End of Year Blowout!!!

We’re all friends here, so I’ll cut straight to the chase….

A year ago, I set some goals for what I wanted to accomplish with this little ol’ blog.  I won’t go into the raw numbers, but I had some rather advantageous goals for views, followers gained, and content posted.

I’ve knocked the first two out of the park (and a very sincere, heartfelt thank you to those of you who helped make that happen), but I’m a little short on the posts goal.  I’ll be honest, I’ve known for most of the month that I was going to need two or three more to reach the bar I set.  That is fairly easy to do, so I didn’t feel bad taking some time off and focusing on Christmas and spending time with family.

But I miscalculated.  I’m six short.

What does that mean for you, dear reader?  Well, it means that I’m going to be going through my backlog of drafts, notes, and the deepest recesses of my brain, in an attempt to crank out six* blog posts in the next 23 hours and change.  To ramp up the degree of difficulty, I’ll be spending the day with my two kids (4 and 9 months) as daycare is closed, and I’m pretty sure my wife would greatly appreciate it if the house is clean(ish) when she gets home from work.

So I would like to apologize in advance for the avalanche of emails/Facebook posts/new content that I’ll be publishing today.  But I’ve put a lot of effort into getting this close and I’m not going to fall short if I can help it.  Rest assured, I’ll do my best to make sure what I’m putting out is not crap for the sake of hitting a number.

*Technically five more blog posts in the next 23 hours, as you can bet your ass I’m counting this disclaimer/apology towards the magic number.

Firmly Close the Door

Put the wheels in motion.
Move beyond your fears
and firmly close the door
on a very hard year.

Those lyrics are from a song called “New Year’s Eve” by The Nadas – one of my favorite bands (and somebody you really need to check out.  Seriously.  Do it.)

How can I put this politely…2011 was a complete and utter turd of a year. 

Sure, there were definitely some great moments:  I earned my first professional writing job, I started this blog which has been more enjoyable than expected, and there are thousands of smiles and laughs inspired by my wife and daughter.  These things (and countless more that I am forgetting) make me a very lucky man.

Yet…when I look back on 2011, I’m likely to remember the bad things that happened, the sad things that happened, the unexpected things that happened.  I won’t go into exhaustive detail, but the lowlights include:  putting my beloved dog to sleep, being unemployed for over 2 months, having emergency back surgery (again), and learning of our failed adoption (and corresponding financial hit) via Facebook. 

The sad truth is the bad outweighed the good this year.  And I know that I am far from alone in that.

That is why New Year’s Eve really speaks to a lot of people.  Yes, for most it is an excuse to go out*, fight the crowds, and spend inflated prices for deflated champagne. 

*”Amateur Night” as my sister calls it.  P.S – Get a designated driver or call a cab you lightweights.

But for others, it is an opportunity.  A chance to erase bad habits, reboot your life, and “firmly close the door on a very hard year.”

I hope you’ll take four minutes to listen to the beautiful song below* and know that “everybody tries a little more on New Year’s Eve”.

*And if you wanted to buy/download their music – or check them out on Spotify – that would be okay too.  This is some good music.  If you’re not listening, you are missing out.

Thought of the Day – 12/31/11

If your year was not all that great, is it okay to move the clocks forward to midnight a little early?

Like, say, noon?