If you have followed my blog recently, you know I participated in Gwen Bell’s Best of Blog Challenge 2009 in December. I tried to recap my year thru the 31 topics she laid out for the monthlong blogging challenge.

The highlights of my year include:

• Watching Barack Obama be sworn in as President of the United States and knowing my daughter was in attendance.
• Learning to kayak and joining my friends on 6 different rivers in Middle Tennessee and taking the rope swing of my life.
• Going to Barcamp Nashville 2009 and attending some mind-blowing sessions.
• Really starting to use Twitter and understand the utility and reach of it.
• Making new friends based on my attendance at Barcamp.
• Discovering new blogs that are changing my life: Zen Habits, My Wife Quit Her Job, Gwen Bell.
• Learned about Kiva.org and even used my 45th birthday as a catalyst for helping others have a better life.
• Created a website dedicated to helping other people achieve their dreams: The Dream Shepherd
• Joined Postcrossing and sent 68 postcards around the world and received back 64 postcards for a combined travel distance of almost 1 million miles!

These are the highlights of 2009 for me.  2010 will see these things continue and expand.  My goals for 2010 include:

• Meeting many of my Twitter friends so that I can make them real life friends, including: Lauren, Nikki, Joi, Mirjam and Gail.
• Expand on my Kiva activities with a year long birthday celebration.  I want to turn up the giving by a factor of ten.
• Expand my new website and create a “store” to start  secondary income stream.
• Keep control of my weight.  I lost 50 lbs in 08 and it’s starting to come back.
• Do better to stay in touch with friends and family.
• Mostly, just try to stay positive and work to make life better for others.

So, stay tuned to my blog.  You’ll not only see my progress, but you will also help me stay focused on my goals.  I’ve learned that doing things completely alone isn’t the best way to succeed.  Your support and well wishes do much to keep me motivated.

Peace!

Now, that doesn’t mean I abandoned my friends and family. I just didn’t do what I had hoped. So, the question is: will I be able to step it up this year and do a better job? I think it’s best to NOT set goals for things like this and instead just focus on the little things. As long as I make it a point to say “hi” via Facebook or post updated pictures, this will help. And, perhaps I can combine my new hobby – Postcrossing – with my goal of staying in touch and send postcards to my family when I mail postcards to other people around the world. I think the personal touch of a hand written postcard would mean quite a bit, especially if we haven’t talked much in the past few years.

So, tell me what you think? I’m sure you’ll suggest letters, but I can tell you that I’m not a big fan of writing long, drawn out letters.

One last thing on a completely unrelated note. I’d like to thank Gwen Bell for creating this awesome challenge. It’s been a pleasure to work on these posts. I haven’t caught many of the other bloggers posts but the ones I have read were eye opening and thought provoking. This is such an awesome thing to be a part of. I’ve managed to write about each topic and posted my answers each day. So, Gwen, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your enthusiasm and heart are a real inspiration. It’s an honor to be in this “company” of bloggers even though I’m much more of a casual blogger. And, actually, I hope to change that this next year. All the best to you in the coming year and forever after.

I would also like to thank all of those that have commented on my posts. Your feedback is truly appreciated. I’m honored that you would take the time to not only ready, but also to add your thoughts to mine. Thank you for reaching out to me. And, while I believe I have thanked everyone for their comments and tried to comment back on their blogs, please know that you are in my thoughts and I wish all of you the best for the coming year and forever after as well.

All the best to everyone for 2010!!! Peace!

There were several things that got me laughing so hard I almost fell over. This post from Jenny Lawson on her Sexis column on EdenFantasys.com which is a satirical look at AIDS which she posted during AIDS awareness week just this month.

Then, there is Twitter and there are several folks that make me laugh daily on Twitter: @shitmydadsays and @TwittsMcGee.

Justin is the guy behind @shitmydadsays.  He simply passes along what his 67 year old dad says to him.  His dad is simply hysterical:

“We’re out of Grape Nuts… No, what’s left is for me. Sorry, I should have said “You’re out of Grape Nuts.”

and:

“I need to change clothes? Wow. That’s big talk coming from someone who looks like they robbed a Mervyn’s.”

and:

“I turn the kitchen faucet on and the shower burns you, yes, I get it…No, I’m not gonna stop, I’m just saying yes, I get that concept.”

Then, there is @TwittsMcGee or Kristi Evans.  She works as a concierge for a big hotel in NYC.  She provides amusing commentary about current events and pop culture and often mocks her guests, via Twitter:

“We want to go to a club where we’ll be on the list and everyone else will be standing outside waiting in line.” *Facepalm*”

Yes, I admit that I’m easily amused. Still, these folks all provide amusing commentary, smart insights and clever witticisms.

But, the one thing I started doing this year, correspondence wise, was that I joined a website called PostCrossing.  As it is explained on the site “About” page:

The project

The goal of this project is to allow people to receive postcards from all over the world, for free. Well, almost free! The main idea is that: if you send a postcard, you will receive at least one back from a random Postcrosser from somewhere in the world.

The idea is that you start by sending up to 5 postcards to random Postcrossing members and as each of the postcards arrives at their destinations, your address is thrown into the hopper to be scooped up by a Postcrossing member to send you a card in return. The thing is, it’s all random and you never know who is sending you a card, or when, except that you know you’ll get a card back after you get the acknowledgement email saying one of your sent cards was received by the intended member. And, as you send more cards you gain the ability to have more than 5 cards traveling at any given time.

I have found Postcrossing to be an incredible hobby. To date, I have had 67 postcards reach their destinations in the past 11 months. I have sent those 67 cards to 19 different countries including Finland, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, Brazil, China and Russia and I have received postcards from 26 countries including Finland, Germany, Macau, Malaysia, Poland, Australia and China. I have also learned that Finland is the most prolific PostCrossing country. I have received and sent more postcards from/to Finland than any other country with 26 sent/received.

What is really cool about Postcrossing is that you never know who or where you will send or receive postcards from. For instance, I have sent postcards to several children around the world. I have also sent postcards to men and women of all ages.

Another cool aspect of Postcrossing is that you are supposed to fill out a small profile where you can include any special requests (i.e. what kinds of postcards or stamps you are collecting) or other special instructions so other members will know what types of postcards you want most to receive. Many members also ask to get some words or phrases in the sender’s language so they can learn about where the card is from. I have even had one member indicate they were interested in receiving “post secrets” where you include a secret about yourself that you’ve perhaps never divulged to anyone before.

For me, having these random “surprise presents” delivered to my door each month is simply awesome. Getting postcards with a few words of greeting and perhaps an brief explanation of either the card or the sender always gives me a sense of connection that is different from connecting with people via Twitter or Facebook. Reading their messages in their own hand just makes the connection so much more personal and friendly. I highly recommend Postcrossing as a hobby for yourself or your kids or even as a class project if you are a teacher. Trust me, you will be very happy once you join this world-wide family.

Once again, I find myself either thinking of answers that really fall under topics already covered as well as new topics.  The problem is, they are all good and suitable.  And, I’m just not the kind to pick one so easily.

So, instead, I’ll point you at a couple I have already discussed in this challenge and then add one that seems to stand out from the rest.

First, there was my kayaking adventure where I learned how to “feel the fear and do it anyway!”

Second, was when I went to BarCamp Nashville in October and learned how to overcome my shyness.

Lastly, I think the third profound moment came earlier this year at work.  You see, I’ve worked for essentially the same company for 17 years.  And, about two years ago, our local venture capital funders were bought out by some large New York and Boston investment firms.  This changed the culture and climate at the company.  Especially since the founding executive management team has slowly been replaced via retirement.  Thus, the company is NOT the same company that I relocated 2000 miles to stay with seven years ago.  The “aha moment” came during a rather upsetting day where for the first time, layoffs were announced.  This hit us like a slap in the face.  We ARE profitable, just not AS profitable as the new board wants us to be.  Therefore, changes were necessary.  Thus, my epiphany was the realization/understanding that it was time to get out.  Time to find a new direction.  Time to find a new living.  Basically, I gave myself permission to quit my job and work for myself.  I basically turned a very negative day into a positive beginning.

So, with the end of 2009, here’s to 2010 and a new start.  I’ve not quit yet, and it may not happen soon, but the wheels are in motion in my head to make the jump.  2010 will be an AWESOME year.  Just you watch!

I could have gone with my iPhone or my Macbook.  I could wax rhapsodic about either device.  The phone has become almost an extension of my soul, I use it for so much.  And, the elegance and utility of both devices certainly gives lift to my desire to break out of my corporate “box” and  strike out on my own.

However, I think the gift that has given me the most this year is not something tangible.  My gift that has kept on giving is to live my life simply.  To make do with less and to live in a smaller space.  This life style change won’t happen all at once.  It will take some time to implement.  But, my goal is to have a smaller home and fewer possessions.  The goal is to free up time for what is important to me.

So, on this day of giving, celebrate with family and friends.

Enjoy and be thankful for what you have.

May you all be blessed with good friends, good family, good health and good cheer!!!

Peace to you all.

I think that the biggest lesson I learned all year is that I can’t let my shyness rule my actions.  I have always felt the need to hold back and not make a scene.  Here’s how shy I can be – it can be my birthday and I can be celebrating at home with friends and family.  As soon as they bring out the cake with candles lit and start singing the birthday song TO ME, I want to run and hide.  Another shy example was when I was in high school and even in college and taking foreign languages (I studied German, Latin and Ancient Greek in college to support my History degree) if we had to practice speaking in class, I was always really afraid to speak to my neighbors because it felt like a performance.  So, you can see that shyness has had a profound effect on my life.

I believe my shyness really started when I was in grade school.  There were two events that shattered my young ego and set the stage for what I described above.  First, my second grade teacher sent me to another classroom to retrieve the big can of scissors for an art project and when I entered the classroom and interrupted the lesson, the teacher asked me what I wanted and I replied, “Can I have the scissors?” to which she replied, “I don’t know, can you?” which garnered a huge laugh from the students (also second graders and many were my friends) which embarrassed me and caused me to correct myself and ask, “MAY I have the scissors?”  Now, I understood she was trying to teach a “lesson” in grammar, but the humiliation of being called out like that in front of my friends was horrifying.

The second event occurred after it got out that I had a picture of one of my classmates, a VERY popular girl in my class, in my wallet.  Mind you, this was the second or third grade.  Girls had cooties back then.  But, nonetheless, I really thought she was cute and so I kept her picture in my wallet.  One day, in a fit of stupidity, I let it be known to a couple of the boys in the class about this and before I knew it, she found out.  Then, a day or so later, as we were lining up as a class (boys and girls) to go in from recess, she loudly announced to me, in front of our whole class, how she hated my guts.  Needless to say, if I could, I would have melted into the ground right there, but I didn’t.  Again, everyone thought this was the height of hilarity, accept me of course.  Ahh, the joy of youth.

So, why am I admitting all of this?  Because I attended a one day “un-conference” known as BarCamp.  BarCamp is a day long series of sessions devoted to tech and geek topics like blogging, social media, podcasting, digital media, etc. and one of the sessions I attended as a session called “Networking in Nashvegas” which was a fancy name for a session on how to mingle and build relationships, particularly business relationships.  And, during this session, the two ladies giving the talk asked if anyone was shy.  Of course, being the honest guy I am, I raised my hand.  Naturally, they called on me and a person named Hannah and asked us to come forward.  They then proceeded to roleplay with us about how to break your shyness and “mingle” based on the body language of the other people we might try to meet or mingle with.  And, because of their open, honest approach and the advice they gave, I found that it’s actually quite easy to overcome my shyness in many situations where before I would be afraid of being noticed or speaking out in a crowd of strangers.

Because of BarCamp and this session in particular, I have started to make friends in the Nashville “tech/geek” community and to develop a good network of business contacts that will only get better and richer as time progresses.  I have joined the Nashville Geek Breakfast group that meets monthly for breakfast and networking.  And, I have even volunteered to be part of the spring “un-conference” known as PodCamp for 2010.  Finally, after over 35 years of avoiding the spotlight and any kinds of confrontation, I am finally out and facing the world with a new sense of “self” and the knowledge that it’s perfectly OK to be me and if the world doesn’t like it, well, it’s not my problem.

This post will be short and sweet.  And, I can’t really narrow it down.  There are several that I will list.

1)  Tweetdeck – this tool allows me to manage my Twitter life.  You can have any number of columns so that you can divide your twitter followers into whatever groupings you like.  This means you won’t miss valuable tweets from friends or people you follow minute by minute and also allows you to find the gems buried in the “noise”.  Also, you can manage multiple Twitter accounts with ease.  You can send tweets to multiple accounts, shorten URLs and insert pictures via your favorite Twitter picture service.  And, this software runs on both my Mac and my iPhone and the columns/lists can be synced between the platforms so that no matter which device you use, you can manage everything just the same.

2) Read It Later – this tool allows me to save interesting websites to a “cloud” repository for reading at a later time.  It’s like a web based bookmarking service.  I use it via the various Twitter applications I use on my iPhone as well as thru the bookmarklet I have set up on my Safari browser.  Basically, you simply navigate to the page you wish to read later and select the “read it later” option from the Twitter app menu or browser bookmarklet button I have set up on the Bookmarks bar in Safari.  Then, when I have time, I can visit the Read it Later website or see my list in the Read it Later iPhone app, log into my account and select the website(s) I wish to review, and bam! there they are.  There is even an option for saving the webpages for offline reading.  How cool is that???  Oh, and it’s FREE although, for the iPhone, the premium app was a couple bucks.

3)  Lastly, I have to say that the iPhone “online” tool I use the most is Tweetie 2.  It supports multiple Twitter accounts, managing users and lists, has a drafts feature and even integrates with Read it Later, Twitpic and other popular services like Bit.ly for URL shortening.

As an honorable mention, I will add the Facebook App for the iPhone.  It lets me check on my friends and do most of the things I would do with Facebook but when I’m not at a computer.

Why is it my favorite startup of the year?  Easy.  The best Mexican food in the Nashville area plain and simple.  The owner, Oscar and his family, are originally from Southern California where they had several small taco shops.  My good friend, Ron Diaz, turned me on to the place early in the year after he discovered the place.  He also moved from Southern California and had eaten at one of Oscar’s places in the past.  Ron and his wife recognized the layout and design of the taco shop flyer they got in their mail (they live in Franklin) and thought that the similarities were too great.  And, sure enough, it was the same place!

What makes Oscar’s special?  First of all, they prepare their food with an authentic style.  Typically, I’ve found that Mexican restaurants outside of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas tend to be very “Americanized” and thus, it’s usually frustrating to find good authentic Mexican food in any other states.  It’s certainly not impossible, but the likelihood is that the food won’t be anything to write home about.  Oscar’s is NOT one of these.

Another great thing about Oscar’s is the price.  He somehow manages to keep prices low and yet maintain the flavor and texture and variety that just isn’t matched by any of the other Mexican restaurants anywhere in middle Tennessee that I’ve found.

Oscar’s rocks my world for bringing a little piece of Southern California to Nashville!!!

This is today’s topic for the Best of Blog Challenge 2009. That is an easy question to answer. I created a website that I hope to make a site that gives simple advice and information for people following their dreams or searching within themselves for what are their biggest dreams or passions.

This came about after a long talk with a friend after he had put in his notice to leave the company we both work for to pursue his dream and passion: making music. We went to dinner to discuss what was going on and just to catch up and just talk. During our talk, we discussed my dreams and I realized that one of my biggest passions is helping others find or fulfill their own dreams.

Over the next week, I deliberated what this all meant and began searching for a suitable web domain and eventually came up with what I believe is an awesome name after doing a search on Thesaurus.com for the word “Leader” to go with “Dream”. Amongst the results was “Shepherd” and thus, The Dream Shepherd was born.

It is a definite work in progress. Updating it has been a bit more problematic than I had anticipated, especially since I work full time. However, I am committed to it and what it can bring to the table.  So, you can follow me at @hstrykid on Twitter or @Dream_Shepherd if you prefer.