That’s the number of posts on this site since the re-launch on WordPress last July, 287 days ago. Since then, it’s received over 440,000 hits with more than 25,000 comments (quite a few of them mine, to be sure), but doing the math, that works out to 5 posts per day, with 1,533 hits and 87 comments — each and every day (on average).
As much as I find it irksome asking for donations (although there’s always that handy little button to your right hand side there to gently remind you…), allow me to be so bold as to take this opportunity to suggest that you contribute $1.50 to mark this milestone. Now that may seem like a trivial amount — the price of a cup of coffee in most places— but collectively it could make a significant difference to my bottom line… which, quite frankly, is suffering a bit at the moment, I have to admit. But look at it this way, if you think of it in terms of the pay-per-view monetizing schemes being considered by many newspapers these days, it works out to $0.001 per post. Please tell me that my efforts are worth more than a hundredth of a cent …
As much as this may open me up to scornful ridicule, sneering derision and “begging bowl” shame from other bloggers, well so be it. Hey, at least I’m not raising money for some bogus lawsuit or saving up for a fancy new pair of shoes or a pink-colored semi-automatic weapon or some such damn fool thing… Unfortunately, I don’t do this for a living and nor can I afford to do it as a full-time avocation, but I do seem to spend more time than is reasonable by most standards trying to provide some light entertainment, amusement, and occasionally thought-provoking launch-pads for discussion here. If that’s worth the price of a cup of coffee, great — and if not, well then sod off… Just kidding. That’s perfectly fine too, but every little bit counts. It really does. I’ve long since rolled all of my pennies and cashed them in at the corner store — not exactly moments to remember with much pride.
There are a handful (and I mean that almost quite literally) of very generous contributors that have assisted greatly in the past and this plea naturally exempts them, as they’ve already stepped up to the plate for me. And if I haven’t already, let me take this opportunity to thank all of you for your magnanimity. As for the other thousand plus readers… come on folks, go hit that DONATE button and throw a $1.50 (or €2 for the folks overseas) my way to not only help keep the lights on here, but disprove all those people — and there are quite a few of them — who repeatedly tell me that I am completely mental for “wasting my time with that useless bullshit.” Well, you be the judge of that… It may well be they’re entirely correct. Or not.
