The Pediatric Insider 1-year Anniversary Cocktail Party

What? You couldn’t make it to the party? You say you didn’t get the invitation? Huh, I thought I mailed you one. Sorry about that. Since you missed it, here are some memorable moments, some highlights to cherish….

Me: “Thanks for coming, everyone! The PI blog is now 1 year old! We’ve had about 37,000 hits, and I’ve invited every single person who’s visited to this massive anniversary party!”

Huge Crowd: <cheers and huzzahs>

Me: ….squinting in the distance, mutters, “maybe I missed one or two of you, sorry about that. Anyway, enjoy the shrimp and champagne, and thanks to everyone for your support!”

-Later, speaking to a small group of newbies-

Newbie #1: “How do I get started on the Pediatric Insider site? Can I be an insider, too?”

Me: “Start with the search box, or just click on some of the links in the cloud on the right. Articles that are interesting to you will probably have tags you can click on to articles with similar topics. Just wander around a while, I tend to repeat myself anyway.”

Newbie #2: “Is tipping customary?”

Me: “So good of you to ask, heh heh…what’s that, someone else had a question?”

Man: “I wrote in a topic suggestion, but it was never answered. What gives?”

Me: “Well, I can’t answer every question I get. You’re more likely to get a question answered or a topic addressed if it’s something that’s going to be interesting to a lot of people, and doesn’t include personal details. The best questions are short and unique.”

Man: “I want to show you my rash now.”

Me: <leaves>

Newbie #2: “What a nice man. He looks better than those models they put on the front of his books, though I heard that he’s not bitter at all about that.”

Newbie #1: “Perhaps I should buy his books, both of them.”

Newbie #2: “They make great gifts, too!”

-Later, taking a few questions from the regulars:

Holly: “When are we going to see those books of yours in bookstores?”

Me: “You’ll see them when you bring in a copy and leave it there. It turns out I can’t get an inch of shelf at any place you’ve heard of.”

Gretchen: “So where are we supposed to buy the books?”

Me: “You want the books, get ‘em at Amazon. They even have them on Kindle!”

Jack: “Didn’t you say something once about doing a podcast?”

Me: “Sure! I do podcasts and articles regularly through www.pedsforparents.com, publisher of  a print and online journal for parents. It’s a great site, check it out!”

Allison: “How are you putting hyperlinks in this conversation? Is this supposed to be real? I’m starting to think you’re just making it up!”

Me: “Any more questions?”

Kristen: “You writing anywhere else?”

Me: “Goodnites.com has some material from me on bedwetting, and a few local papers in North Atlanta carry my stuff. I hope someone out there is collecting all of it in one place for future biographers. It’s biodegradable, eco-friendly, and suitable for lining bird cages!”

Beth: “Or wrapping fish!”

Me: “Yes. Fish.”

Mark: “What ever happened to that book you were writing, the young adult fiction? Do you have an agent yet?”

Me: “It’s written, and it’s at least as good as War and Peace and all of the Harry Potter books combined! And, no, I don’t have an agent…must be the economy…but if any of you just happen to know a literary agent eager to take on a goofball like me, I’d sure like to hear from you!”

Kimberly: “Aren’t you supposed to end this kind of self-indulgent, navel gazing post with some kind of sincere and heartfelt thanks, along with a promise to strive for new heights in blogging excellence with posts that are well-written, interesting, factual, and based on the most current medical knowledge? Something about making this site the best place to go for questions about children’s health?”

Me: “That sounds like a lot of work.”

Amanda: “In that case, why don’t you just keep writing about what interests you, and try to pick off a few reader questions once in a while? And don’t tweak the anti-cir.cum.cis.ion people any more.”

Me: “It’s a deal!”

Explore posts in the same categories: Pediatric Insider information

Tags: navel gazing, War and Peace, wrapping fish

You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.