Cup of Coffey Hits the Cs!

Today is my 100th day of blogging — and this is my 100th post! (Hold your applause until the end, please.) It has been an interesting adventure for my OCD, online-addicted soul.

The Facts

• 7,900+ hits across six continents. I seem to be most popular on the coasts, including the coast of southern England (Simeon?). Picking up steam, though, in the Midwest and, interestingly, Malaysia.
• More than 400 of you have viewed my profile (and a couple of you have had some interesting comments about my photo).
• Surprisingly, there have been few R.E.M.-centric posts, and just 25 mentions of my boys. But don't fret; look for my paean to Peter Buck later this summer. (Sorry about the Keef obsession in early May, dear readers, but I was worried. Still am.)
• Last week's Beck post was linked on Stereogum.com (thanks for letting me know, Robert)! I'm one step closer to realizing my dream of becoming a pompous music writer.
  

The Not-so-obvious Facts

I started A Cup of Coffey as a writing exercise. I’m a copywriter in the corporate world, but my fantasy is to move to the literary side of the written page. Since I began on March 13, my creative juices are flowing again … I’ve begun work on two short stories … and the on-the-job writing is livelier.

I originally thought my blog would be read by Paul and Dan and Jeremy (a.k.a. the Bookstar boys, who reconnected with each other via my comment boxes), and not many others. But many of my friends and family are reading it, and I’ve reconnected with folks who had faded from my life (welcome back, Dayle!). I’ve also met (if “met” can be stretched to include reading their words and exclude knowing what their facial features look like) some (very) interesting people through my blog or theirs. I even inspired my cousin to start her own blog (you go, Marni!); I just wish some more of you would start blogging (Kathy, your stories and the boys’ adventures would make a great read).

It’s been wonderful to have a forum through which I can obsess about bands and tunes, and not drive Dan crazy with the spouting of musical minutiae. I’ve even been introduced to new artists, thanks to other bloggers (Scrivener, I think you’ve introduced me to the most, so you're like a superhero in my world).

My bookshelves are expanding, too, thanks to your recommendations. (Garner's Modern American Usage came today, Professor Bastard, so I’ll let you know what I think next week.)

The most entertaining result of my first 100 days is my friends’ newfound fame. Now, when I say “my friends in Connecticut,” folks reply, “you mean Renae and Greg.” Who knows? In another year, they could have their own reality show on MTV: "Grown-ups on the Oasis Trail."

Anyway … it’s been a helluva lot of fun. Hope you’ve enjoyed reading A Cup of Coffey as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. And look for me in your comment boxes.

UPDATE: My blog evolved from my long-running e-mail conversation with Paul, which has been going strong since 1997. I neglected to give him props for his encouragement. He bugged me for two years to start blogging, and never complained when I didn't participate last year in our I Hate Leno blog. He walked me through (well, e-mailed me through, to be exact) the early stage — so, thanks, Paulie!

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