Pen-Elayne on the Web

On Popularity Contests

A couple days ago Trish Wilson e-mailed a number of folks a blogging survey she was doing for an off our backs article on which she's working. One of the questions involved whether we'd ever been nominated for or won any blogging honors, and of course I never have, although I remain ever hopeful that, once I get back to regular blogging, someone will think of me later this year come Koufax time. I guess I don't deal too well with popularity contests, never having been on the receiving end of too many of them. I mean, when you set the record for the most service hours ever recorded in a pledge period and your chosen fraternity still almost blackballs you from membership, you get used to the idea that achievement and acceptance don't always go hand in hand.

Add to that the fact that I feel crappy this weekend (today's cold symptom was mostly sneezing so I'm hoping it's finally exiting my system) and face another week of hard work in the not-ready-for-prime-time office (where I play receptionist, secretary, property manager and at least five other infield utility positions), along with my frustration over not having had enough energy to post more to my blog (heck, to even read others' blogs), and I was fairly bowled over when Scoobie Davis wrote to inform me that, somehow, this weblog has cracked the Top 100 of Blog Influence Quotient as measured (doubtless arcanely) by Blogstreet, and I'm... well, a little taken aback.

I have no idea how it happened. I'd demand a recount, except that I really like the illusion of popularity contests, so I don't want to say anything to anyone in power in case they too realize they've made a mistake somewhere along the line. So I'll just say thanks to everyone who continues to visit here, and has been patient enough to bear with me through this enforced dry period. It looks fairly promising that by the middle of the month I'll be back to full blogging strength.