Who Are You?

        "Who, who, who, who? I really wanna know."   The Who, 1978

 

Headquartered as I am in the Seattle area for a few weeks -- and slightly discombobulated due to the drastic change of pretty much everything -- I was fairly astonished to discover it was Thursday, the day I write my weekly post to publish on Friday. 

I’ve written from Seattle before, but now the old house is sold and closed (as of today!), and I haven’t yet had time this trip for any adventures to tell you about. But there is something I’ve been wanting to write a bit about, and that is this mystery of writing a weekly column.

That’s what this really is, I think. The idea of writing a column has intrigued me all my adult life. A column in a newspaper was what I always had in mind. It never happened. Then along came the internet and weblogs and suddenly there was a way to do it.

I like this forum. I like not having an editor looking over my shoulder, being free to write about whatever I feel like, free to add photos when I want, to be serious or silly or something in between.

I suppose one of the similarities between writing this and writing for any print publication is that one seldom knows who is reading. How can one know? These days, there are fancy, nosy internet programs that track readers, but they’re expensive and more than I care to download right now. I do have something provided by Typepad, though. It's called "Stats".

I have to tell you how strange, how otherworldly it is to open the “Stats” window on my Typepad dashboard and see what I am able, and unable, to see.

The Typepad stats are less than elementary. Even so, every day I see how many people have visited this blog. I can see how many page views I’ve had since I started writing it sixteen months ago. I can tell whether I was bookmarked as “San Pancho Vida”, or whether someone bookmarked a particular article or photo that they use as their gateway. I don't have a clue who that person is, however.

I see Google or Bing searches for “San Pancho Vida” or “Candice’s San Pancho blog”, but I can’t tell who entered the search. One time I saw a google for “concrete block” (from Google Russian!) that led the seeker to my blog; there have been others, equally as goofy, several in Arabic or Farsi or some other alphabet entirely unknown to me. One or two of those have actually been a search for San Pancho Vida. Explain that.

I can tell when a reader has come to me through another website: Life's a Beach or San Pancho Weather or Rollybrook or Mexconnect. But again, I can’t tell who you are, whether it’s your first or fiftieth visit.

I can often get a peek at which posts a visitor visited. Other times, there are annoying hash marks that tell me nothing at all, except that Someone visited Some Page. 

What I never can see are names and faces. I can’t tell who is visiting for forty-eight minutes in the wee hours of the morning, who is catching up by clicking through the archives index, who read every single Tracy Guadalupe entry as instructed (I mean, requested) in a recent post.

It’s surreal. I want to know who you are, where you are, what you are doing up at 3:37 a.m. I want to hear from you. What are you doing? Why are you reading? 

Of course, some of you correspond regularly. Many of you who do, I have met on Mexico travels or on other Mexico websites. Others are old friends who delight me by reading each Friday post. I thank you and love you for reading. I cherish your funny and perceptive comments.

I’d really like to know who you are, the couple who came into Panchito’s asking for me while I was in Tonalá. From the Portland area? Somewhere in Oregon, I think. You told Nicole you read these posts regularly. Write to me.

How about you, the woman who built a house in San Blas, who found José Orozco’s website here and went shopping with him in Tonalá? I want to know about your house, how your shopping trip went, and about building and living in San Blas.

How about others of you, who read this for whatever reason? Will you write?

You can comment at the bottom of any post by clicking on “Comment”. You’ll have to put in your email address (to prevent bad guys from getting in), but those addresses are never published. Comments end up in my email box and I publish them from there.

Or you can click on “About” up in the right corner and email me directly at sanpanchovida@seanet.com.

I hope you’ll do one or the other.

And if you don’t, that’s okay, too. I’ll continue to notice you in that other cyber-dimension, on the hazy stats page where at least I can tell I’ve had a visitor. And I’ll thank you for coming by.

Thank you.

Gretchen asked me once if I were going to discontinue this blog after construction ended. I assured her that it had become a habit that I thoroughly enjoy. Also, I’m pretty sure construction never ends; and I see Casa Luz de Luna as a launching pad for travels, adventures, and discovering stories. So I’ll keep writing as long as you read.

xo

Candice

                                            ♡    ✍    ♡

Life's A Beach   Beck's heartfelt and colorful blog, full of good humor, fabulous photos, and delicious details of her life and travels.

San Pancho Weather  Curt’s website is more than just weather, with news, stories and photos too. We who live in the area make a habit of visiting. Especially those of us who need to know the moment of highest humidity, the overnight low, how this month’s rain compares to a year ago. Like me, for instance.

Rollybrook  How does Rolly cram so much useful information about living in Mexico and moving to Mexico and managing in Mexico into a website that remains readable and navigable? Must be quantum mechanics…

Mexconnect  A big, rich, elegant site with information, articles and forums about all things Mexico. 

 

Comments

[Sandy Beach in Toronto]

Hi, Candice...

It's me, I suspect I'm the midnight raccoon watching & enjoying your trials & tribulations done w/ such enduring & endearing humor !!
(I would be tearing my hair out 'til none remained in your situation!).
'Tho' since you're on the west coast (3 hrs behind) it's possible that a early morning sort from here at say 7AM would read as 4AM your time.

I get particularly huge chuckles from the adventures of Tracy Guadalupe (the little demonic scamp!).

I'm very late at night (Toronto time)since each night, I first visit the various web sites for the tech talk news /warnings/updates I post nightly to the Dancing Cactus. Followed by catch up at Rob's Board for the current info to re-warm my memories then about weekly to you to lighten up my spirits before my pre-dawn snack (2 roast beef sandwiches @ 5AM qualifies as a snack?).
Then off to just roam the web (time & cats, raccoons, opossums, skunks permitting).

Despite the lack of certainty of whom your visitors might be, please DON'T go putting more tracking ware on your site...

It's interesting to see how different we might imagine doing the move to Mexico thing is from the reality you show us!

Glad the effort brings you comfort & pleasure, even as it brings the same to those vicariously absorbing the vibe you describe.

Please keep on while you can!!! Sandy ;-)

[Jennifer]

I also read your blog faithfully every week, and really look forward to your adventures. I especially enjoyed the process of you building your house, and also the shopping trips to Mexican towns I have never been to that you take us on. I love your adventurous spirit!

I have your blog in "my favorites",and I think I found it refered to on another blog site I found on Mexconnect.

My husband and I go to the other coast of Mexico several times a year, Cozumel,which we love, but I enjoy learning about the other parts of Mexico as well.

Keep up the good work Candice, and I hope you feel much better very soon!

[Michelle Holguin]

I have your blog on my iGoogle home page :-)
I've commented a couple of times that I am living vicariously through your home building experience (as mine in Bucerias is not working out nearly as I had planned...)
My husband and I will be in San Pancho the week of June 16-23 and would love to say 'hi' if you are in town.
Michelle

[Candice]

Hey, I want one of those maps! That would be so cool. Thanks, Beck. I'll look into it...

[Beck]

It's Beck, reporting in! Go out to Coho in Redmond or Issaquah and have some grilled chicken tacos for me, or stop by Chandler's on Lake Union and have a grilled salmon salad. I miss those things! I also look at stats occasionally. I have one of those maps on my blog that gives me locations. I'm REALLY curious about who reads my blog from London. When I switch to the satellite view, it shows up as the intersection right outside the House of Commons. Love your blog Candace! Next trip to the Puerto Vallarta area, I'll stop in. My cousin and his wife stayed in San Pancho and that was their favorite spot! Next visit!

[Gretchen]

I too am helplessly addicted to the San Pancho Blog. I Love reading all the exploits and observations and seeing the pictures. It is so much better than reality TV which I ignore. And.... the style of writing, the wonderful humour, the sensitivity, the connections of the author are unmatched. Mexico is such a beautiful soul country and to have Candice's finger on it's heartbeat is like striking gold.

[Char]

One of the first things I do on friday morning is click on your blog in "my favorites".....it's a ritual....so you better keep it up! Hope to see you soon....xoxo

[Jeanne]

Hi Candice - it will be interesting to see who comments. You know who I am :)

I love your blog and read it every Friday - please keep it up!

Enjoy your stay in Seattle.