Happy New Year!

I thought that I would have a look and see how people found my blog last year. Random factoids entertain me, but some of these really entertain me.

16 searchers have found me using the term "random questions"
5 searchers have found me using the term "thisisme". I suspect that some of those may have been me having a mental blank for the URL of my blog
4 searchers have found me with "fridge magnets are bastards"
4 also found me with "perception of swearing", "why do you build me up buttercup" and "anthony morgan - east melbourne"

My favourites though, are the many that pepper the 1 searcher numbers - all the variations on the words to "build me up buttercup", the variations on the lyrics to "Do they know its Christmas" and the variations on the "snakes, why did it have to be snakes" quote. I'm glad to see so many people seem to hate Hewlett Packard as much as I did. I don't love them now, but I'm not that keen on holding the grudge.

I can't answer many of the questions that the search terms raise. If you have any suggestions for answers, I'm sure it will help the next random enquiry.

"Define Sooliamon". I wish. If Neil Diamond ever reads this, I'd love for him to answer that.
"letter to taxi companies about stuff left on the taxi". Try your local taxi company or directorate
"What animal does salami come from?". I don't know, and nor do I know why so many people come here looking for the answer
"can't find any key" - oops, sounds like a Homer Simpson moment, although, technically, this happened twice - only one person used the apostrophe though
"what is love chipmunk" - I don't think I'm rated to answer that one
"small round supple boobs" - ditto
"snakes with coffee" - I know I have random dreams - I didn't know other people searched for them
"excellent rhys muldoon" - well, der!
"what is october" - oooh, pick me, I know the answer to that one! It is the month between September and November
"this is random" - yes, yes it is
"cliff richard stepfather" - I'm not sure - is he one, or has he one?
"jingle bells batman smells robin flew away lyrics" - I love that there is a mind sufficiently twisted to search for this.

Can anyone help these tortured souls?

Writing

I've been writing posts for the 55 Flash Fiction Friday blog. I find that the discipline of telling my story in 55 words is a real challenge. I haven't had to be that disciplined in my writing since my first year at uni, when we had a weekly assignment of 50 words. One week we would need to write without using adjectives, another week only in the present tense. I'm wondering what challenges I can come up with to try, to keep myself challenged and thinking.

Now we are one

Today is my blog's first birthday. I can't believe it has been a year already.

I've been visited 1,351 times. Some people have found me using very odd keywords:

• dreams and stringbeans
• you are an institution where you are going
• chinese custom giving watermelon
• time to face the strange
• palmolive pure cashmere ad cast
• joan osborne breakfast in bed blogspot
• rhys muldoon addiction
• bottling stringbeans
• water saver tap

I hope that they found what they were looking for. I'm not sure if that was me or not :)

Dear Blogger

Things have changed between us. It isn't me, I think it is you. You promised me that you were going to be better, cleverer, kinder. I love that you let me use labels now, and I do think that is kind of cool.

But you don't always let me show my photos, and putting links into my posts is becoming a nightmare. You are so moody - sometimes I can, and sometimes I can't. Sometimes I can just hit enter twice and know that my paragraphs will be recognised, and sometimes I have to use html.

My friends don't talk to me anymore - I have all these friends called anonymous now - they sign their names as my friends, but you just don't let them identify themselves up front. You don't let me talk to my friends either - I go to visit them at their place and you don't let me talk at all, or you make me say my name three times before I can. Would it help if I tapped my feet together at the same time?

When I come to visit you, you never remember who I am. Every time I come by, you ask me my name, and offer to remember me. I ask you to remember me, I even tick the box that leaves you a note, and you never do. I just don't feel special anymore.

I know that you can work through your issues, so that we can go back to the way we were, but better, cleverer, kinder. I just wonder when?

Yours hopefully,

thisisme

Where do you go my lovely?

Yes I have been remiss. I've been reading all of your blogs, and commenting, but my brain has just been mushy trying to learn a new job, dealing with Christmas already (hello world, it is still November!!!! Call back in December!), maintaining a relationship and spending time with my friends and family. The seasonal obligation whirl has already kicked in, and I find myself needing to maintain the calendar vigilantly, otherwise we are going to be all over the place.

Does anyone have any suggestions for good online invitations? I've just realised it is a month until I want to have my birthday party, and with most people being online I want to see what ideas I can find to use, borrow or plagiarise :) I haven't really celebrated my birthday with all of my friends a party since I turned 25, so I think it is well and truly time. I know that the date is a shocker, but feel free to raise that with my parents, and be thankful I'm not celebrating on the actual day

I've had a couple of emails asking why I haven't mentioned the boy lately - all will be revealed in my next post - I promise!