My internet popularity is apparently once again on the wane. While at the beginning of the month, I was getting on average over 500 hits per day, for some reason the number spiked on April 12 at over 1,000 hits for the first time ever. Then suddenly, some time on April 17, the hordes of Googling monkeys apparently started going somewhere else for their Jimi Hendrix pictures, leaving me with barely 100 hits per day.

My totals were climbing as I zipped from 50,000 hits on past 60,000, and I thought at this rate that it was a mere walk in the woods to reach 100,000. Now, it may take months just to get to 70,000.

Not that this is a bad thing. After all, I may not get too many more emails like this one, commenting on the Gaia pic:

"if you made this picture and the black person on it is supposed to be jimi hendrix your an idiot jimi henrix played a right handed fender stratocaster and strung left handed he wasnt right handed guitarist! but part from that pretty cool piccy, and if you didnt make it then inform the person or place they had it from!"

Ah, how I'll miss these epistles from Anonymous! Anon, we hardly knew ye! . . .

Not that all my emails are moronic. Many are quite kind, some downright flattering, like this one today:

I stumbled onto your site while searching for N. GA. hiking info (I discovered the joys of N. GA a few years ago and now go up from here in B'ham several long weekends a year), finding your dharma hike report. And, I've checked back daily since. Good thoughts and very interesting links. Interesting that this happened just after I made the observation . . . that I could not recall any Buddhist terrorist groups - unlike Muslims and Christians. So, I ordered Buddhism for Dummies (along with A Walk in the Woods - you oughta read it if you haven't already) and I'm currently plodding through that. Anyway, I am appreciative of the time and effort you put into your site.

Kind words, and well received. Thanks for that. By the way, "A Walk in the Woods" is a book by Bill Bryson describing his attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail with his childhood friend Katz. "Katz" is also an exclamation used in the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism.

"Once Zen Master Mang Gong was staying with Zen Master He Wol. It was time for lunch. All the monks sat down and were served. Everyone was waiting for the sound of the chuk-pi (a wooden clapper used to signal the beginning and end of meditation periods and meals). Suddenly, He Wol shouted 'KATZ!!!' Everyone was startled and confused. They looked over at He Wol. With total unconcern, he was only eating.

"So everyone began to eat. But they were thinking, 'Why did the Master shout?,' 'What did that mean?,' and 'Why can't I understand what just happened?' Finally, lunch was over, and the bowls were cleaned, dried and wrapped in their covering cloths. Suddenly Mang Gong shouted 'KATZ!!!' Again, everyone was startled and confused.

"Afterwards, one monk came to Mang Gong and asked him what all this meant. Mang Gong said, 'I'm sorry, but I can't tell you.' Then another monk came; then two, then three. They bowed and said, 'Please, Master, teach us.'

"Finally, Mang Gong said, 'I don't like to open my mouth. But since you have asked me, and since you're all sincere in your desire to understand, I will explain.' Then suddenly, Mang Gong shouted 'KATZ!!!' and walked away."