Noteworthy Blog Posts from 2011.....

Last year or the year before, I started a tradition of posting the links to my favorite blog posts from the year, one each month. Some of them were chosen because I thought they represented my best sarcasm, because they were especially humorous (at least to me), or they were deeply thought-provoking. Sometimes I couldn't even tell you WHY they were my favorites; they just were.

Continuing that tradition this year, I've already struggled to find a good entry from .... January. That doesn't bode well for the rest of the year.

I've also discovered that I have repeated myself in blog entries. (It's not like I EVER do that in REAL LIFE or anything.) I mean, I've written the same stories more than a year apart, and the sad part is that I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF HAVING WRITTEN THEM THE FIRST TIME! Is it time for me to hang up my blogging? Or stick to books I've read? Or a "What I Did Today" format? I don't want to become stale and boring. Er.

Anyway, here are the blog entries I found noteworthy from the last year. I'll also give a brief explanation of why I found each one worthy of re-posting, and you can decide for yourself whether or not you want to revisit it.

January - This post was about a friend from high school whose father disinherited her from his will because he didn't agree with her lifestyle. It tugged at my heart strings because I have a few dear, dear friends (and a dear, dear cousin) who live a different lifestyle from my own. I made a donation in her father's memory to the account she had set up, then I wrote her a personal note and posted on her FB page. I got nothing back from her. No thank you, no email, no acknowledgement of any kind. Now I'm of the opinion that you should do things with a generous heart and NOT for the thanks/acknowledgement/gratitude you THINK you might be due, but I still felt slighted that she didn't respond at all.

February - This was one of my many "random thoughts" posts, but these were almost all related to a particular day of cycling. I like writing in that format because I don't have to worry about structure or connectedness or all those other things related to writing.

March - This post was one of my favorites just because it featured several pictures of Sweet Girl back when she was both. Sweet. And a girl. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. (I'm teasing, Sweet Girl. Just making sure you're still reading.)

April - I still laugh about this one and occasionally tell the story to complete strangers, about the time when I texted Hubby a question about a purchase that showed up on his debit card and he was still at the store. I am constantly amazed by the feats of modern technology.

May - I wrote this letter to myself about expectations at the end of the school year and not to be surprised that students who have been slackers for the whole semester will continue to be slackers right up to the end. I re-posted it tonight to serve as a reminder to myself that as my remaining days dwindle in number, they will NOT become easier.

June - This blog title is an expression of Hubby's, and this blog post is a reminder to myself not to get all worked up and bothered by something (in other words, not to act like my mother) until I know all the facts. Every time I start to fly off the handle (well, ALMOST every time), I try to remind myself not to jump to convulsions.

July - This blog post came from a spontaneous game Hubby and I started playing while we were sitting on the beach. I love memories like this, about things that are so simple and that would be so meaningless to other people, but are special to us. Or maybe I'm just being stupidly sentimental because it's New Year's Eve and tomorrow is Hubby's birthday.

August - This was one of my attempts at humor, writing both about the silliness of Twitter and what silliness I would write if I didn't think it was too silly to use Twitter in the first place.

September - I wrote this post comparing my job to the game of Whack-a-Mole, and I thought it was nothing short of a BRILLIANT analogy. As the new semester starts next week, I'll have to make a mental note to keep a log of some memorable whack-a-mole moments.

October - I still think it's funny that I thought my digital clock was showing an error message. This blog post also serves as a reminder to me that it's okay to laugh at myself every day now and then.

November - This blog post was about a stranger buying our dinner at a steakhouse. The generosity and spontaneity still boggle my mind.

December - I almost can't stand to ride with Hubby in his new car, because he thinks if it GOES fast, then he should DRIVE fast. The only thing worse is when I drive it and fall into some of the same behaviors.

Happy New Year to all my readers and followers. I love each and every one of you, and I cherish your loyalty and your comments. May 2012 bring you peace, prosperity, love, and happiness.