (here and here), with several interesting, and at times odd, tangents.

July 2, 2007 - Satisfying my urges
Lately I've been feeling an emptiness in my soul. I've been having these urges deep within my bosom, a burning desire to

o
o
o

resume practicing the piano.

August 1, 2007 - God Loveth His Children
I just read the pamphlet, God Loveth His Children, that seems to be generating some amount of controversy in the gay Mormon community. To be honest, I didn't have the same negative reaction that others had when I read this pamphlet. Is it perfect? No! Is it better than anything else we've seen to date? A most definite Yes!

September 5, 2007 - It still sucks to be me
The other day I needed to go to the pet store to get some dog food. I opened up our A/C closet (which is where we happen to keep the dog leash) and there was water all over the floor of the closet - from a clogged condensation drain (another $250 down down the drain [pun intended]). Anyway, I walked into the pet store with my dog, and I felt really gay (in a good sort of way) - until she pooped on the floor. I sheepishly informed the clerk and ask for some towels to clean it up. Instead, she got on the PA and announced for all the world to hear "Service 92 near the ProPlan aisle, Service 92 near the ProPlan aisle". I don't think I'll ever be able to show my face in that store again.

October 2, 2007 - Maybe ...
A new pamphlet recently released.

December 3, 2007 - Can you believe it?
One of my responsibilities as a counselor in the bishopric is counting the tithing receipts. Yesterday, the financial clerk and I were concluding this task and were at the point in the process where we were just printing reports and sending the financial data to SLC (via modem). While we were waiting for it to complete, we were chatting.

December 19, 2007 - One year later
Today, December 19th, 2007 marks the one year anniversary since I wrote my first blog post. A lot has changed in the last 12 months. But, before I get into that, let me include some interesting blogging statistics. (At least they are interesting to me. But, I'm a nerd - and proud of it!)

6 comments:

playasinmar said...

This is the controversial picture!?!

Abelard Enigma said...

Ah, my meager attempt at being deep and thoughtful. My brain still hurts a bit when I think about it :)

Beck said...

Congrats on your 1st bloggaversary!

You have come a long way. It may be easier for others to see our progres than ourselves (that forest vs. tree thing). I know that I see your progress and it encourages me.

I'm glad you are here and are continuing to add to this community. Playa will get mad at me sending you another e-hug, but that's what it is (so get over it Playa).

I appreciate your love and friendship.

Neal said...

Keep on keepin' on! :)

Congrats on a year, dude!

MoHoHawaii said...

I like your blog a lot. It's reasonable, which really appeals to me. I'm no longer active in the church, but your blog helps me understand where you are coming from, and I like that a lot.

Best wishes for the New Year. Keep on posting!

GeckoMan said...

Wow, a year! Has it been just a year? It seems longer than that...was there life before blogging?

When I first heard you had a blog, from the LDSSSA group, I checked it out with pure fascination. It was about the time you were coming out to your wife. You stayed in my prayers. I 'checked in' frequently and was impressed by the comments of others, as well as your commentary. I thought to myself, "I want to do that someday, when I grow up." And then I did!

You are, my dear Abe, a trend-setter.

Thanks for being here.