Getting to know you!
A version of my rejected “spring break venus” cartoon. Back by popular demand. (image: carolita johnson)
I was perusing my site meter this morning, as I am wont to do now and then while waiting for the caffeine (or is it theine?) in my tea to take effect, when I noticed something that made my eyeballs perk up (insofar as eyeballs can perk): a reader from Israel! Wow, I thought. I wonder what brought me an Israeli reader? Surely not my silly stories of Ape-Face. So I looked further, and found that it was the result of a google:
Meanwhile, my Saudi Arabian readers continue to find me through more serious googles like this:
I’m happy for whatever brings people from anywhere outside the walls of my apartment to newyorkette, so to all my Middle Eastern readers, a hearty:
As-Salaam-Alaikum!
Shalom aleichem!
My “Spring-Break Venus” seems to be a hit amongst my Saudi readers. To them I say, guess what? It’s for sale! I’m a starving artist, and you’re obviously a patron of… why don’t we just say: the arts! How about it? It will be worth even more in the fall, when the final version of it appears in a brand new book of rejected New Yorker cartoons, Matt Diffee’s “Rejection Collection”! Stay tuned.
August 23rd, 2006 at 3:55 am
A book of rejections? Brilliant!
August 23rd, 2006 at 10:32 am
Actually, there’s two coming out. I’m only publicizing one, because it’s my friend Diffee’s! You’ll see what the other one is, soon enough! It’s not TNY related.
August 23rd, 2006 at 10:42 am
BTW, to anyone who doubts me, it is absolutely true that 99% of google image searches that bring me my faithful Saudi readers contain the word “sex.” I used the Spring Break Venus to illustrate my rather silly “Sex Issue” post ages ago, never imagining it would often come up in google image sex searches.
I find this fact to be intriguing, and maybe even reassuring. I like to think that Saudis have other things on their mind besides those things we may stereotypically imagine they do. (I have no idea what goes on in a Saudi reader’s day, and would LOVE to know what they think when they find my site.) We’re all human. And humans like sex. What’s not to like?
Also, after English-speaking countries, Saudi Arabia ranks rather close to the top three in my readership. This is amazing to me. I HAD to know why. And it’s the Spring Break Venus. Not my brains or wit!
That’s totally okay with me. I’m flattered! Welcome to all!
September 4th, 2006 at 7:35 pm
I’m probably not the first to point this out, and I probably sound like a pedant, so I’m not even sure why I’m sending this other than I’m a complete obessive-compulsive about spelling and it would drive me nuts if I didn’t send it to you …
It’s “Israel”, not “Isreal”.
Roy
September 4th, 2006 at 8:31 pm
Duly fixed! Thank you for your eagle eye, which compensates for my dyslexic fingers!
September 4th, 2006 at 8:32 pm
ps- jeez, what a pedant!
(ha ha, just kidding!)