HAPPY BIRTHDAY! TMS Turns 1 Today!

It is hard to believe but yes, TheMaleSack turns 1 year old today! I am so very excited for so many reasons. The first being that the blog has made it this long. Many of the things I decide to do don't last very long because I have a very short attention span. So that is an accomplishment in itself. And also with Blogger shutting down a massive amount of blogs, well, I never thought I would make it through that. I am very happy to be able to say that, through all of that, I am still here.

When I started this blog, I honestly did not think that many people would find what I posted of interest. I mean there are tons of blogs out there that offer the same thing that I do so I was never really sure what would keep people interested and keep them coming back. I knew what I liked to look at and knew that not everyone felt that way. But I figured I would give it a shot and see what would happen, hell, I had nothing to lose. It was a slow start in the beginning. I did not get many hits and the comments were not always that nice. But as time passed and after making some changes, things started to turn around. More and more people came to visit and more and more Followers joined each day. It became exciting for me.

This past year, as many of you know, has been a really rough year for me. Sure, I have had rough years in the past, but nothing like this. When I lived in Chicago and things got rough, well, it was small compared to things out here. Rent and food is cheaper out there, hell, most everything is. So even though I struggled, I still got by ok. The same cannot be said for things out in CA. Rent is almost twice what it was in IL and everything else seems to cost a little more as well. I have been struggling since May, and I still am, that is why I have asked for the donations from time to time. I know some do not like that idea but hell, I need to do what I need to do to survive. I know that if I could help someone, I would not hesitate. That is all that I will say on that.

What I want to say is that I am so very grateful for each and every one of you that have been with me since day one. And I appreciate those of you that have stuck by me and were there to listen when all that seemed to come out of my mouth was my hate for the life I am living in CA. I wish I could personally say thank you to each one of you and give you a big hug. I know that is not possible so I am posting this. Without the followers, the people who submit their personal pics and anyone else who has helped me out, well, I would not have made it this far without you. This blog and everyone that visits means the world to me. I feel like you are all my extended family.

Just some numbers to share, I keep track of the number of viewers using Bravenet. I have used this pretty much since day 1. According to Bravenet tracking, I have had a total of 1,768,550 page views since December 12th. Out of that, I have had a total of 396,908 unique views. To me, these are pretty impressive numbers. To date I currently have 334 Followers. I know that many sites that have been around longer do not have the numbers I do, so again, I feel very lucky to be able to say that.

I also want to give a HUGE thank you to my roommate, Jason (www.BoyohBoi.net) for suggesting the blog thing in the first place. Without him there to push me towards the idea more, I am not sure I would have ever taken the first step! I love you Jason!

Don't worry, there will be a pic post today, probably two. I just wanted to get this long winded post out of the way. I will continue to make changes to the blogs as you all suggest them. I want to make you all happy, keep you happy and keep you coming back. So please, if you have any feedback or suggestions, good or bad, please let me know. Email me at TheMaleSack@gmail.com or post in the comments on photo posts. I welcome all that you have to say. And keep the personal pics coming!

You guys rock and I do not take any of this for granted! I feel very blessed to have you all here as part of something that means alot to me. Thank you!