State of the Union Address
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| Christopher Allen -- I Must Be Off! |
I Must Be Off! will very soon surpass the 1 million hits mark. In May--if the trend holds. There'll be a grand celebration. With wine. And party hats of course. You can have some, wear some if you come to my home in Munich. Maybe a garden party? I'm open for suggestions.
I Must Be Off! is incredibly old school right now. I tried the Blogger Dynamic templates, but they were buggy. I've thought about converting to the "travel blog" format, something more professional-looking with video. Would you like to see someething slicker, or are you happy with the way things are? I have always been more about content than format, but I feel the pull towards format. I need to hear from you.
This blog was started as an internet presence for my writing, and it will always be that. (Remember: it makes you 84% prettier to read my writing.) The odd couple of my mother and the writer Mel Bosworth forced me to start it. Bless them both. They are sweet people. That said, I sometimes feel the urge to split this blog into categories: travel, my publishing news, expat author interviews, gluten-free travel and photography. These are all parts of me; I Must Be Off! is me. I hope you'll keep reading, and I hope you'll comment more. I'd love to hear from you.
I'll be off to the Steiermark wineries in Austria tomorrow for a few days. I can't wait to tell you more about this incredible wine-growing region.
I must be off,
Christopher
PS: Have you started writing your entry for the Second Annual I Must Be Off! Travel Essay Contest? Check out the guidelines HERE.
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Christopher Allen is the author of Conversations with S. Teri O'Type (a Satire), an episodic adult cartoon about a man struggling with expectations. Allen's award-winning fiction, non-fiction and book reviews have appeared or are forthcoming in Indiana Review, Quiddity, SmokeLong Quarterly's Best of the First Ten Years anthology, Prime Number Magazine, PANK, Word Riot, Camroc Press Review, Bootsnall Travel and Chicken Soup for the Soul. A finalist at Glimmer Train in 2011, Allen has been nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize twice. He lives in Germany.
Wow, congrats on the million hits, Chris! I admit that I'm better at "stalking" posts than commenting. That will change, as you definitely keep me entertained. I think it's about time for a reread of S. Teri O'Type. Who doesn't want to be 84% prettier? ;)
ReplyDeleteAgain, congrats and big hugs from both Kazza K and myself.
Cindi! Thank you so much. You and Kazza rock with several exclamation marks. Much love :)
DeleteWow, 1 million! That`s great. I love reading your blogs, And I love the planes and the clouds - don`t change that. If it ain`t broke don`t fix it! Should comment more often I know. Maybe it`s because the 84%-thingy doesn`t work... And yes, I too will re-read S.Teri O`Type. Bitte weitermachen - in diesem Sinne.
ReplyDeleteJany! I can't wait to meet you in person. We should have met long ago. We have to arrange this. Thank you so much for reading my blog!
DeleteI like the old school version...but then again, that is just me being too lazy to work out how to make videos and any other modern additions work...keep at it, dearest, we love reading about all your adventures! xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Wends! Old school works for me too. I'll have to move toward something more technologcially interesting soon, but I hope it won't be too soon. :)
Delete1,000,000!!! Most impressive Mr. Allen!! I'm thinking you are much loved and much followed so tinkering with what works should be a slow and subtle business. Creative in life and in art is a pretty awesome combo. Huzzah!
ReplyDeleteHi, Gay!
DeleteThank you! That's what I'm worrried about. I don't want to fix something that's not broken, but maybe my travel blogging buddies are getting more hits with their slick sites? Who knows. I just want to build a community who likes what I do. No tricks. No gimmicks.
Ha, guilty! I'll try to be better about commenting here and on other blogs I frequent, Christopher. This is a great place you've built and I appreciate your words.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kathy! Hahahahaha. Don't feel guilty! I love that you share my posts on Twitter. Thank you so much for doing so. Hope you're doing well!
DeleteChris add the video's it will bring more people to I Must Be Off.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Charles! Hmmm. I'll try. I do love other travel bloggers' videos.
DeleteWell found out how to do it. So there! I love to read the travel info and of course what your are writing. Love it all.
ReplyDeleteHi, Anon! Glad you figured it out and so happy you love what I'm doing here!
DeleteCongrats on the million! Woohoo! I won't be able to make it to Deutschland to celebrate with you, but I'll drink a glass of wine in your honour. I like the old school style that you have going, but if you change your format I'll still read your blog. I'm mainly here to read what you have to say.
ReplyDeleteHi, Chris! Thank you so much for following I Must Be Off!
DeleteI wish I could be in Munich for the wine and party hats! Congratulations on the big milestone. Funny, I've been thinking about asking for some input on my blog format, etc, but I'm not very brave. I do know it's time to makes some changes, but the option are small tweaks to very big and scary changes. Anyway, I like your current format -- very straight-forward. Categories might be nice since you cover diverse subjects. If I can think of anything more constructive, I'll let you know. Oh, and please feel free to give me input on my blog. Just be gentle.
ReplyDeleteHi, Cathy! I love Traveling with Sweeney! Don't change a thing!
DeleteThank you for the interview, Chris. You sound like someone I want to be friends with! Wish I could attend that garden party....Regina
ReplyDeleteSame here, Regina! Thank you for stopping by and talking about your work in Dhaka. Much respect! Chris :)
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