How to Increase Site Traffic

Thanks to the wonders of Site Meter, I can tell how people get to my blog. Usually it's through Facebook or similarly, but I do get some random and hilarious hits. This post has gotten two hits from people doing a Google search with the phrase "how to become a dictator." Hurrah for the internet - now anyone can learn the fundamentals of dictatorship. But not from my blog, as one irritated reader commented. It seems I haphazardly picked a title with key words that look nice to search engines - one way to increase site traffic, I am told. As you may have guessed, the title of this post is a bit of an experiment...

Surprise

I turned 18 on Tuesday, and was planning on having a pretty average day - which I was, until my mom walked through my dorm room door. I have never been so surprised in my entire life. Now you might be thinking "How horrible!" - after all, isn't this the scenario college students have nightmares about? I won't pretend it's not a little awkward, having my mom on campus, and it definitely makes me a little self-conscious, but I also won't pretend I don't think it's totally worth it. Those studies that have gotten a lot of attention lately about how college students are more dependent than ever on our parents make me a little angry. There is nothing wrong with having a functional relationship with your parents and missing them when you're away from home. That does not mean I am dependent on them. Once you're capable of living your life independent of your parents, I think you're allowed the luxury of missing them and being happy to see them. Besides, my mom is happy to now be able to envision what I do with my time up here. Good thing I have nothing to hide - sometimes it pays to be a goody two shoes...

The Creative Process

I had my first Creative Process class this morning. It will either be the best experience of my college career or the class I spend all semester hating. This class is all about the things I am most terrified of - public performance, improvisation, sharing my feelings, and general touchy-feely-ness. Our first assignment, due Thursday, is a one-minute musical. We must sing a song of our choice and use it to tell a story, which must have a beginning, middle and end, an identifiable character, and some kind of choreography - all in one minute. If I'm going to get through this class, I have to learn to shut out my inner cynic. The actual class activities today were really fun, though. It was mostly about body and spatial awareness - we did a lot of wandering around the classroom with our eyes closed. I think this is going to be a really good class. If nothing else, I will be getting way outside my comfort zone.

Far From Home

"Oh, I guess nobody told you - I'm in the hospital." That definitely tops the list of words I don't want to hear when I call my dad to thank him for some photos he sent me. He has a staph infection on his face, but he's on IV antibiotics and should be fine. It just made the fact that I'm not at home, that things can happen without my knowledge, a little more real. No matter how often I talk to my family (which is quite often), I'm not exactly in the loop anymore. And I won't ever be again, really, excepting three or four summers. It's an odd mental adjustment to make.

Personality

When you go to the gym, most people are sweating and slaving away in their own little bubbles of "don't-look-at-me-don't-talk-to-me-I'm-working-out". But there's one guy whom I see there fairly often who pretty much makes my day - he runs (at what would be, for me, a crushing pace) while lip-syncing, complete with gestures and flamboyant head jerks, to what appears to be some kind of punk rock. His expressions are priceless. No way would I have enough extra breath or energy to do that. Would there were more like him - going to the gym wouldn't be half so monotonous if everybody were doing silent karaoke!