When I was a child, by far the worst verdict my parents could lower upon my head was the dreaded, “We’re very disappointed in you.” Crushing, positively crushing.
So, you’ll understand when I say: I hate disappointing people.
I bring this up because, somewhere in the past week or so, this blog passed 400 subscribers and, frankly, I expect some of you are disappointed. Like the sports guy who decided to follow this blog after my recent Superbowl-related post. Or the “community of web developers” who signed up after my latest rant against the Agile methodology. While I appreciate the vote of confidence these readers bestowed, I know that not too many of my posts are going to be in their bailiwick.
I know for a fact that 400 subscribers are not reading every post, but that’s to be expected. We are absolutely inundated with material these days–television, movies, books, magazines, articles, web-posts, blogs–much more than we can possibly ingest, and thus, choices must be made. Still, I enjoy knowing that my writing has affected 400 people strongly enough that they took the time to stop, read, evaluate, and click “Follow.”
Four hundred may not sound like a lot–a friend of mine has over 14,000 followers on Twitter. Fourteen thousand. That’s about half the population of the town where I grew up.–but 400 is a sizable number for me. I don’t market myself well (or at all). I don’t try to be controversial, and I usually eschew topics that may be overly political. As a result, 400 is a good number, as it has outpaced every other venue (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
For those of you who have read this far, I really do appreciate it. For those of you who read regularly, my humble gratitude. Every Like, Follow, and Comment you all leave here represents a positive interaction with a reader, and for them all, I thank you most sincerely. They mean a lot.
So, once again, here’s a poll for you to tell me what it is you want to read here. I’ve opened it up for you to add your own choices, should there be a specific topic you want to see me address.
Thanks again,
k
Unraveling Time
Desert Wind
Ploughman's Son
Ploughman King
The Year the Cloud Fell
The Spirit of Thunder
Shadow of the Storm
The Cry of the Wind
Beneath a Wounded Sky
Cryptogenesis: A Memoir
Kurt R.A. Giambastiani 
Huzzah on 400! I aspire to the level of occasional interest you have achieved.
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I picked “it’s all good” as well. Knowing that you’re a musician helps a lot too. I’m returning to the guitar after about fifty years, and I was shitty then, so you can imagine what’s coming out of it these days.
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I’ll be bringing my axe into the shop soon to get it back in shape. I want to reacquaint myself with my music as well.
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Now that I’ve voted for the “it’s all good” option, I wanted to mention that it was for the most part your posts on cooking at SFF Net that got me interested in it. (I was an abysmal cook in my youth. Banned from the kitchen.) Cooking is now one of my favorite activities, and the variety of foods I eat has expanded. Being in your presence via the Internet has increased my joy.
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Wow. I mean…wow. And great! And thank you! Now go over to Penzey’s and get some top quality spices for your pantry. You won’t be sorry.
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I am due for a tossing/restocking of the herbs and spices in my cupboards. That would be fun. What I am trying to track down right now are ingredients for the cucumber & shrimp soup I had at a local restaurant specializing (I think) in North China cuisine. It starts out innocuous but turns hot in the throat. Luscious!
Also want to mention since the memory surfaces that your almond polenta cake was a favorite at pot lucks after meeting on first days. Lovely stuff!
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I don’t think I’ve posted that recipe…Like my David Chang Chicken Soup, that’s another “reverse engineered” recipe, this time from a movie.
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Oh, and I’m trying to reverse engineer the crab bisque we had at the Nordstrom’s Grill. The best part about reverse engineering is all the good-tasting (albeit imperfect) trials.
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