Welcome to 2008
Woah. 2008. Already.
As I think back to a year ago, I can’t even imagine all that I’ve experienced this year. At the beginning of 2007 I had no Mac, no Twitter–nothing. I was not involved in the Internet at all. I had not met Chris or Taylor or James, or for that matter, any of my Internet friends. I was not involved in any podcasts or blogs. I knew so little. I was ignorant, young, and foolish (as I probably still am).
But as I look back upon 2007, I see how good this year was to me. I see how much I’ve grown and developed. I have a name now. I have friends on the Internet. I participate in podcasts and forums, and write for blogs. I have even managed to get this website up for the new year (thanks to my good friend Chris Thomson). I have learned so much this year. Not really from school, but from life. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and I’ve learned from them. I’ve made some dumb choices, but I learned from those as well. And I see myself growing and developing more and more each day. What more can I ask for?
I really want to thank a bunch of people for making this year such a success for me. People that truly changed the course of my life. Some use the word, “friends” to describe people like these. I don’t know if that’s all that they are. Thank you Chris Thomson for befriending me, even when I was new. Thank you for bringing me into your “circle of friends”, and for helping me get this blog set up. Thank you Taylor Olson for being such a great friend, and being so brave to send me that first email. And James Matarrese, what can I say about you? The conversations we have are truly priceless, and I see you as a friend that I can talk to when no one else will understand. Thank you to AriX and Keaton and Ben and David and Tommy Vallier and River. You guys really encourage and inspire me. Thank you to my twitter followers for putting up with my many tweets (sometimes pointless). Thank you to everyone who stood by me, believed in me, and encouraged me. Really, you guys have changed my life forever. And thank you God, for always being by my side.
But that was 2007. Last year. What about the year ahead? What about 2008?
I am looking forward to 2008 as an awesome year. I have no idea what this year holds in store for me, but if it’s anything like 2007, it’s going to be full of open doors, opportunities and new experiences. I plan to continue to grow and learn this year, and be able to look back upon 2008 as a year of victory.
One of my many projects I have planned to take part in this year is Blog365. I want to post on this blog, every single day of 2008. That’s right, all 365 days of 2008, save for February 29th which will be my one day free. The goal is to make this blog a place where I can share my interests, opinions, and what’s going on in my life. For days that I will not have access to a computer, I will be journaling, and typing up the journals as blog posts at a future date. I don’t plan on making this into a tumblog–I already have one of those. This blog will be dedicated to full-fledged posts.
Being the owner of a new Digital SLR, I also plan to begin Project365 today. Each day, I plan to take many pictures, and I want to upload one picture every day that truly tells a story, and describes what I’ve done for the day. I hope that this project will improve my newbie photography skills, as well as teach me to tell stories through my pictures. All of my photos will be uploaded to my Flickr account.
The final phase of changes I want to make online this year will be through my life-stream. I am increasingly interested in having an online presence on the Internet. Whether through Twitter, Facebook, Del.icio.us, Flickr, or even Digg, I want to share my interests with the world. I recently discovered how powerful all these social networks can be when combined. That is why I have worked hard to create a page that I can use to show all of my footprints across the Internet. Check out my Colophon page to find out a little bit about me, the setup I’m kicking, and where you can find me online.
Many say that 2008 is no big deal, and feels no different than 2007. I can’t say I feel that way. 2007 was a great year, but I am looking forward to 2008 as an even greater year. I have so much more to learn, and want to have a great time doing it. I encourage you to examine your 2007, to see what it was like for you. What did you accomplish? Dream a little. What do you want 2008 to be for you?
2007 has come to an end. Everybody, welcome to 2008.
