By the numbers.

I don't know if any of you have noticed, but if you scroll all the down to the bottom of main blog page, you'll see a button that says "Site Meter." Click on that, and a wealth of information is revealed. It tells you how many people have visited my blog (since I began tracking it on May 1, that is) and how many times my blog has been viewed all together (at least, I THINK that's the difference between "visits" and "page views." For example, no matter how much Kishelle visits, she's only counted once as a visitor--but every time she checks the blog again, that counts as a "page view" (if I'm wrong, please correct me). Also cool: in the upper left hand side, you'll see "Who's On?" Click on that, and you'll be able to see how many people (including yourself) are on my page at that very moment--and how long they've been there.

As I write this, I'm about to hit my 500th visitor (and that's in just 10 days!). Now I realize that, for most sites, that's not exactly something to brag about-- but for my little blog, I'm pretty exited. By the end of the month, I could have 1000!! (Again, I know that some sites get like 1000 a day--but please just let me revel in my own kind of fame.)

CORRECTION:

Per Eric, a visit is each time one of you comes to my blog (so it's not necessary 500 people; just people have come 500 times). Page views is how many different pages you viewed (duh) while you were here.

Broken road.

Renee and Anna commented on the "sadness" of "Broken Road" as my new blog title. Believe it or not, I actually intended for it to have positive, optimistic connotations. There's a country song by Rascal Flatts called "Bless the Broken Road;" it talks about how enduring the sad, the heartbreaking and the unexpected are all part of bringing you to where you're someday meant to be. The song is primarily about the search for that special someone; and although I obviously do hope that there's someone out there waiting for me, I also take it as hope and inspiration for EVERYTHING my future holds.

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Everybody Celebrate!

Brazilian Town Declares Orgasm Day - Yahoo! News

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/brazil_orgasm_day

Whether you've got a friend or a favorite toy- Here's a day we can all enjoy!

Status check.

I have left Numb, quickly progressed through Sad/Heartbroken/Hysterical and am now firmly in Bitter/Resentful/Pissed Off.

As you were.

I'm not trying to stay busy, or anything.

Look, I can put pictures on my blog now.

Liberal or conservative?

(Yeah, my thoughts don't jump around too much or anything.)

Anyway, I found a truly insightful and fascinating link at Fred's World (FYI, he also had a career change to teaching) that I wanted to post over here. It helps you figure whether you're liberal or conservative (if you give a damn). On a scale of 0 to 40, I scored a 19--almost smack dab in the middle, with a slight lean towards the liberal side. According to the post-test comparisons, I'm closest to Colin Powell in my political beliefs. Hmmm.

http://madrabbit.net/webrabbit/quizshow.html

Not a very good weekend.

By now, you guys know that Jeff and I are, at the moment, no longer together. It seems like it's going to "stick" this time, at least for a while. It especially sucks that it happened over Mother's Day weekend, which, as you know, is a really hard time for me anyway.

It's always sad when a relationship ends, especially this one. And thinking about starting over again at 28, especially when I, at one p0int, was sure that I had found The One, is scary and defeating and overwhelming.

There are lots of details to work out, obviously. He said that I can still stay here for student teaching in the fall (I'll be done by Thanksgiving), but that still leaves the summer. I offered to go home for the summer and come back for school in the fall (though I haven't discussed that with Mom yet, LOL), but that would mean leaving my nannying job with the S.'s, which would suck.

Anyway, I wanted to post it here so that I could have "my girls" around me (and anyone else who happens to stumble across this blog).

Breaking up is, as they say, hard to do. Especially in this case. Even if it IS for the best (and frankly, I still don't know how I feel about it. It hasn't totally hit me yet, I guess).

And, the anniversary of "the accident" is at the end of the month...along with what would have been Jeff and my's anniversary.

Can we just skip May?

A great name for a rock band.

You know how sometimes, in the course of every day conversation, you say or hear a phrase that would make a KILLER band name? Here's my latest:

Drunken Persistence.

I know, it kicks ass.

My new favorite song.

For those of you who haven't been over there recently, I suggest that you take a quick detour back over to Rob's blog. Out of the dozens of songs he has sent me in the course of our new friendship (we've GOTTA be up to "dozens" by now, right?), there was one that I truly, truly loved: Ryan Montbleau's "Just Perfect." And you can hear it right now at http://stateofrob.blogspot.com/ . Then come back and tell me what you think.

(But don't heap TOO much praise on his musical tastes; we had to go through a lot of songs before achieving success with this one. A LOT.)

My favorite things.

I'm having a Pollyanna moment and, instead of being cynical and pessimistic, I suddenly feel like looking on the bright side of things. This is just a partial list but I felt compelled to share. Feel free to add your own. (Please note that these are my favorite "things," which is why I left off obvious things like friends, family, Jeff, blah blah blah.)

- Sleeping in.
- Peanut butter and chocolate anything.
- Spongebob.
- Seeing someone who passed me on the freeway pulled over on the side of the road a few miles later. (Trust me--if you're going faster than me, then you DESERVE to be pulled over.)
- "Bridge Over Troubled Water."
- 80s music.
- Shopping for soldier care packages.
- Reading.
- Being able to do a hell of a roundhouse kick (thank you, Billy Blanks).
- Watermelon.
- The #12 car. (Hell, NASCAR in general.)

Songs I can't get out of my head.

Right now, I keep bursting into song with "Mickey" ("Hey Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind. Hey Mickey! Hey Mickey!") and the Coke with Lime song ("Put the lime in the coconut, drink it all up"--actually, that one I've taught to the kids, so that we can all be in Jingle Hell together).

The United Nations of Downriver.

As I (a white female) was leaving my apartment building today, two other residents (a black female and an Arab-American man) were coming in. It just struck me as kind of cool.

Then, at the gas station, my two favorite clerks (both Middle Eastern) were working. I shall call them Funny One and Quiet One. At this Mobile, they have the card reader on the counter so that those using credit and debit cards can run them through themselves. As I never use cash anymore (not even at fast food places, since they geniously began accepting debit cards as well), I use this card reader almost every day. And every day, I need to run my card through at least half a dozen times before it "takes"--probably because I like to run my card through with a flourish. (Last night, Funny One told me to "try it again, a little less enthusiastically this time.")

Tonight, I was extra "special" and was on about my tenth attempt before it went through. ("You're in here EVERY DAY," said Funny One. "How have you not mastered this machine yet?") But the best part came when Quiet One asked me if I wanted my receipt.

"That's not a receipt," Funny One remarked. "For her, it's a Certificate of Achievement."

I left the gas station laughing hysterically.