Be Careful What You Wish For

I started this blog last April.  So, all things considered, it hasn't been around all that long.  Originally, it was just supposed to be a journal.  You know, something on which I could focus my attention during rest days.  I could blab, and vent and, in general, just scratch my creative itch.  I was pleased with the opportunity to just write.  For several months, life was good.

Then, sometime after the Ironman last September, I discovered the 'Stats' functions on Blogger.  I thought it was pretty darn cool that I could find out how many people visited my blog, which posts they visited, and what countries they were from.  I became somewhat more fixated on the raw number of visitors.  It's a pretty big ego-stroke to see that strangers visited, and re-visited.  So, I tried to make things more interesting.  I started posting more frequently about a wider variety of topics, and even started the semi-regular 'Fun in the Kitchen' posts.  For several months, life was better.

Just a couple weeks ago, my stats started to double.  I was getting more and more visitors, and frankly, I couldn't figure out why.  It all started around Christmas time, right after I posted about some outdoor running and cold weather gear.  I though, 'Hey, that's cool.  People must actually be interested in me.  Sweet!'.  I checked out the Search Keywords that most often sent people to the site.  A majority of the traffic was coming from an image search for 'balaclava'.  'Huh,' I thought, 'That's a little strange'.

So, I did what I probably shouldn't have done and ran my own Google image search for 'balaclava'.  What did I find?  Well, I found I was the #2 image search for 'balaclava'.  Was it for this rather stressed out, yet innocent, post-workout photo of me in my new balaclava?

HECK NO!  Traffic was skyrocketing at my blog because of this weird little photo:

Great.  Perv traffic.  That was not exactly the kind of attention I was aiming for.  Now, I'll kindly remind you that the ONLY reason I posted this photo was to make fun of it.  I mean, honestly, what kind of weather conditions would call for someone to wear a ski-mask while topless?  I suppose, she could be planning to rob the safe at a strip club, or take hostages at a nude beach.  But that's not the point.

So, with that in mind, I'd like to introduce my first official reader poll.  Go ahead.  Click away.  Will the results cause me to drastically alter the content of my site?  Well, probably not.  But it could be fun.  So, tell me.  Why are YOU here.