What's so interesting?

I don't pay that much attention to my site visit counter.

Okay, that's a lie; I do pay attention.

I check out how many hits I get every few days. I like to look at the map and see where they have come from. Two people in Argentina? Really? Where on land is the visitor whose spot on the map appears to be near the intersection of the Prime Meridian and the Equator -- which is in the Atlantic. What of interest does the person in Egypt find on my blog? (Stay tuned, I've been reading a few books about religion and politics recently and will probably have something to say about that. I'd warn any conservative right wingnuts right-wingers that they may want to stay away, although one of the books is about how we need to be conversing, not criticizing the other's view, so maybe you'll stick around for the dialog).

And, sometimes out of curiousity, I look at the search terms that have lead people to Cam's Commentary. The resulting feeling usually is either amused or discouraged. For example:

Amusing: How many people are disappointed when they type in "Nipple+Jesus" and find that it leads to this post regarding a Nick Hornby reading? The additional search terms (It varies. Fill in the blank; use your imagination) suggest that they aren't interested in Jesus, or Art, or short works of fiction by Mr. Hornby. I think Hornby's short story is a terrific commentary on modern art, btw.

Discouraging: how many people are looking for cliff notes for a class paper? Are they really teaching Jodi Piccoult that much in high school these days? Ugh. Get a clue: write your own reaction to the book after you read it!

But, it is rare that I pay any attention to referral trends. There is one very good reason for that: I don't have any trends to pay attention to. At least not until a few days ago.

I've noticed something over the last few days that has me curious: I've had a lot of people land on this post I wrote last May about Sheila Heti's book Ticknor. (8 different IP addresses, from various points in Canada yesterday, similar numbers Sat & Sun.) The referring link appears to be a forum from an MFA program at the University of British Columbia. Much to my frustration, I can't get to the forum due to restricted access.

I'm curious: what are you Canadians saying about this work? What specifically are you saying about my post? I know that Heti is Canadian and Ticknor was her first novel. Why the sudden interest in something I posted six months ago?

I'm glad you've stopped by. Leave a comment. Oh, and just thought I'd mention: I've posted some really lame stuff recently. The Ticknor post is one that I think is pretty good. Ignore the lame stuff; read the good stuff. I'm hoping after some of the current craziness in my life settles a bit I'll have time to post more of the good stuff, less of the crap.