Farewell 2010–Post 3: Risk and Joy in 2011

This year shall be my best year ever.

I fully realize everyone thinks that every year.  However, my plans have absolutely nothing to do with losing weight or quitting ‘insert vice here’.  This year is all about risk and joy.  And how can a year go badly when started with such great intentions?

This year…

–I am going to Disney World with my mother.  During the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.  To make up for a terrible trip she took me on 21 years ago.  With a childlike sense of wonderment.  With that many prepositional phrases, how can I go wrong?

–I am taking a leave of absence from my job.  That’s the first time I’ve typed that, so if you work with me and are reading this, you should be slightly confused.

–I am writing a (travel) book.  Whether or not someone buys and publishes that book is still up in the air, but I sincerely believe it will happen.  I am taking everything I’ve ever done in my life, every skill I’ve acquired, and using it to make the world a better place…through writing.  Additionally, I am following all of the rules one must follow before trying to publish a book.  I’m spending hours each day working on the proposal.  I’m immersing myself in my subject matter.  I’m taking the time to build a virtual platform, creating a realistic time line of goals, and investing actual money and time in research.  I.  Am.  Writing.  This.  Book.  Go ahead–try and stop me.

–I am continuing to make travel plans–for my research trips, my mom-trip, and for trips ‘just because’ with the husband.  They may be more budget-oriented than past trips, but we shall still travel.  Because we must.

I think that is an impressive amount of goals for one short year.  We shall see how it all works out, but as of today–January 2nd, 2011–I feel pretty good about all of it.

In other news, WordPress sent me this great email today with information on how this blog ‘did’ during 2010.  They even allowed me to VERY easily post it here.  It seems that while 2010 wasn’t my best year, it wasn’t a bad year for this blog.  According to WordPress, it seems clear that people like to read about things gone wrong.  I knew this already, but it is nice to have solid data to back it up.  So, without further ado, here are Blog on the Run’s 2010 Stats:

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

The average container ship can carry about 4,500 containers. This blog was viewed about 16,000 times in 2010. If each view were a shipping container, your blog would have filled about 4 fully loaded ships.

In 2010, there were 145 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 177 posts. There were 97 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 146mb. That’s about 2 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was July 19th with 622 views. The most popular post that day was Bienvenue a Paris…? .

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were networkedblogs.com, healthfitnesstherapy.com, dating-online2u.blogspot.com, boards.bootsnall.com, and slashingtongue.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for elbodans, www.elbodans.wordpress.com, elbodans.wordpress.com, blog on the run, and elbodans.wordpress.com..

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Bienvenue a Paris…? July 2010
8 comments

About Me January 2010
3 comments

Why This Trip Sucks July 2010
15 comments

Rick Steves-Style Travel Forum May 2010
6 comments

Europe: 2, Tracy: 0 July 2010
24 comments