Falafel for Lunch
Aloha Friday: Three Years of Blogging
Tomorrow is my Blogoversary. Since I usually don’t post on Saturdays, I’m going to celebrate it today. It’s been a wild ride since the early days. Back then, I didn’t post often. Part of it was because I hated using WordPress’ Admin panel to edit blog posts. Part of it was because I’d feel like my blog posts weren’t reaching anybody.
Over time, I found Zoundry Raven and then Windows Live Writer. This helped with the composing of posts. Suddenly, creating blog posts wasn’t a chore. Recently, I even hooked my blog up to get mobile photos from my phone. So now, instead of using TwitPic or a similar service, I can post a photo right to my blog while on the go.
As far as readership goes, I reminded myself that I couldn’t expect to open a blog and suddenly get thousands of readers. I dove into the social media community. I commented on other blogs. Of course, I also tried to put only the very best content on my blog. (It doesn’t matter how much “promoting” you do. If the content’s not good, people won’t come back.) Slowly, but surely, the number of readers to my blog increased.
I owe a lot of exposure to my wife also. She got into blogging before me (well, at least under this pseudonym) so her “social reach” was far greater than mine. When she promoted a post of mine, it went further than if I promoted it alone. I believe the gap between us has slimmed a bit, though she still has over a thousand more Twitter followers than I do.
It’s been a wild ride these past 3 years. I wonder what the next 3 years will bring.
My Aloha Friday question for today is: What do you think the future of blogging/social media will look like? Where do you think we’ll be in 3 years?
Don’t forget to enter my Hot Wheels Nitro Speeders giveaway!
Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #104
Travelogue of the Trip That Irene Cancelled, Part 1
I wrote briefly about our cancelled trip before. Normally, writing is very cathartic for me. Yet, I wasn’t feeling any better. After putting some thought into it, I realized two things.
One, I knew, intellectually, that there were roads closed and flooding and loss of life due to Irene. Still, when I looked at our house, I saw a lack of damage and thought “It wasn’t that bad, maybe we *could* have made it work.” That doubt in our decision to cancel ate away at me.
Two, I had geared myself up psychologically for this time off. I was looking forward to waking up beside B without any little guys barging in. I was looking forward to walking hand-in-hand with her without having to keep an eye on where the boys were. I was looking forward to eating beside her without worrying about getting home before bed-time. I was looking forward to going to sleep beside her without having the boys sleeping in the next bed over. No worries. No responsibilities. Just B and I enjoying each other’s company for five glorious days.
Instead, the entire trip evaporated into nothingness thanks to Irene’s meddling. I needed some time to grieve for the trip-that-never-was. I had even intended to write this last week, but it was too painful. Now that a bit more time has passed, here’s a quick overview of what could have been had Irene not intervened. (NOTE: We might not have done things exactly as described here. I’m mostly imagining how things might have gone with our dining reservations as anchors. With luck, we’ll reschedule soon and I’ll be able to make real blog posts with our real travels.)
Sunday, August 28th
With Irene not a concern, we packed the car up early and headed down to see my parents. The boys hugged Bubbe and Grandpa and we had some fun shopping, eating out, and talking.
Monday, August 29th
We began the morning with breakfast at my parents’ house and then had a leisurely day together. We ate lunch at a Greek restaurant near my parents that we love. (Their spinach pie is to die for and I’m perpetually trying to replicate their chickpea recipe.) As we tucked the boys into bed, we said goodbye to them knowing that this would be the last time we’d see them until we returned.
Tuesday, August 30th
We woke up very early and my father drove us to the airport. After checking in and getting past security, we had some breakfast in the food court (or perhaps something we took with us from my parents’ house). Then, we got on our flight and we were off to Orlando.
After landing, we boarded the Magical Express for the Pop Century hotel. We quickly checked in and left our carry-on bags at the hotel. Then, we headed over to Hollywood Studios for our lunch reservation at the Hollywood Brown Derby. I ordered the Coriander-dusted Grouper with Cauliflower Risotto, fresh English Peas, crunchy Sunchokes, and a Yellow Tomato Coulis. It was fabulous.
We spent the rest of the day in Hollywood Studios and I made good on my promise to ride the Rockin’ Rollercoaster with B. (Given my fear of falling, I typically avoid fast, winding, flipping rollercoasters.) We had some snacks to hold us and then saw Fantasmic. We returned to Pop Century tired and hungry, but very happy. A quick stop at the Pop Century food court for dinner (and Tie-Dyed Cheesecake) and then we headed to our room for the night.
Wednesday, August 31st
We woke up Wednesday morning for our first full day at Disney. After grabbing a quick breakfast, we headed back to Hollywood Studios. Getting there when it opened, we quickly headed for Toy Story Mania. After quickly procuring some fast passes, we rode the ride together. Then, once the Fast Pass time arrived, we rode it again.
As noon approached, we went to our lunch reservation at Mama Melrose’s. We went here during our honeymoon 10 years ago so this was going to be an extra-special lunch. I opted to get the Wood-grilled Tuna over a seasonal Vegetable Risotto, warm Vine-ripened Diced Red and Yellow Tomatoes, and Olive-Caper Butte. Yum!
We stayed in Hollywood Studios for a bit longer and made sure to stop by Starring Rolls Cafe for a cupcake. When we went there in March, they had, sadly, just closed for the day so I was never able to get my cupcake fix. This time, however, I got to try not just one cupcake but two. (B ordered one and I ordered a second and we split them.) Delicious! Yes, I took photos of it all.
After awhile, we left Hollywood Studios and bus hopped to Animal Kingdom (Hollywood Studios to Animal Kingdom lodge to Animal Kingdom). To be honest, this is the Disney park in which we had the least number of places we wanted to visit. We went on the safari and a few more items. With our half-day at the park ending, we caught a bus back to the Animal Kingdom lodge.
Normally, this would mean dining at Boma. We *love* Boma. But we decided to shake things up so we (*gasp*) were NOT eating there! We were eating at Jiko. It was tough deciding between the great options, but I finally decided upon the Aleecha, Shimbra Asa, Inguday Tibs with Goat Cheese, Cream Ethiopian Vegetable “Stack”, Chickpea Cake, and Spiced Mushroom-Spinach Roll.
Stuffed, we bus hopped back to our hotel for some much needed quiet time and sleep.
Coming next week, part 2 of the Travelogue of the Trip That Irene Cancelled!
Zip, Whip and Pee, Broken Mommy, Mini-Golf and Ice Cream
The day before school started, we decided to do something fun with the boys. First, we went to CVS and then to Home Depot to look for a new doorbell. Oh wait, that’s not fun. That’s ok, though, because the next place was fun: Uno Chicago Grill, or, as the boys call it Pizza Uno’s. NHL got a pepperoni pizza. (Ah, my Kosher Boy!) JSL got Mac and Cheese (his all time favorite food). B and I both got the Spinoccoli pizza lunch special. This came with unlimited soup. We both wound up eating only soup and packing our pizza for another meal. (Nothing like getting 2 meals for the price of one!)
After our meal, we walked around the mall for a bit and stopped by Border’s. They’ve been going out of business for the past month or so and the selection really was bare. We managed to find a few items, but JSL was not having a good time. He didn’t understand why there weren’t any toys or kids’ books left. Going Out of Business and Clearing Stock mean nothing to a four year old.
After the mall, we planned to go indoor miniature golfing. NHL had gone here before with me, but JSL and B had never been. However, there was something important to take care of first. We high-tailed it home to put our leftovers in the fridge. Even more important, though was potty breaks for everyone. As NHL was going, B & I began doing the “potty dance.” B lamented her complicated pants. There was a tie, buttons, and a zipper. I think a combination lock might have been in there somewhere. Gloating, I said that I had it easy. All I had to do was “zip, whip, and pee.” Unfortunately, laughing hysterically does not go well with swimming back teeth. There was a real risk of peeing my pants. It didn’t help that NHL’s response to hearing that B couldn’t “zip, whip, and pee” was “Mommy’s broken!”
Luckily, my bladder held out and we went on to indoor mini-golf. JSL was instantly entertained by the black light causing everything to glow. His socks, shorts, ball, fingertips and even his teeth were glowing. The indoor course is divided into four parts.
Underwater.
Jungle.
Dinosaurs.
Outer Space.
After mini-golfing, we decided to get some ice cream. NHL and JSL got Mint Cookie Crumble (mint ice cream with chocolate cookie crumble and fudge swirls). B got Crumbs Along the Mohawk (graham cracker ice cream with graham cracker pieces and a caramel swirl). I got Mud Season (coffee ice cream with brownie dough pieces and a peanut butter fudge swirl).
We all had a blast. There’s nothing like laughter, mini-golf and ice cream to wind down summer vacation!
How did you celebrate the end of summer vacation?
The Power of Teachers: A Hope For A Great Third Grade
Last year was a rough year for NHL. We struggled through most of the year trying to find some way for him to fit into the class’ structure. Nothing we came up with worked. (Or rather, should I say, nothing we suggested was fully implemented to give it a chance to work.) A bullying incident was the final straw and NHL was moved to another school.
Luckily, the bullying was a blessing in disguise as this new school and NHL took to each other instantly. The administrators and teachers knew just how to handle NHL to keep him interested and engaged and NHL loved school again. He even cried when school ended because he didn’t want to stop learning.
As the school year starts up again, NHL didn’t cry about going back to school. He was nervous, to be sure, but they were normal going-back-to-school nerves and not a desire to stay away from the school itself. He’s actually excited to go into the third grade. (Side Note: How did I become the parent of a third grader? Wasn’t he just a baby? I think I need to go over my old physics equations to find out why if Relativity can prove that time speeds up a child’s aging process. Side Side Note: Must find a way to keep JSL four.)
Thinking back, I recall my transition from the second grade to the third grade. I had an awful second grade. My teacher, Mrs. D, hated kids, especially didn’t like boys and despised me. She would make fun of me in front of the class, give me “special work” to do every night (the same assignment which she wouldn’t grade – my mother made me hand in the same paper every day and she never caught on), told me I’d never succeed in life, and generally made my life miserable. I remembered going to the in-classroom bathroom just to escape her for a few minutes. I also remember actually being happy that I got the chicken pox because it meant I didn’t need to see Mrs. D for awhile. Yes, itchy scabs all over my body were preferable to Mrs. D.
Obviously, I wasn’t sure about the third grade. If Mrs. D was any indication of which way school was headed, I was going to be miserable for a long time. Then, I met Mrs. S. Where Mrs. D was mean and hated kids/me, Mrs. S was nice and loved kids. This year we happened to have reading tests to place us into reading groups. Mrs. S noticed that I got a good score on the “normal reading group” test. She wanted me to take the advanced reading group’s test. At her urging, I did and wound up doing well on that one. So I was moved into the advanced reading group.
Advanced reading groups led to advanced level courses and then to AP/College Level courses. Many of my successes in life and desire to learn new things, I trace back to Mrs. S. Had she been a Mrs. D-clone, I would likely have hated school and dropped out at the first opportunity. My life would have certainly gone down a much worse path. This one teacher saw potential in me and did her best to bring it out. She succeeded and, wherever she is, I thank her. I hope that NHL’s third grade teacher can bring the best out of NHL the way Mrs. S was able to with me.