I could wait until the first anniversary of This Fish (next month sometime) to make a big to-do, but I think that this celebration is more about the unbelievable number of you that stop by, take something with you and leave something behind. One hundred thousand since March is pretty spectacular to me. Thanks, guys.
When This Fish Needs A Bicycle was conceived, anonymity was key.
I created the original blogspot site as nothing more than an audience-free journal. But to my surprise, it didn’t last too long without an audience. One by one, strangers and familiars became reader and friend, and eventually, thisfish.com was born. Ah, isn’t she pretty?
From the beginning, I was paranoid that J (who, as it turns out is tragically illiterate anyway) would read my melodramatic rantings and the result would be catastrophic. Then the worry became, what if my mother found this site? Over the course of time, not only did friends, acquaintances, and my brother stumble onto thisfish.com, but eventually, so did my mother. So, that worry is out of the way. And as for J? J who?
I do believe that a lot of the appeal of this site has been the mystery, or at least the every-woman angle that it has going. Not only do I imagine a lot of you already have an idea of what I should look like, but I also, in my infinite insecurity, fear some of you may be disappointed with the actual product.
The feeling that it may change your perception has been something to contend with.
But, contending done, I’ll simply make it your option. Click, or don’t. Here I am.
(Yeah, I know it’s fuzzy. But it’s the closest thing I have to a head-shot and is one of the few pictures of me not eating.)
Thank you, and… come again.
Ha ha!! That's how I too saw you first. So very long ago though now, eh?
Love you baby.
Posted by: Ari at January 21, 2004 01:39 PMI'm always amazed at how surprised I am at the way blog writers look, in contrast to how I pictured them.
Thanks for sharing! I absolutely love putting faces to words, you know?
(and, if you're in the mood for an ego-boost, you're even prettier than I was picturing you! jealousy, jealousy ;P )
Posted by: Anne at January 21, 2004 01:54 PMThe face fits the beautiful prose...
Posted by: michael at January 21, 2004 01:55 PMits how i first saw you too!
youre so brave for putting it out there miss thing! of course, maybe its not brave when pretty girls do it.
Oh my gosh, you are beautiful, sweetie!! I was afraid to click - usually I don't want to know what 'they' look like, but I'm glad I did. Love reading you, keep it up! :)
Posted by: Kara at January 21, 2004 02:01 PMi really don't think posting your picture is gonna change things profoundly. you are pretty though.
Posted by: hubs at January 21, 2004 02:05 PMI lied to myself. I peeked.
Posted by: Gopi at January 21, 2004 02:39 PMI was just thinking the other day, with friendster and all, that you were about 2 steps from fully coming out of the blog closet!!
Posted by: Cati at January 21, 2004 03:12 PMYou're ruining it for all of us ugly bloggers who haven't bothered to post a photo yet =) .... Your writing and storytelling has become more appealing with time. Picture or not, as long as you're having fun and getting a benefit from writing thisfish.com, it will show.
Posted by: Pad at January 21, 2004 03:21 PMYou are divalicious girl!
As expected, you are BUUUTIFUL! I love that we can now put a face to the words.
Thanks for taking the leap and sharing. :)
You are pretty much exactly as I pictured, except I just knew you would have curly hair. ;)
Posted by: Sara at January 21, 2004 04:02 PMwhat a BABE! for some reason i pictured you as a blonde!
Posted by: kasey at January 21, 2004 04:18 PMYes, I thought you were a blonde for some reason as well...but I also thought you were probably hot, and that part I had right on the nose. Grrrr....
Posted by: greebs at January 21, 2004 04:34 PMi don't think anyone could be disappointed! i agree with dan, you're lovely in the photo and in the written word.
congrats!
Posted by: bellastella723 at January 21, 2004 04:40 PMI have to agree with everyone else. Great job stepping out there.I was a little suprised you weren't blonde, but I am so happy that you aren't.
I gotta say you are a lot hotter than you have been giving yourself credit for!
Happy 100,000!!!!
Posted by: Fletch at January 21, 2004 05:09 PM*delurks*
*kotc*
Lovely inside and out. :)
Congratulations. Not on the 100,000 (that's impressive) but in getting to the point with J that he's a non-issue.
I'm proud of you.
Posted by: Ric at January 21, 2004 05:22 PMyou are so lovely!
the tank top, however, is not the New York Fabulous i was expecting. surely you always wear a stylish wool coat and scarf. and a messenger bag. but at least the tank top is black.
(thanks for sharing!)
Posted by: julia at January 21, 2004 05:36 PMHappy 100,000! Pretty much as I pictured you as well - funny that!
Posted by: Lisa at January 21, 2004 06:09 PMLove the pic-- and it's not that fuzzy!
I read your blog every day-- and have for awhile now. Here's to 200,000!!
Posted by: Cindi at January 21, 2004 06:14 PMI thought you were blonde as well. odd. You are a natural. Speaking as a photographer. If you ever need a book jacket photo and are in NYC area let me know.
Posted by: JDP at January 21, 2004 06:22 PMYour face is kind and smart, and very pretty; just as I pictured you'd look. I'll post my pic for you to see too : )
Posted by: Laura at January 21, 2004 06:44 PMAside from not wearing cool hipster glasses as I once imagined, I'm very glad to put face to words. But allow me to be among those who will tell you you have nothing to be afraid of, regardless of how you look, which is pretty striking.
Posted by: Paul Gutman at January 21, 2004 08:13 PMCongratulations on 100k.
Disappointment in "the actual product"? Dearie, you are not a product, but a woman. And to paraphrase Bette Midler, "You're beautiful, you're beautiful, you're beautiful, DAMMIT!"
Keep on keepin' on, and we'll keep on readin'.
Posted by: Patron Saint of Drunken Fornication at January 21, 2004 08:26 PMHaving caught the Laura Ingalls references, I wasn't totally surprised, but ... well, to paraphrase one of the more infamous posts from one of the blogs I admire most:
THIS PIC + THIS BLOG = HOTT!
(Let us hope no more radiator-related mishaps befall you.)
Congrats on 100,000, and ALL best wishes.
Posted by: Lex at January 21, 2004 09:02 PMBee-yoo-tee-ful!
(I've been reading for some time now but I think this is the first time I've had anything to say.)
Posted by: jian at January 21, 2004 09:06 PMfish, you are pretty. thanks for sharing.
Posted by: lizzie at January 21, 2004 10:24 PMi so wish you'd been well enough so that i could have seen your gorgeous face in person!
Posted by: sassylittlepunkin at January 21, 2004 10:29 PMLike a few others I too pictured you as a blonde and for some reason imagined you looking like a younger Susan Dey. Perky wholesome-ish features etc. It takes guts to post a picture on-line because you just never know and of course it puts the permanent kibosh to anonymity. But when you're pretty, as you are, it's not so hard. It's nice to put a face to words... and you don't look like you eat all that much ice cream!
Posted by: Katherine at January 21, 2004 11:44 PMhumorously enough, you look almost exactly how i pictured you. so pretty! :)
Posted by: whitney at January 21, 2004 11:44 PMi am not going to go on and on blah, blah 'cause you know you are beautiful inside and out. but i will say that you are my blog shero! (that's hero with a "s." know what i mean??) i admire your writing, thanks for the inspiration...
Posted by: london at January 22, 2004 01:37 AMWoot! I didn't think you'd actually post the picture! =)
Posted by: Charlene at January 22, 2004 06:37 AMYou look exactly the way I pictured you :P
Posted by: me at January 22, 2004 08:29 AMCongratulations on 100,000, dear Fish. Here's to many more.
Posted by: Ralph at January 22, 2004 09:30 AMAs if we could be disappointed. If random strangers think well of the "actual product" surely you could do the same? Not that we want it to go too much to your head. ;)
Congrats on reaching 100k hits!
Posted by: LadyCrumpet at January 22, 2004 10:22 AMAw, pretty pretty. Congratulations on 100K!
Posted by: Diana at January 22, 2004 11:50 AMHell, I'd make out with her.
Posted by: IRB at January 22, 2004 01:37 PMDidn’t we talk about doing this a year ago at a baab?... good for you... see you at the baab.
Posted by: Alex at January 22, 2004 02:34 PMDAMN girl!! You're absolutely gorgeous! And you have to tell us your secret for eating (apparently) all the time and looking like you do!
You're lovely Fish. I look forward to reading your blog for a long time..
Actually.. now that I know what you look like I want to reread a good portion of your posts, I'd be interested to see if or how I'd react differently now that I can imagine you physically now. Hmmm..
Posted by: dd at January 22, 2004 03:04 PMBlonde? No way. I totally knew you were a brunette. But like someone else, for some reason, I thought you'd be curly haired. Which is stupid, cause there's been all those posts about you curling your hair for special nights... duh! So I am a reader who doesn't always apply her critical reading skills properly.
Thanks for posting the picture. I know it seems scary, but before you know it, you'll be snapping shots of yourself and posting them left & right. It's sort of liberating. :)
Posted by: Kim at January 23, 2004 09:14 AM