Lurkers...
They're everywhere. We all have them (or hope we do!)
Guess which of the following two lovely faces is a lurker?
The lurker is the one who won't comment! Or! maybe she will now... (after all, she promised).
Are you a lurker?
I'm a lurker. I lurk on Ree's blog. I don't even want to be a Pioneer Woman reader; being an Aussie and all, I root for the underdog. (Did you like my use of the semi colon there?) But she's just so damn engaging with her so-called 'good' photos and 'yummy' recipes. It's irritatingly entertaining...
Here's a funny lurker story for you.
I always look at my stat counter. I'm reassured when I see people from home visiting. Except, in the past week, there's been this person from Ukraine who logs on for like, 10 hours at a time. I was getting a bit paranoid - is someone stalking me? Does someone here hate what I write? Should I close my blog?!
It got to the point that I checked everytime I walked out the door to see there was no one waiting there to berate me for my blog. Then I realised... the IP address... it was mine.
Duh.
Here are some other random thoughts for the evening:
Before I left Australia, I read the book Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. It's set in Ukraine. The movie (of the same name, directed by Liev Schreiber and starring Elijah Wood) is a little more straightforward and just as enjoyable (even though it was filmed in the Czech Republic, hrmph).
The music, story and acting (especially Eugene Hutz's acting and his Gogol Bordello music - he's my hero) are all fantastic. I recommend watching the movie, and reading the book if you have the time and inclination. Personally I watch it every now and then and it helps me with my Russian (there are parts in Russki with English subtitles. I'm understanding more and more).
Did you know the name Liev (as in Schreiber) is spelt the same in Russian as the name Leo (as in Tolstoy)? The true transliteration of his name into latin letters is 'Lyev'. And, with the streets and squares named after him (Tolstoy, not Schreiber), it then changes into 'Lva Tolstogo'. Yep, Russian is a confuzzling lingo.
Another random thought: if there is a sound that I identify with Kyiv, it's the car alarm. There is someone who parks their car near my apartment, and I can imitate the noise off by heart. When I visited Almaty in Kazakhstan, I heard the same noise and felt right at home.
One day, I hope to record it for you. But I fear I'm so used to it, I'll never get there in time.
Besides that, there's not much more to add tonight...
PS Welcome to my first visitor from Afghanistan! I don't think this blog will help you find Istanbul Salsa though...
19 comments:
oh those goddamned car alarms are enough to drive anyone demented. Especially at 3,4 and 5am in the morning... And why do they all sound the same?
Just come from Willowtree and I'd like to request a post on powdered champagne?
I'm also a lurker.
Ok so I did that have I got a stalker thing as well. What really got me is that according to my stats I sometimes live in Wicklow and sometimes in Dublin (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it)!
Blogger has a stat counter?? Where is it? How can I access it? Tell me, tell me! Thank you.
Don't be too sure - I thought all the hits from (large evil company I work for) on my blog were from me. Till someone came over to my desk to ask me about a post on my blog. Eeek.
My best friend refuses to comment on my blog too, it's a bit annoying!
Don't worry about not commenting on Ree's blog, she get so many you'd be lost in the stampede. Actually, she's a friend of mine so we occasionally converse through emails.
I'm with Beccy, I'd like to know more about powdered champagne.
Amy: Blogger doesn't have a statcounter but it's easy enough to add one to your blog, just look for a blog that has one and click on it.
I've been having someone read my blog in Japanese - and someone else reading it in Spanish....(argentina). I'd LOVE for them to delurk.
Of course - there are also a lot of people finding my blog through FREAKY google searches. I don't particularly want them delurking.
Istanbul Salsa?? What is that???
Everything is Illuminated has been on my TR list forever...didn't know there was also a movie. It's always good to have a focus when I go to rent a movie, otherwise I come away with rubbish...
I've been a lurker on your blog for several months now. I love reading about other expats and how they fare in their new country. I understand your problems with dealing with a new alphabet. I'm an American expat living in Japan. And the Japanese kanji drives me crazy. I loved your posts on the revolution! So cool. Keep it up.
I've just been looking at Ree's blog I loved her pictures so I think I will be lurking there in the future- thanks for the link
Dear sarahemily. Now that I've talked about them, they're all I can hear today. Grrr. What did you think of the fireworks until 5am on New Years?
Dear beccy. Oh, one of the urban myths here is that the grape output is nowhere near the amount of wine produced. I don't know if it's true or not, personally I think the ladies who lunch are perpetuating some silly joke...
Dear amy. I went to stat counter (www.statcounter.com). You sign up, they give you the code, then you just put it in blogger. And if you install it, remember to click through to your project then look at the menu on the left. As a friend of mine said, "Hours of time wasting goodness there!"
Dear theotherbear. OK now I'm not going to look at stat counter ever, ever again. I don't need any more neuroses.
Dear willowtree. Yep, that's just what I figured. It's your fault that I go there too, thanks to this hilarious post.
Dear karmyn. I know, it's weird hey! I always think "How could someone on the other side of the world care about what I read (except for the people who I forced to read)". As for google searches, I get thinks like 'Dyevushka', 'swear words in russian', 'ukrainian wife' - get that one quite a lot! Instanbul salsa was totally new to me...
Dear claudia. I have no freakin' idea! I might do a recipe search... BACK! Hahahah I thought it was something you eat. I think it's a type of music!
Dear molly. I'll warn ya - the movie and book are really different. The movie was based on the first draft of the book. The book has about three interweaving stories. The movie only focusses on one. BUT they're both really really good!
Dear natalie. Oh, I've outed you! I didn't actually post the post to get my lurkers to out (well, one of the girls in the photo was supposed to be outed, but she's still lurking!), but it's nice to meet you! When I left high school I knew about 500 kanji. Now I know the numbers 1 - 10 and chu (middle), ni/bi (day), hon etc. Pathetic! Nihongo totemo muzukashii to omoimasu.
Dear chrisb. Dang, I didn't want to give her more traffic, she has enough :( I just put the link there cause I thought all my readers read Ree anyway, because of willowtree (see link in my comment above to him). Yes :< she's great with her photos and funny country life stories :<*
Dear theotherbear. Oh my gosh, big evil company? I thought I worked for a big evil company in SYdney. Gee, it was big and evil. Well, not really, but it was big! (there was a clue in there somewhere)
LMM: OOOOH, I love, love, LOVED that movie. (Perhaps I should check out the book) Of course, it had that awesome dog, Sammy Davis Junior Junior, in it, so it "had me at "seeing eye bitch"". . . And at the time, I was trying to see any similarities with the Polish I was learning (I don't remember there being too much I could pick out).
I had no idea we could check stats. Yippee! Another thing to suck my time and keep me from getting ready to move out of the house in 9 days!! ARGH!!!!!!
I did the same thing! I seen that someone logged on and was on my blog for a long time EVERY DAY! Then I searched for my IP address and yes, well, it was umm.. myself. I stalked myself.
I lurk at Ree's also. Good stuff over there, good stuff.
Dear sabrina. Go to stat counter and sign up, then put the code into your blog. A whole new world of time wasting and paranoia. The book is good. I LOVE THE MOVIE!
Dear vicki. Hahah isn't it silly! Actually I through phases where I just can't look at statcounter. I think it's healthy to deprive oneself once in a while... Yay a fellow lurker at Ree's! Her food just looks so yummy... mmm mm.
I had a Puertuguese fellow delurk... and then I went to his blog and couldn't read a thing. I'm just a nincompoop one language gal.
Maye I should have commented in English???
Okay.. who are your lurkers there?
Dear LMM, I absolutely howled at your comment to WT after powdered champagne...funny girl you are! I looooooooovvvvvvveeeeeee you, too :).
It is wise for me never to drink and blog...potentially more dangerous than drinking and driving :/. I've told a few blals (blog pals ;) ) that I spoke French when commenting to a person's blog.
The catch is, I DON'T SPEAK FRENCH! Ooo la la! I was embarrassed.
Anyway, I have a few lurkers...recently someone from Germany and a very few others. I think most people who visit my site eventually say hello...I hope so, anyway.
i lurk on a few blogs, and usually come out and tend to comment more now. i figure i've nothing to lose. :-)
enidd did the same thing with the stalker too... what's all this about powdered champagne? off to willowtree's place.
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