Sunday 3 February 2008

Pride Cometh Before A Fall...












I was lucky enough to go to lunch with Fathers Zuhlsdorf and Finigan this afternoon. Congratulating myself on my good fortune, I tried to do more listening than talking (a feat I find rather difficult most of the time, and I'm not entirely sure that I succeeded) while making short work of my last steak before Lent.

The conversation was entertaining, though at one point I was sorely tempted to relieve Fr. Z of his iPhone as he demonstrated its capabilities. Luckily, I managed to fight off the temptation (I mean, can you imagine: Bless me Father for I have sinned, I nicked Fr. Z's iPhone when he visited) and did my best to quell the avarice by contemplating how long it would be before I could demand an upgrade from O2...

We soon moved on to the discussion of blogging matters. Again, I was basking in a nice warm fuzzy feeling as I listened... after all, I too have a blog.

Then my comeuppance. The two überbloggers started talking about another blog. "Imagine," they chortled merrily, "...only 200 visits a day!!!"

I'm afraid I started whimpering at that point...

"Feeling totally inadequate" just doesn't cover it!

UPDATE: Lest the good fathers be thought of as uncharitable, I'd just like to point out that the other blog was one often quoted by mainstream media as having a finger on the pulse of Catholic public opinion. Which, with "only" 200 hits a day, it clearly is not...

UPDATE 2: If you have found your way here because Fr. Z felt sorry for me, then you are most welcome, and please visit again soon... (I wonder if visiting neglected blogs counts as a corporal work of mercy...?)

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awww... I get 200 on a good day!

Rest assured you won't want the iPhone: you have to pay for it when you upgrade, 200 smackeroonis.

gemoftheocean said...

Hey Mac. No bitchin' now. I just looked and found I averaged 79 visitors a day over the last 7 day period. I'm not complaining! In "real life" I couldn't rustle up 79 people if I made liberal use of the phone book!

gemoftheocean said...

Dang, hit enter too soon.

BTW, I mean it's not like you or I have a parish or are some sort of traddy rockstar a la Z.

I only started posting about 7 months ago, so it's not exactly like I'm expecting to be quoted as a "vatican source."

I have some steady growth, but I'd still do it even if no one read it, just to record my thoughts, etc.

Dr. Peter H. Wright said...

201.
I've just visited.

Adrienne said...

I think their comments were rather arrogant and prideful and I’m very disappointed.

Cathy_of_Alex said...

Lunch with both of those Fathers? Forget the iPhone, the company was better then that gadget could ever be. You won't get the lifetime of memories and the stories from that piece of hardware.

James M said...

200 a day! 79 a day! Wow. I average 5 each day...

But I reckon if I can make each post pleasing to God then He will take care of the exposure it gets, low or high.

Take heart, you are doing that already. ;-)

Your host said...

My daily average: 29!

You may all proceed to feel much better about your blogs. :)

Anonymous said...

I love that Fr. Z is sending people your way. You'll have to give us an update on how that works out later. ;)

Christopher said...

I wish I Got 200/ Day

Im at around 37/40

Oh well

Fr. Z is Great in Person No?

Scelata said...

If you don't find it humiliating to accept Fr Z's charitably given hand-me-downs, I should tell you that I have stopped in because he requested it.
I am the author of a blog so ignored, er, I mean, elite, I think I average a daily readership in the single digits...

(Save the Liturgy, Save the World)

Mulier Fortis said...

Thanks for the encouragement, folks!

Adrienne - they weren't being arrogant, honestly... I added an update to explain why (the other blog is a "darling" of the mainstream media, and clearly doesn't deserve to be)

Scelata - no, not humiliating! Heck, I'm grateful for the visitors who find their way here because they were looking for the lyrics of "Colours of Day" (boy must they get a shock!!)

Cathy - right! It was so much fun!!

Anonymous said...

If it's any comfort, I had a dream on Friday night that I met all these famous bloggers, and they were all wearing hand-knitted hats and scarves - very colourful, but very woolly!!

Anonymous said...

Just added you to my RSS feeds reader. Don't be too modest about your blog. And, BTW, it seems that our fathers are not very ascetic types, are they? :) OK, I just envy his iPhone...

Cathy_of_Alex said...

Mac: I found my way here via Father Finigan so Father Z gets no credit for my visit! LOL!

I've seen your comments on other blogs. I've visited before but never commented.

God bless you.

Tom S. said...

I'm here thanks to Father Z, but have bookmarked you, so I will be back for sure.

Anonymous said...

Good day. I'm coasting in from Fr. Zed's. I'd heard about your blog at Fr. Finigan's, but I'm RSSing it right now. I love Catholic England.

Fr. Philip Powell, OP said...

Father, I post my homilies and other little tid-bits on my site and I rarely get more that 140 hits a day...we have a "niche" market...

Anonymous said...

If you're good enough for Father Z, you're tops in my book. Nice blog.

la mamma said...

LOL, Mac! So you all ha\ve these sie-meter things? I don't - I don't want to know! I assume my blog's only read by about half a dozen people and even then not daily. I'd not want to know if there were lots of lurkers! How tall is Fr Z? I'm wondering following Gem's reference to Fr. Stretch Boyle (and that's without meeting him).

Roman Sacristan said...

Wow 200! That's twice my hits. Of course, I am clearly not a prolific blogger.

Just keep plugging away. The fact that you have existed for more than a year is a testament to you being a mulier fortis. Some statistic said most blogs go under within a year.

On the side of the angels said...

big sad lip..some days I don't even hit double figures !!! have had a quiz going for weeks and only two participated in all that time..think I'll start writing about making bramble flapjacks and taking a bike ride to budleigh salterton ; or what new history book on church bells in the cotswolds has been released; or how absurd father such and such looked with his upside down maniple and uneven altar candles and how everyone laughed when he mispronounced tertullian ; then I might get a visit...

a thorn in the pew said...

200 is very good. You have many fans in the USA. How many fellow teachers can claim that kind of international interest?

Anonymous said...

Fr. Z. sent me.
I'll be back.

Oliver Hayes said...

Well, as for me, I get 30 on a good day! I wish I had 50 a day, never mind 200. Which makes me wonder whether I should carry on with this blog. Thanks for posting a comment on it.

Jay said...

Dear Miss Blog owner,

You know, from my phone blog, that I am a bit of a phone geek. If you *must* by the iPhone, O2 will let you upgrade even before you've completed your existing contract, they are that desperate for the numbers.

I kindly ask you to consider the N95, at least, to any other phone you like. Just imagine, if you wanted to take a quick video clip. Oops, the iPhone don't record video. The N95 takes 30fps QVGA video. The N95 has a 5.0 megapixel camera, with auto focus. I know you like taking pictures and video, so those are just two reasons why the iPhone, whilst an ok product, is not the be all that marketing hype suggests. The N95 also comes in an 8GB version, and there is also the N82 if slide phones don't take your fancy. The N82 camera also is 5.0 megapixel, with auto focus, and Xenon flash.

I'm always happy to talk phone geek if you are looking for advice.

Regards

Jay

Mulier Fortis said...

Thanks Jay... but I have no intention whatever of "buying" the iPhone... if I get one, it will be as a freebie given in an attempt to retain my custom (just as the XDa Orbit was free gratis and for nothing in order to get my custom back)

If I have to pay for it, I don't want it!!

Daniel Muller said...

A virtual work of mercy.

Here from Father Zuhlsdorf.

Anonymous said...

I'm one of the 200 regulars - really enjoy your blog.

Mulier Fortis said...

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! It's nice to be appreciated...

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