Day 786: Astounding Readership Growth

So, a few months ago I posted a dumbfounded entry regarding how much web traffic our blog has been generating… what I thought had been a readership of about five people turned out to be a lot more.


And now?  Well… I am even more dumbfounded and wanted to take a moment to share and thank everyone for being so dang loyal to SchutzHappens!


It’s pretty amazing.


Month Total Visits Page Loads
May 235 372
June 352 466
July 373                     539
August 393 742
Sept (as of Sept. 12) 200 266


Based on the number of individual visits vs page loads, you guys aren’t just coming to read the hot latest happenings of the day; at least some of you are sticking around to read some archived posts.


And based on September’s numbers already, I am pretty certain we’ll break August… and the growth in readership astounds me.  


Granted, I’m not completely delusional… this growth could be attributed to a few different things:


1.  Our loyal readers of stopping by more often.  (Which is awesome!)


2.  New people are finding out about us (Which is also awesome!)


3.  Or, my mom has figured out how to find SchutzHappens and is constantly clearing her history and revisiting to make me feel good about myself.  (Which would also be awesome. Thanks mom!)


Really, there is no way of knowing.


In any case… I’m a happy man… I just need to all to stick with me for another eighteen years… I’ll need someone to buy my books when I retire!

Day 785: A Cost Benefit Analysis of Local Holidays

If you haven’t figured it out already, but there are quite a few ‘costs’ and ‘benefits’ to being in the Foreign Service… I don’t really think you have to be inside the system to understand that.

Being a bit a math nut, like I am… I really enjoy analyzing those Costs vs Benefits of situations… it’s the core of basic decision making.

Now, let me just paint the scene for you here… I’m unaccompanied (without my family) in Pakistan… and frankly… there is NOTHING to do besides work… so I work… all the time.  I work, on average, 60 to 65 hours per week… that’s somewhere around ten hours a day (not including commute times and meals) six days a week.  And I’ve been doing this for over a month.  And frankly, I’m starting to feel it.

I’ve been dealing with a certain amount of fatigue… and I can feel burnout coming on.  As an actor, I spent enough years burning it from both ends to know when burnout is coming… and with me, burnout usually comes in the form of getting sick, something pretty nasty that lays me up for about a week.  So, I have to be careful… because being out of commission here has a negative cost/benefit outcome.  I’m looking for POSITIVE cost/benefit outcomes.

So… here I am starting to feel the schedule from the last month catching up on me… and I need a break… but when?  I’ve been taking Sunday’s off as a mental health day and that seems to help… but I’m still not bouncing back the way I would like.

Then comes our Eid holiday.

One of the major benefits of being in the Foreign Service is the extra holidays.  Not only do we get the US federal holidays off… but we also get a few of the local holidays as well.  And for Eid in Pakistan, we got Friday and Monday off. 

Now, as the Eid Holiday approached, I was planning to work… what else is there to do… and we get holiday premium pay when we work holidays, to staying at home didn’t make much sense… or so I thought.

The Thursday before the Eid holiday, I found out an interesting piece of information.  I am not eligible for premium holiday pay when I work local holidays (but I am when I work US holidays)… so… ummm… I had to ask a question:

“So, what you’re telling me is that I could come to work for eight hours… or I could sleep on my couch for eight hours… and I would get paid the same amount of money for the day?”

The answer was ‘yes.’

Folks… I hate to sound like an underachiever, but this was not a difficult decision to make.  Going to work on Friday and Monday became a negative cost/benefit outcome.    So… I took a nap.  

Day 784: Eid Hug

Branching off my two previous posts concerning Eid and September 11th, I have to share this simple and touching story regarding my guard Mohammad. 


Although we have a four day weekend for Eid, there really isn’t a lot to do around the house so I decided go into work yesterday.  September 11th is one of those days were I like to be around people… I like to be around a flag at half mast… I like to work.


Anyway, yesterday morning I went about my normal morning routine: dressed, showered, coffee, news… and then as my departure time approaches, I normally go outside and make idle chit-chat with my guard while I wait for my ride.


However, yesterday, the idle chit-chat was very different.


As soon as Mohammad saw me, he stepped down from his booth and greeted me with a hug.  Hugs are a traditional way of celebrating Eid, it symbolizes good blessings for you and the community.  


When he broke the hug, he took my hand, looked at me in the eyes and said in the most sincere way, “Today is Eid, this is a very special day for me.  I hope your December twenty-five is as special as my Eid.”


Bam!  Like a dagger through my heart.  He ‘gets it’.  My guard, who has probably received minimal education and makes only about a dollar and hour ‘gets it’.  


After that, Mohammad told me about how his wife and kids, back in their village, are spending their Eid holiday and he was sad to be away from them on such a special occasion… but he also said, “My duty here is very important.  It is good that I am here.”


He gets it.


I don’t know if I will ever have a more meaningful September 11th is my life.

Day 783: A Moment of Silence

Day 782: Eid

For the most part, I like to keep SchutzHappens apolitical.  I do have strong feelings about politics and faith, but there is a time and place.  SchutzHappens is a place to have fun and let loose, not a place for debates and grandstanding.

That said, there seems to be a lot going on in the States regarding the Muslim faith… things that don’t seem to be very nice… very understanding… very loving… or very ‘Christian’, as some would say. 

I understand that nerves are still raw.  I understand that some people are still afraid.  I understand. 

But, tomorrow is our day of mourning.   

And today is Eid, the Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan; the end of their 30 day fast.  Eid is a very important holiday in the Muslim faith. 

As far as SchutzHappens is concerned, it is time to get back in touch with our American roots and embrace the ‘Melting Pot’ we have become.  It’s time to put our best foot forward and give Eid the kind of respect and reverence we would want for Easter or Yom Kippur.

I’m not sure what the proper sentiment should be… ‘Merry’, ‘Happy’, ‘Glorious’… but, whatever the case, I hope your Eid is abundant in good fortune.

Day 781: College Savings Month

Man, it’s been a while since I’ve profiled a holiday… or a significant observation.

People often ask me, how in the world do you write so much on your blog?  How do you find the time to write every day?

Well, the first trick is that I write in sessions… I rarely ever write one post… I’ll normally write 4 or 5 posts and then pre-schedule a posting date on blogger.  (I know! I totally, let you behind the curtain!  I’m not as impressive am I?)

 Second, to fend off writer’s fatigue, as my loyal readers know, I have a tendency to post random videos, websites, holidays, or any other random thought I’m having.  They are fun and they break up the monotony. 

Well, you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t taken a break for a while, at least not a substantial break.  I’ve had a pretty jam packed month of posts.  And I am starting to feel it.  Please forgive me if I take a little breather from ‘The Chair’… and yes, there is still more!  Lol.

Until then:

Did you know It’s ‘College Savings Month’!

Thanks for the reminder Gilliam!  I need to get your 529 squared away PRONTO!

Day 780: SchutzHappens - August 2010, 'Miles From Nowhere'