Recently I caved to the peer pressure and installed a SiteMeter on my blog, so's I can finally know for certain the true width and girth of my vast readership... or lack thereof. Besides the fact that my most dedicated reader is... me, there are a few rather fascinating (read: creepy?) things that I have recently learned.

Oh, the beauty of the GoogleSearch. It's just so handy, especially for suckering random, unsuspecting web surfers into checking out my page to read my opinions on dozens of useless or arbitrary topics! Here is a sampling of the many fantastic ways that people have recently discovered themselves to be Coming Up Short:

Google Search #1: "what God sais about unwilling to forgive" - I come up as the first 2 hits on Google; however, fix the typo, and I don't come up (on the main page) at all.

Google Search #2: "mennonite roommate" - Interestingly enough, I come up first on this one (although the context on-page is Nazi/Mennonite roommate, which you'd think would scare some people off!)

Google Search #3: plug "jill-of-all-trades + meaning" into your Google search-bar; I come up sixth.

Google Search #4: This one's funny. Someone from Las Vegas, Nevada, found my page by searching "dave eisbrenner" (4th hit) - pretty sure they didn't find what they were looking for. Oh well, they found ME!

Google Search #5: Someone in Guelph, Ontario, found my page by searching "darren janzen" (4th hit).... funny thing is, it's quite likely that the Darren I referred to was the Darren that they seek (sought?) as he's an Outtatown buddy from London, ON.

Google Search #6: This one's a personal fave; someone found my Nelsongate post by searching "this is were i say i've had enough and no one should feel the way i feel now dashboard"; I come up as the number 1 hit. However, in this case, I like to think that my page may possibly have offered what the searcher was looking for, as the page references the name of song and artist.... perhaps I aided some poor google-searcher along the way!

Google Search #7: "Blayne Greiner- youth unlimited" - I'm the fifth hit. Love ya, Blayne! (Youth Unlimited is the organization that hosted me in Seattle last year for my internship; I only have wonderful things to say about the organization, and Blayne.)

Google Search #8: Oh heck yes, this one's random; someone found me by searching ""Living hope Christian Fellowship" bothell, WA" - this is the church I lived and breathed at last year in Seattle; I love this church and these people with all my heart- I miss you, Focus Youth!

Google Search #9: "through his wounds we are healed lyrics" I come up sixth, after several far-more-useful-looking links; however, someone picked me!, and so now I have this useless fact for you.

Google Search #10: A kid from Regina found me by searching "russell quiz meet" and someone from Winkler found me searching "quiz meet russell" - cute. Heads up- I've been going chronologically from most recent, so that means that all of the top 10 here (and probably the next 2 as well) and have all hit me since I last posted, so within the space of a week. Makes me wonder what fodder for useless posts I will have when NEXT Sunday comes?

Google Search #11: This one was interesting. Someone found me by searching "restoring my life"; I come up 7th. Hmmm.... makes you wonder if maybe people are using the wrong "search engine"? There are some things that can't be found using Google.

Google Search #12: Head to Google; type in "roommate thermostat" - I'm your 9th hit (nearly off the main-page, which is a shame, for I have SO much to say on the topic!)

Other random google searches that will get you to me:
"who's the idiot now"- Yup, me. Still. Ironic, I think. Should I ever regret so dubbing myself, this will be my number 2 reason.

"shirts that say i love nerds with super man in the heart" - Hey, and if you GO there, you get to see a hot picture of me modeling the shirt! But no hints on where to buy one, if that's what you're looking for. Sorry, kid. Them's the breaks.

So, now that my stats are going to be screwed up for a long time thanks to me showing you 12+ great ways to get to someplace you already are, I think I can safely head to bed.

**A note about these stats: these pages were accessed and documented here on March 19th, 2007 at 12-12:30 AM; the state of the google-search is subject to change at any time. Get 'em while they're hot! Also, these hits occurred over a one-week period from March 11th to March 18th and were documented by SiteMeter. While many of the people did not stay to enjoy the madness that is Coming Up Short, they did click the link through to my page, which is why I know about the search in the first place. Coming Up Short's SiteMeter stats are private and can only be accessed by me, but I think we all know I'm not making this junk up. I'm also not spending hours in front of my google search page trying to find obscure ways to my own page, although it's a pastime I may soon take up! In conclusion, enjoy.