Here we are five days into the New Year. A few weeks back, I heard someone refer to 'new' as improved, better, something more than what we have now. It seems to be that this applies to the hopefulness with which we human souls enter a New Year. It is with this hopefulness that we look toward the coming year and call out what it is we want to achieve, what we are hoping our lives will look like in the year to come.
My resolution setting has taken a journey of its own over the years. I've set my share of the typical resolutions. You know the sort - lose 20 pounds (which I have done and undone several times), quit smoking (which after a few false starts actually stuck), exercise (some years I make it so, other years not so much). While this format may help others get the jump start they are looking for, frankly I struggled with greeting the New Year with a list of rigid goals.
Then, a few years ago my resolutions shifted to broader sweeping goals. With more introspection, I found myself setting goals for the year to include being kind, being less critical of myself and others, setting aside judgement. These guidelines worked for me. I was able to regularly affirm what I wanted to achieve. "Be Kind". That is an easy goal to remember. Not always easy to deliver on, but certainly easy to remember. Maybe it was a bit of a cop out as there was nothing to measure, but there was a large amount of change going on in my life and it felt like progress was being made.
But, there was something missing.
Part of it was the absence of really reflecting on the past year as a whole - the dusting off the memories and taking a look at the significant, and sometimes insignificant, moments of the year. What am I thankful for? What did I learn? What did I accomplish? What would I do differently the next time around? Maybe more importantly, the flat out stating what it is I want to achieve in the New Year was also missing.
This year, I've updated my resolution game plan. Three days of peace and quiet in the mountains and I have come away with those things I'll be getting after in 2009. Some of them are daily commitments - sit in silence at least 10 minutes each day. Some are less structured - blog regularly. Others are things I'll be kicking off this year - learn to play an instrument. Still others are open ended - use what I am passionate about in my daily work.
For someone who tends to be a nose to the grindstone girl, my intention is to tuck some cool life stuff into the daily grind. To find ways to achieve my goals and to give back. To check some things off my list and, yes, to still be kind.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Got Lijit?
I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with a member of the Lijit team.
As a Boulder area technology enthusiast, I have been aware of Lijit for sometime. You can't live here, be interested in technology, and not have come across the Lijit folks at a tech meet-up, via a Tweet, or a local publication. They are nearly 3 years into their business, recently raised a significant round of funding, and come across as a team that is passionate about what they are doing - and they do it well.
Or at least that is what I have heard. I had not experienced what they do first hand. It was not for lack of interest. Being someone who is curious about how things work, I had been out to a few Lijit supported sites and tried out the search function. Even went as far as to understand how their advertising model works.
But, I am relatively new to blogging and have yet to have gotten my groove on, so to speak. I thought that I'd be better suited as a Lijit publisher when I reached the status of consistent blogger and had a following. Not so, this Lijit man told me. He said "Install the widget now."
I figured I'd give it a go and installed just before we headed out for a New Year's break in the mountains. Took minutes to install. Really.
Now, I have this widget on my blog that shows at a glance where readers are coming from. Frankly, it is pretty cool to see that there are folks other than my Mom that stop by. You can take a look in the right hand column (just click on recent readers). And, more importantly, readers have the ability to easily search my site and those that are in my community. Add to that ad revenue share. I don't blog to make money, but for those that do, this should be a no brainer.
Those Lijit folks even push a Weekly Stats Report your way. My first landed in the inbox yesterday and includes details like daily visits, source of the visit (direct or via another blog), searches that brought readers to the blog. Of course, you can view stats real time via your Lijit account anytime.
But, don't take my word for it. Check out what others are saying about Lijit right on their home page. Or, you can try it out first hand. If you do, I'd love to hear your take.
As a Boulder area technology enthusiast, I have been aware of Lijit for sometime. You can't live here, be interested in technology, and not have come across the Lijit folks at a tech meet-up, via a Tweet, or a local publication. They are nearly 3 years into their business, recently raised a significant round of funding, and come across as a team that is passionate about what they are doing - and they do it well.
Or at least that is what I have heard. I had not experienced what they do first hand. It was not for lack of interest. Being someone who is curious about how things work, I had been out to a few Lijit supported sites and tried out the search function. Even went as far as to understand how their advertising model works.
But, I am relatively new to blogging and have yet to have gotten my groove on, so to speak. I thought that I'd be better suited as a Lijit publisher when I reached the status of consistent blogger and had a following. Not so, this Lijit man told me. He said "Install the widget now."
I figured I'd give it a go and installed just before we headed out for a New Year's break in the mountains. Took minutes to install. Really.
Now, I have this widget on my blog that shows at a glance where readers are coming from. Frankly, it is pretty cool to see that there are folks other than my Mom that stop by. You can take a look in the right hand column (just click on recent readers). And, more importantly, readers have the ability to easily search my site and those that are in my community. Add to that ad revenue share. I don't blog to make money, but for those that do, this should be a no brainer.
Those Lijit folks even push a Weekly Stats Report your way. My first landed in the inbox yesterday and includes details like daily visits, source of the visit (direct or via another blog), searches that brought readers to the blog. Of course, you can view stats real time via your Lijit account anytime.
But, don't take my word for it. Check out what others are saying about Lijit right on their home page. Or, you can try it out first hand. If you do, I'd love to hear your take.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Helping Out With a Dream
In September, our dear friend Lisa invited Dave and I to attend the annual 'I Have a Dream' luncheon. Well, she invited us and our checkbook. Lisa will read that and probably gasp a bit because it may come across as we were invited for our checkbook. In reality, I believe she invited us because we like to support our friends and their passions and because we have expressed a genuine interest in learning more about I Have a Dream.
I Have a Dream is a national non-profit that adopts entire classes of low-income 2nd grade students and supports them through their primary and secondary education years. Each student who successfully graduates from high school has the opportunity to further their education through vocational training, college, or university. The Boulder Chapter has grown from humble part-time beginnings 12 years ago to a fully staffed operation that recently celebrated the Grand Opening of a new Community Center.
The luncheon was a moving experience as Dreamers shared real life stories of the difference the program makes for them and their families everyday. Board members, donors and volunteers shared the rewards of contributing to the life of a child as they overcome challenges to reach the goal of an education and make the dream of a career a reality.
We chose then and there to support this life changing program and look forward to becoming more involved in the coming year. There is sure to be another post down the road, but if you want to learn more today, check out the Boulder County I Have a Dream website here.
I Have a Dream is a national non-profit that adopts entire classes of low-income 2nd grade students and supports them through their primary and secondary education years. Each student who successfully graduates from high school has the opportunity to further their education through vocational training, college, or university. The Boulder Chapter has grown from humble part-time beginnings 12 years ago to a fully staffed operation that recently celebrated the Grand Opening of a new Community Center.
The luncheon was a moving experience as Dreamers shared real life stories of the difference the program makes for them and their families everyday. Board members, donors and volunteers shared the rewards of contributing to the life of a child as they overcome challenges to reach the goal of an education and make the dream of a career a reality.
We chose then and there to support this life changing program and look forward to becoming more involved in the coming year. There is sure to be another post down the road, but if you want to learn more today, check out the Boulder County I Have a Dream website here.
"Dreamers are taught at an early age that college is possible for them. As they mature, they receive extensive career and college preparation guidance, visit campuses, and are assisted through the application process." - excerpt from "About Us" on the Boulder County I Have a Dream website
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The Choice of a Car
I grew up in an American car family. My Dad was raised in rural Virginia where the American car is king. We come from a long line of coal miners and back in the day the dream car was a Lincoln Continental. My Mamaw wanted one in the worst way. Funny since she did not drive. She road instead in a short bed Chevy pickup, with a side step.
Even when we lived in Germany, it was an American car that tooled us around the country as we explored places my Daddy had been stationed on earlier tours and discovered new places for us all. I couldn't tell you the model, but the car was a white hatchback and most certainly a GM product.
In later years when we became a two car family, it was two GM vehicles that filled our driveway. My Dad would buy a new ride every three years. Sometimes a Chevy, sometimes an Olds, sometimes a Pontiac. But, always a GM. Well, there was that short time that we had a Ford Courier pickup, but that is another story.
The first car I called my very own was a GM too. It was Pontiac Sunbird held together with duct tape. It had no air conditioning (we lived in Florida) and broke down at the most inconvenient times, but it had a great radio and it was mine. There was one other used Chevy Ciatation that periodically stopped in intersections. Not stalled, but died all together. That created some interesting moments for a nineteen year old girl. Then, I had a steady job with good pay and my very first new car was about to become a reality. Dad and I looked in the car lots on Thanksgiving day and decided on a beautiful Blue Pontiac Grand Am. It had it all...an awesome sound system, power windows, and it was stylin'.
It could have been a long love affair between my first new car and I, but just shy of the warranty expiration my mechanic friend tells me that I better find a shop I like doing business with because this car has trouble coming.
Then, I bailed. I walked away from family tradition. I bought a Mazda. Dad was not happy and jokingly told me that my car was not welcome in his driveway. But that Mazda, I had it for 10 years. And, it never let me down. Ever.
And, my Dad stayed true to GM. To him the General Motors cars stood for something. The pride America once had in making a product that was the best. That met the market needs. That created an image and a lifestyle that he was proud to be a part of.
Just last year Mom traded in the last car he bought her before his passing. I think she would have liked to buy American, but she needed a reliable, high gas mileage car that would last for more than Dad's three year cycle. In her garage is a Honda Civic. She loves it. And it will be on the road for years.
The American car companies are in trouble. There are many reasons this is the case. In my view it is largely because they are not meeting market needs, they are not setting trends, and they are not making cars that will last on the road for ten years with little effort. They have forgotten that we consumers do have a choice about what we buy, even if we do not have a choice about who we bailout.
Even when we lived in Germany, it was an American car that tooled us around the country as we explored places my Daddy had been stationed on earlier tours and discovered new places for us all. I couldn't tell you the model, but the car was a white hatchback and most certainly a GM product.
In later years when we became a two car family, it was two GM vehicles that filled our driveway. My Dad would buy a new ride every three years. Sometimes a Chevy, sometimes an Olds, sometimes a Pontiac. But, always a GM. Well, there was that short time that we had a Ford Courier pickup, but that is another story.
The first car I called my very own was a GM too. It was Pontiac Sunbird held together with duct tape. It had no air conditioning (we lived in Florida) and broke down at the most inconvenient times, but it had a great radio and it was mine. There was one other used Chevy Ciatation that periodically stopped in intersections. Not stalled, but died all together. That created some interesting moments for a nineteen year old girl. Then, I had a steady job with good pay and my very first new car was about to become a reality. Dad and I looked in the car lots on Thanksgiving day and decided on a beautiful Blue Pontiac Grand Am. It had it all...an awesome sound system, power windows, and it was stylin'.
It could have been a long love affair between my first new car and I, but just shy of the warranty expiration my mechanic friend tells me that I better find a shop I like doing business with because this car has trouble coming.
Then, I bailed. I walked away from family tradition. I bought a Mazda. Dad was not happy and jokingly told me that my car was not welcome in his driveway. But that Mazda, I had it for 10 years. And, it never let me down. Ever.
And, my Dad stayed true to GM. To him the General Motors cars stood for something. The pride America once had in making a product that was the best. That met the market needs. That created an image and a lifestyle that he was proud to be a part of.
Just last year Mom traded in the last car he bought her before his passing. I think she would have liked to buy American, but she needed a reliable, high gas mileage car that would last for more than Dad's three year cycle. In her garage is a Honda Civic. She loves it. And it will be on the road for years.
The American car companies are in trouble. There are many reasons this is the case. In my view it is largely because they are not meeting market needs, they are not setting trends, and they are not making cars that will last on the road for ten years with little effort. They have forgotten that we consumers do have a choice about what we buy, even if we do not have a choice about who we bailout.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Changing The Name
Earlier this year I kicked off my blog and have experienced the on again, off again posting phenomenon that other 'non-professional' bloggers comment on.
Blogging, Twittering, and Facebooking have little to do with my current place in the professional world. I participate in the Social Media world as a way to educate myself on these trends. After all, who knows when there might be a use in my workaday world for what I learn. There is also an interest to have awareness of what is developing in our Boulder Tech Community and the industry at large. And, if I am completely honest, it is just plain fun to be have access to the vastly different views that I am not exposed to in my day to day life. There are also those moments I learn something new, or expand my knowledge on a topic that I care about.
At some point, I'd like to contribute to this knowledge share. I figure the first step is to begin to post regularly those things that hold my attention, use my brain power, or my heart power. It may be only me that reads these posts. That's fine. Probably preferred. That way I can cultivate what this blog will be without an audience to impress.
That brings me to the name change. Just yesterday, as I am thinking about this, I pop out to my blog. Except I don't type it just right and I end up on a pretty explicit porn site.
Ack! was my first response. Then, holy shi*!*!*. What if my Mom makes the same mistake when visiting my blog. What if my friends do. What if someone I know professionally stumbles upon the site. So, there ya have it. The reason for the move to the new blog name that is a little less imaginative than the norm. It is after all, just my name. But, hey, no matter how my life, experiences, profession, or person evolve, it will always apply. And, I think it is a pretty safe site url to keep those I care about from making an unexpected visit to a porn site.
Blogging, Twittering, and Facebooking have little to do with my current place in the professional world. I participate in the Social Media world as a way to educate myself on these trends. After all, who knows when there might be a use in my workaday world for what I learn. There is also an interest to have awareness of what is developing in our Boulder Tech Community and the industry at large. And, if I am completely honest, it is just plain fun to be have access to the vastly different views that I am not exposed to in my day to day life. There are also those moments I learn something new, or expand my knowledge on a topic that I care about.
At some point, I'd like to contribute to this knowledge share. I figure the first step is to begin to post regularly those things that hold my attention, use my brain power, or my heart power. It may be only me that reads these posts. That's fine. Probably preferred. That way I can cultivate what this blog will be without an audience to impress.
That brings me to the name change. Just yesterday, as I am thinking about this, I pop out to my blog. Except I don't type it just right and I end up on a pretty explicit porn site.
Ack! was my first response. Then, holy shi*!*!*. What if my Mom makes the same mistake when visiting my blog. What if my friends do. What if someone I know professionally stumbles upon the site. So, there ya have it. The reason for the move to the new blog name that is a little less imaginative than the norm. It is after all, just my name. But, hey, no matter how my life, experiences, profession, or person evolve, it will always apply. And, I think it is a pretty safe site url to keep those I care about from making an unexpected visit to a porn site.
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