Monday Filler- like all KINDS of things…

Bird Whisperer and I had a great weekend down South. But I got home late, had work to do, no time to blog. So I won’t post about it till tomorrow.

But here’s the thing. Monday’s the highest traffic day on this blog, and I always feel bad not having a Monday post for regular readers. So today I’m going to post some pics from rides last week, and a couple of teaser photos from this weekend.

Tangent: How do I know Monday’s the highest traffic day? Because I have one of those little visit counter thingies set up.

Nested Tangent: So why is Monday the biggest day? Are people procrastinating getting to work? You’d think Monday would be the lightest day and Friday the heaviest, but it’s exactly the opposite.

Here’s my advice for any new blogger: don’t get a counter-thingie. Really, the only people who need them are people with hyper-popular ad-supported blogs that need them to calculate hits and readers and such. But for the rest of us, why bother? What does it matter if 3 or 300 people stop by today? When you have a counter, you end up checking it, and then you inevitably end up thinking things like:

I wonder why no one’s reading my blog today? I thought I had a good post and all…

If 300 people read my blog today, how come no one commented?

I’m having second thoughts about that post I put up. Maybe people will think I’m weird or something. I better go change it before… oh crap, 200 people have read it already…

Wow, look at that guy. He spent 8 hours straight on my blog. Maybe he’s stalking me…

Hey 300 people read my blog today. That’s great. Wait a minute… 99.4% were directed here via the Google search phrase “Selma Hayek photos”… What the…?

Anyway, it doesn’t matter how many people read this blog, because I already know who’s reading it- my mother, that’s who. That’s right, my Mom found out about my blog over the weekend (Hi Mom). Not that I was keeping it secret or anything, but I wasn’t going out of my way to mention it either. Because honestly, is anything that’s really enjoyable in life quite as much fun when you know your Mom is watching? Think about it.

Nested Tangent: Actually, I’m totally fine with Mom reading WTWWU; she’s very cool. Really, my only significant disclosure-remorse has been telling a co-worker about it way back when. Today about 1/2 dozen coworkers are regular readers, which- tragically- has forced me to pass up countless wonderful work-related tangents. Ah well, like I always say- my next blog will be anonymous. And fabulous.

Quality Monday Filler, Right Here

OK, but here’s some seriously great filler. Yesterday reader “Pierre” posted a comment to my Cougar* post from last summer, saying that he spotted one yesterday behind This Is The Place. That’s basically across the street from the zoo, about ½ mile from my house (and a place I frequently ride at dawn- yikes!)

*Yes, yes , I’ve heard all the “cougar” jokes, so you don’t need to comment about how you spotted one yesterday as well- at the mall. Har har. “Mountain Lion” is a mouthful, so I’m sticking with “cougar.”

Next filler topic- foliage. Yes, everybody knows the leaves are turning, but I think it’s a law that if you have a bike-related blog you have to post pictures of your friends riding past pretty leaves. Here’s Coryalis (pic left, shot 1-handed, over shoulder while climbing. I am a crazy photo-stud.) and Vicente (below, right) riding up in Pinebrook last week.

Note Vicente’s goofy helmet. I asked him about it, and he told me it’s his 8 yr-old son’s, which he’s wearing while his new helmet’s on order, having cracked his old one in a crash*. Now I know Vicente’s kid, and he’s really smart and all, but next time I see him I’m taking a closer look. I mean, really, how big is that kid’s head?

*Actually the crash that occurred a moment before I snapped the center photo in this collage.

Anyway, if you want some “real science” about foliage, you can go back and read the 2-part post I did last Fall about why leaves change color. While I’m posting goofy foliage pics, here’s a goofy foliage video, also from last week. Something else about this video- it gives you a feel for why I’m always destroying electronic equipment- is it any wonder I dropped my last camera? Maybe I should invest in a helmet cam.

Speaking of electronic equipment, I lost my bike computer this morning before work, probably on one of the brushy unofficial side trails up around Dog Lake- if anyone finds it this week, you’ll get a fabulous prize*.

*I have no idea what. But I’m noodling about coming up with some sort of prize-type WTWWU-related item I can give away when a reader does something really great, like explain song lyrics or find and return stuff I lose.

Anyway, this loss, and my subsequent, fruitless, made-me-late-for-work search for it has required me to revise the previously posted Hierarchy of Findability of Things, below:

While I’m posting videos, here’s another (slightly less goofy) one from last week, which I post so non-night-riders can get a feel for it.

And last on the filler schedule, teaser pics from the incredible weekend Bird Whisperer and I had down South, and which I plan to blog about this week:

And very, finally, finally lastly, one more pic from this weekend. Look closely. There’s a large carnivore in this photo. No, I’m not kidding. Another “fabulous prize” to the first commenter who spots it (what it is and what part of photo.)