Dreams Dashed

I recently logged in to the Harold Lounge to catch up on current events and was surprised to see ads. “Doh!” I yelled. (Gabe, my stalwart assistant and avid Simpsons fan can provide you with an evaluation of my Homerian authenticity.) “PhiloDave must be raking in the big bucks with the blogging thing.” (This comment was made in the solitary confinement of my mind. I don’t want Gabe to hear me talking to myself and conclude he is working for a raving lunatic. That fact is better kept from him for as long as possible.)

I started scheming on how I, too, could drive traffic to Don’s Desk and start counting the simoleons. Dreams of wine-and-cheese parties in the Presidential Gallery, gourmet coffee brewed in our Saeco Royal-Professional espresso machine,  and the smell of fresh-baked croissants wafting through the College, all funded by WordPress advertising revenues, danced in my head.

“Sure,” I thought (still to myself – although Gabe is starting to worry about the expression on my face), “I may have to sell little pieces of my soul in order to increase my attractiveness to advertisers, but that is a small price to pay in exchange for the aroma of Pike Place every morning on the 11th floor.” Perhaps I could attach advertising links to the bottom of student surveys. I might be able to force faculty to click on ads before they can enter Blackboard. Or maybe staff could be required to buy Don’s Desk sponsored merchandise before their direct deposit checks hit.

Imagine my disappointment, then, to read this post. It seems PhiloDave wasn’t making any money at all off of the blog. My dreams of capitalistic triumph within the constraints of public service have been dashed.

I still want that coffee maker, though. Maybe Saeco would like to put signs up on the outside of the building?