We Have a Tie

N

ot to dwell too much on this, but I have two people who claim to be number 75,000. Now the first person to claim this is Gokingsgo. He left the following comment:

I AM NUMBER 75,000!!!! I feel like I just won the lottery.
Posted 3/21/2006 at 11:33 PM by gokingsgo - delete - block user

Someone named Lauren also claimed to be number 75,000, 9 minutes later. Now some may say that this is a no brainer, that Gokingsgo clocked in 9 minutes earlier and so is clearly the winner. Indeed, I have no reason to doubt Gokingsgo's claim. I mean, this is a man I shared a beer with. Hell, he bought the beer! (Thanks again, BTW.) But life is not so clear cut. Lauren may have left her comment nine minutes later, but that doesn't necessarily mean she came to this site at that time. She in fact took a screen shot of the number, and taking the shot, opening it, checking it out to make sure it is right could conceivably take NINE minutes. Click here to check the evidence. Leave her a message, too, while you're at it. So we have a tie, folks--always good to be diplomatic, don't you think? Congratulations; not that there's a prize or anything.

As for me, I am humbled and flattered to have gotten this many hits. A few years ago--actually 2 years, 9 months and 5 days ago, but who's counting?--I began this blog as a way to keep in touch with a graduating senior who went to Japan to teach English through the JET program. I truly had no pretenses regarding meeting people online or having total strangers read and sometimes actually enjoy what I write. It really flips me out to think that total strangers come here to read.

Anyway, as usual, I have a stack of papers to grade, but I will try to post a real entry sometime later this week. I got my hands on a few more episodes of Kuitan, the Japanese gourmet detective, from a favorite daughter, and will likely spend what little free time I have watching them--damn these J-doramas. Of course, I have a little more time since Battlestar Galactica is on hiatus until October (What the heck is that all about!), and new episodes of Lost are so infrequent that Wednesdays are now just Wednesdays. So these J-doramas help me relax in between the mountains of papers I have to grade.

The Bruins (UCLA for those still unaware) are in the Sweet Sixteen, and I'm hoping they make it to the Final Four starting Thursday night at 9:55 EST. Can't wait. Beat Gonzaga!