Bandit: My Fabulous Famous FurBoy

Thursday night I posted one of the photos of Bandit in his tuxedo, along with a breezy intro (with a shout out to Moggy), on a new dog page on FB called Lovely Dogs.  The likes have been steadily rolling in--so much so, I was getting kind of prideful and I thought, Bandit's becoming an internet sensation!  I've always joked about him being famous and giving paw-di-graphs--now, it could actually be coming true!  Yeah, yeah, yeah--I know it's  just FaceBook.

When The BaldOne Boy hit over three-hundred likes I got all puffed up thinking, He's gone viral!  

I know. I know.  Going viral is actually based on the number of shares not likes. Just give me this moment.

I had even started thinking the agents and publishers could seek me out, rather than the other way around. And maybe I could get a sponsor for my blog [you know, the blog that only has one (1!) official Follower--a total stranger I picked up the year I participated in an April Blog Challenge].  Maybe the sponsorship would enable me to retire early--but not until they hired a full contingency of Patient Care Coordinators because I don't want my coworkers to suffer while I become a rich and famous writer.  I became giddy thinking of the unrealistic possibilities. 

Such is my fantasy life now that I'm back to working 6 and 7 day weeks as we continue to attempt to fill two of our six positions. 

These thoughts flitted through my brain at warp speed between the nano-seconds that it took for me to realize Bandit has not gone viral--he has just received likes--he has not been shared. 

After I calmed down and began thinking rationally, I started to return-like the people who had liked Bandit (I had already begun replying to the ones who commented or left emojis).  I realized all the dogs have 200-300 likes. Pet Parents are very likable and supportive of one another. 

Then I ran across several dogs with 500+ likes...and one that was close to 1K. They left Bandit sitting in their dust. The sobering realization hit me: three-hundred likes is almost run-of-the-puppy-mill. 

My bubble officially busted. 

Like being thrown into a cold shower, I remembered what I already knew:  No Agents are going to call. No Publisher is going to seek out my stories. No Sponsor is going to enable me to quit my day job. I'm just going to have to continue writing for my one official Follower for free. 

But It's not quite as pathetic and depressing as it sounds--I wrote and submitted another short article last month. (Albeit, I have received no news to date which, from this particular Publisher, means it's not been accepted either.)  

But even that little downer is still not pathetic--people other than my official Follower read my blog anonymously:  A few Friends and Family.  And total strangers that randomly see my tweets with the blog link. And of course the people I pay to publicly like my posts:  you know who you are--the  check's in the mail.

Even though I'm not quitting my Day Job any time soon, and Bandits likes are not over-the-top impressive, I'm gonna keep on blogging about everyday stuff--and the antics of my Fabulous FurKids. 

I'll have to build a following, and do the hard non-glamorous work of writing, editing, researching and submitting appropriate fits for Agents and Story Submissions. 

Just like everyone else. 

Well, except everyone else isn't employed for the express reason of spoiling  a fabulous feline and captivating canine--after all, Bandit continues to live up to his thievery name as he steals the hearts of all with whom he comes into contact.

It's early Saturday morning and still no shares, but Bandit's up to 390 likes.