Tag Archives: 2011

Top 11 Posts of 2011

Well, we’re almost to 2012 and recently I posted my top 11 photos of ’11, so I thought I would dig around in my stats and share with you the items that a plurality of you decided to visit over the year. They’re ranked by number of views.

11: (Dis)Engaging Google+ – I’ve written that I’m not a fan of Google+. Based on my experiences, my opinion hasn’t changed from August 11, 2011.

10: 10 Things (About me) – Interesting, this post, written around my birthday in 2010 garnered enough views this year to make my list. I find it funny that it’s number 10. :)

9: Oh, to be Popular. #199 – My 199th blog post here. A photo essay of my top Flickr photos. Be sure to check out #1 if you haven’t already.

8: Crossroads. Help Me, Pathfinder! – A great post about my future education and where I want to go from here. I say it was a great post because it offered me some good conversations with people about the state of education, what I should focus on as I continue forward and helped me figure out where I truly am in my head.

7: Good Customer Service: America’s Tire – I’m thrilled that a “Good Customer Service” story made the list. The adage goes, a happy customer will tell no one, while an unhappy customer will tell everyone. That’s not true in my case, I try to give equal time to good and bad customer service.

6: O.H. in the E.R. – On of my funnier (and sad) posts about an ill-fated trip to the ER last August. My pain is your joy. The things you hear in an ER waiting room are rather funny. If you take the time to listen.

Steps
(Photo Credit: Sea Turtle on Flickr)

5: Following the Pack (or not) – A post from last February where I offer my commentary on a “gorilla marketing tactic” on Twitter that was horribly spammy. I found it interesting that my desire to speak up was met with extreme hostility and mob mentality, which border-lined on bullying. I still stand by my opinions and observations. Sometimes you have to go out on a limb. Be bold.

4: The Lone Zebra, an Educational Opportunity – Written regarding a kerfuffle in the Real Estate Community about copyright and trade dress infringement. This gave me an opportunity to put into real life practice some things I had been learning in my Business Law class. It was a great case study.

3: Guest Post: Judgment Between The Lines – I’m so thrilled you liked, or viewed, this post. It was an important post. A guest post by my close friend Sarah Salter, she writes about something I think we all struggle with: Judgement and its many forms. An extremely timely, timeless and poignant post, worthy of read, whether it’s your first time or tenth.

2: Missing The Mark: Sears – Christmas Customer Service – Wow. This post, written just six days ago, outlined some poor customer service I received from a National big box store. Outlining the systemic issues from corporate culture, to employee detachment (An employee adds his comments to the post) it has become one of my most popular Customer Service Commentary posts.

Singapore Fireworks Celebrations '08 - Korean Fantasia 3
(Photo Credit: Synchroni on Flickr)

1: You’re Welcome?!? - A post from this summer, I volunteered at a women only half marathon this year, I was struck and moved that almost every single runner, no matter how fatigued or festive, took a moment to thank the volunteers, when all I really was doing was standing in the middle of the road. I’m very thankful and grateful that this is my number one viewed post. It makes me believe that you all enjoy a little bit of gratitude in our world and maybe we/I need to be sharing a little more of it.

I’m extremely proud of these posts and some of them I think are close to “my best.” I hope that this streak continues in 2012!

11 Favorite Photos of ’11

I try to take pictures of things that are memorable, as you’re aware. But, I’m also a little retentive on how I organize them, too. In my files, I order them by year and by month. So I decided to go back and see what I thought some of my top photos were; either because they were interesting to me or they had special memories. Here they are:

I moved into a new place this year – I really enjoyed the view from the deck.
The sun for the trees with clouds

A cool panoramic view of the Southeast side of Portland, Oregon on a sunny(!!) day. Mount Hood is in the distance.
Portland Oregon Sunshine Mt Hood Marquam Bridge

My friend Cheryl put together a great conference that I was a volunteer at, she was being interviewed by a local news station and I happened to spot this view, through the lens.
Through the Lens

On a recent trip to the beach, my friend and I spotted this abandoned, decrepit boat in a river valley.
Abandoned Boat

I was fortunate to go to a Seattle Mariners game in Safeco Field, the view from my awesome seats really let me catch all the action.
Seattle Mariners Safeco Field

A pretty cool moment to catch. Fourth of July is always fun. Especially when you go to Washington to watch REAL fireworks.
Firework Flame

A group of my friends (The Ruby Council) and I went to Darcelle’s and Co. downtown, Portland. We got a photo with the Grand Dame herself.
Ruby Council and Darcelle

A great photo from another trip to Seattle, as you’ll note, the sun does shine in Seattle. A great view of their skyline.
Seattle Washington Skyline

A trip to Seattle that changed the course of my 2011 for the better. I’d be remiss if I didn’t include this captured moment for a couple of reasons. A pretty cool photo, too.
Sunstreaked Pair

I caught this photo on Veteran’s Day. I thought it was incredibly poignant and it was pretty, too.
Solo Flag

Of course, I wasn’t going to end the recap of my year without a Christmas Photo, since I was posting this on Christmas Day.
Christmas Reflection

I’ve been so fortunate this year. I’ve experienced some great moments and some not-so-great moments. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

New Year, Old Habits

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle

Every New Years’ eve we hear the same question over and over. “What is your New Year’s resolution?” Mine is always the same. I don’t make any.

No goal is going to be achieved by making a snap decision on a “random” day and expecting to stick with it because you told someone on the last day of one year or the first day of the next year.

Statistically, most New Years resolutions are broken by the end of January.

Use me as an example. I want to enrich myself personally and professionally. Not just within 2011, but continuously.

Let’s look at some typical “resolutions”

I want to be healthier and lose weight.
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I took up running and I’ve established a goal of running a half-marathon in 2011. To accomplish that goal, I have to complete many hurdles. First, I have to start to like running on a regular basis. That took me about two months to get used to it. Then, not only do you have to like to run, but then you have to start running outside, and sharpening up, for speed and distance/endurance. You shouldn’t make that decision lightly or glibly. You should plan, prepare, and execute.

“I want to further my education”
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I wanted to better myself professionally. My thought: Never stop learning. You could read hundreds of books or you could hire someone to coach you through everything or you could take classes. I went back to school. The process is not an easy one, I couldn’t have just walked onto campus and said, “I want to start taking classes” and then been in classes in the next day/week. It took me 3 months to get everything squared away, and it’ll take me two years to complete my degree; fortitude, that’s the ticket.

I want to manage my money better. (Or I want to put more money in savings)
Money, it's a crime (Used under Creative Commons Licensing: Thanks Kiki99!)
This one can be a little more difficult. In that we have to change our thinking and our habits. You have to look at the things you spend your money on and whether you “need” or NEED them. Things like Rent/Mortgage, utilities or debt obligations are fixed items. I started out by just making a rudimentary list of what I spent my money on, where it was going compared to what was coming in and each month, I made little spending changes to better organize where my financial position was. This all takes time and effort. Not a quick-fix change of your mind.

I’m not saying that the end of one year and the beginning of another isn’t a good time to make goals for the next year. The only thing I’m saying is don’t make them because you feel you have to, make them because you really want to be better or have better things. Being healthier, smarter or financially secure are never bad goals to have, but their easier to accomplish if you work at it.
Martini
These things have worked for me in 2010 which leaves me in a much stronger position to keep them going in 2011. Start now, but ensure that you’re going to keep going throughout the year. Take small bites, you won’t feel stuffed so fast.