I knew the April numbers would be down from March. It’s getting warmer, people are on the computer less, and as we’re still up by nearly 10 times what we did in April last year, I’m not at all about to start complaining. Thank you all for reading and for commenting, registering on the forums, lurking, whatever. It all makes a difference, and I mean it.

The numbers for this month alone were 211,114 page views. As of this post, there are 664 registered users on the forum and a total of 26,753 posts, with 22,243 in General Discussion. That rules, no doubt about it, but what’s even cooler is that in just this last week, we passed the one-million mark for 2011. Between January 1 and April 30, 2011, The Obelisk received 1,028,995 page views, Unbelievable. I don’t even know what to say about it other than “awesome,” so I’ll stick with that. Awesome.

But back to April and the matter at hand. The map shows hits from all 50 states and 116 other countries around the world. In the US, California trounced New York 5,422 to 3,202, and in a close battle I’ve been watching for at least the last two weeks, Finland beat out Sweden by 682 visits to 678. Oh Sweden, you already got your own podcast. What else must I do?

There were hits from Uganda, Kenya, Uruguay, Senegal, the city of Shanghai, one from Afghanistan, one from Mongolia, one from Uzbekistan, and over 4,000 from the UK. Yes, the UK beat out the major urban metropolis less than 25 minutes from where I’m sitting. Go figure.

Lots to talk about and I’m short on time, so here goes:

Reviews: Can we talk seriously for a second? Does anyone read the reviews on this site other than the bands involved? It’s okay to say they’re too long, or they’re too wordy, I can take it. I’m starting to wonder if they need to be toned down. I don’t want people to go all glassy-eyed every day when I start a post with an album cover. That’s not what I’m shooting for here. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, if you’d be so kind, and in case you’re keeping track, I’m about 35 reviews in the hole, which is better than last month’s 40. By about five.

Features: Well, Justin Broadrick of Jesu/Godflesh is this week, and at some point after I write up the questions I’ll have an email interview with artist David D’Andrea, as well as Six Dumb Questions with Nether Regions, and there are a few other things in the works. I’ve had horrible luck in doing so in the past (I’m not even going to give you the link), but I’m trying to set up a chat with someone from Orange Goblin about their return to American shores, so we’ll see how that goes, and I want to get Lo-Pan and Sourvein going too over the next couple weeks, so stay tuned. Now that the spring semester is over, I’ll hopefully have a little more time to set these things up so I don’t get so backlogged like I have been.

The Maple Forum: As previously reported, I’m expecting the Blackwolfgoat CDs this Wednesday, and I very much look forward to their arrival. I haven’t talked to the Clamfight dudes in a couple weeks (it was kind of nuts leading up to the end of the term, doubly so with the Roadburn trip), but so far as I know they’re scheduled to start recording soon, so I’ll have updates on that as well. Kings Destroy are going to be playing this month with Orange Goblin and Naam in NYC at Santos Party House, and although I’m sold out of it, you can get their album, And the Rest Will Surely Perish from the band here, or at All That is Heavy at this location. Like all the best things in life, it is cheap and wonderful.

audiObelisk: I’ve been doing more single-track stuff, and that seems to be going decently well. Hopefully you’ve been enjoying it. This month’s podcast, now off the frontpage (download it here or by clicking the banner in the sidebar on the right), has surpassed in a week what the last one did in more than a month, so that’s a cool sign. Glad people are listening to that, as it’s pretty much a day’s worth of work to make. But fun, like all this crap.

Roadburn: No news here, but I wanted to take a second to reiterate my appreciation to everyone who took the time to read the posts from Roadburn in The Netherlands this past month. If you missed it, all the posts are here, but if you already saw the writeups and the pics, thank you again for bothering to look it up at all. I had a blast over there once again and hope to make it over in 2012, but you never know what a year will bring, and either way, it means a lot to me to know someone other than The Patient Mrs. and two other people saw it. Not that it doesn’t mean a lot that The Patient Mrs. and those two other people did, but you know what I’m saying. Extra special thanks to Walter one more time.

I guess that’s pretty much what I have to say to everyone too. Thanks. I don’t mind admitting that this spring semester — even more than the fall one, which I didn’t think would be possible — demolished my sorry ass. Seriously, it was not pretty. I’ve got to head to my last class of the term in about 10 minutes though, and it occurs to me just how much The Obelisk is what I wake up for every day. Yeah, I have to be at work, yeah, I have to be at school (obligations of my own doing, and I don’t want to seem like I’m complaining about either, because I’ve got it pretty good as regards both), but it’s the chance to write and gradually shape this site over time into what it’s become that I really consider to be most pivotal, and you should know you’re a huge part of that. A much bigger part than I am.

So yeah, thanks again. All my best to you as spring turns to summer, and whether you’re inside on the computer or outside living what I’ve heard referred to as “real life,” I hope all is well on your end and that if I can be of any service one way or another, you’ll please let me know.

Much appreciated,
JJ Koczan
Half-Timbered Protestant Taskmaster

Tags: self-aggrandizing, The Numbers

This entry was posted on Monday, May 2nd, 2011 at 3:15 pm and is filed under The Numbers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.