500!

It's all about the 500!

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 500th post here at "into the Lyons den."  I really didn't know what to think when I started the blog that snowy day in December 2007.  Maybe I thought it was something I could do to stay warm...who knows?!  But here we are - the 500th post.  Lo, that I could be profound, but there's not been a deep well of profundity since the beginning, so why start now?

I thought I'd share some of the key stats from the first 500 posts:

• 22,368 - the number of page views since the first post
• Google is the preferred way of finding the blog
• Countries that have visited the "den" the most - the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Germany.  Apparently, the British Empire and her former colonies have a thing for this blog.

The top five or most widely-read posts so far are:

• On the anniversary of Apollo 13 - April 14, 2010
• 21 - Lucky 21 - February 16, 2011
• Heading Home - February 12, 2011
• ...and great was the fall of it - May 18, 2011
• 44 - September 20, 2010

Now, I'm not delusional enough to think that it was what I had to say that's made those particular posts so popular.  No, one need only dive into the stats (thank you, Blogger) to see that it's all been driven by search words.  So more than one poor sap that's doing his 6th grade science project on Apollo 13 has been referred to the "den."  (PS - if you are one of those saps and you based your report on the night I had dinner with Neil Armstrong, let me know what kind of grade you got.)  I will admit that I don't get why the post "44" has been so popular.  My 44th birthday wasn't that interesting.

So what have we learned in 500 posts?  Well, let's see - I like food.  I spend far too much time on planes and as a result, I do not like the Great (U)Satan of the (U)Skies.  I probably don't have the best filter, saying more than I should.  You've been along for the high points - two half-marathons, kids graduating, kids going to college, our first-born's wedding.  And you've been there for the low - losing my dad was pretty much the low point.  So I've shared plenty in this blog and highly doubt that the format is going to change. 

It's been a good run and I suppose I'm only getting started.  If you're new to the den, sit down on the sofa and enjoy the read.  If you are a follower and haven't admitted it openly, shirk your shame and proclaim that you're a follower on the side bar.  You can grab one of the blog buttons and brazenly demonstrate your adoration too.  Go for it, I dare you! 

Thanks for reading and here's to a few hundred more posts!