Last year at this time, I picked a favorite post from each month and gave myself props. This year, I’ll just summarize some highlights, since my blogging was sporadic anyway, and some months had multiple incidences of greatness, while other months had none (like that piggy with the roast beef).
In January, I modeled my least favorite Christmas gift in “My Snuggie.” Every day, I get blog traffic because of this post. Because you people are sick and twisted.
A couple weeks later, Pretty Bride’s nine-year-old car broke down, and we replaced it with our family’s first minivan. I felt castrated and called the post, “As of 8pm on January 24, I’m hung like a ‘Ken’ doll.”
In February, I announced to the internet that I was about to quit my job to start my own firm in “Standing on a Suspended Bridge, Holding a Sword Above the Rope that Keeps Us Suspended.”
On April 3, I left my secure office and said “Farewell” to the Turd Burglar in “It is Finished.”
In mid-May, I flew down to Orlando for a conference and met–for the first time–people I’d only known from blogging. I had dinner with Avitable and Miss Britt in “Muskrat to Meet Bloggers, Take 5.”
In June, I listed some noteworthy moments with Maddie in “On Father’s Day.”
In an attempt to reclaim some of my pre-family-of-my-own spontaneity, I went to BlogHer in July. I found event tickets and lodging via Twitter less than a week before the conference. The description of the experience itself is here: “Jet-Setter Muskrat, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Mommy Blogger.”
In August, I went to Las Vegas and spent time with Nancy from Fear and Parenting in Las Vegas and the notorious BHJ. Recaps are at “Son, Your Government’s Writing Checks the Muskrat Just Cashed” and “A Glimpse into the Life of a Dark, Slapshotting Deity.”
Also in August, I opined that our infant was ingesting weed in “My 10-month-old Totally Loves the Indo,” and I offended a bunch of people with “Social Media is for Losing Friends and Offending People.”
I crossed Maine of my “states to visit one day” list in “The Maine Event” and wrote an uncharacteristically emotional recount of my September 11, 2001 experience in “Again.”
I used the 7-month point to update the internet on how my new firm was doing in “Pay Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain.” This seemed to encourage people.
Then we accidentally got pregnant–right after we’d both decided we weren’t going to have more children–in “Things of Which I Am Not a Fan: God’s Use of Irony.”
2009 was the year I wanted to go by quickly. Several times in March and April, I said, out loud, that I wished we could jump ahead to January 2010, so that I wouldn’t have to go through the hard months of living off savings and worrying about building a successful firm during a horrible economy. I even had a $400/hr legal marketing consultant tell me I shouldn’t go out on my own this year–that I needed more money and transferable business–but I’d already made up my mind, so I did it anyway. And even if I’d failed, I’m glad I took the risk to pursue work that means something to me. I’ll be 40 in June 2015. I don’t want to turn 40 and wish I’d had some balls when I was younger.
In any event, thanks for your help, Blogosphere. What blogging has taught me about social media helped immensely in my low cost marketing strategy (as I can do for < $100/month what some attorneys I know pay consultants $5,000/month to do).
Thanks for the encouragement and needed diversion you’ve provided at just the right times, and I can’t wait for more trips, conferences, meetups, and Davelantas in 2010!
I’m looking forward to the next Davelanta too. Though this time, I think I’m going to keep my second pasta. Never underestimate the power of cheese ravioli as the ultimate breakfast food…
.-= Dave2´s last blog ..Anew =-.
@Dave2, What? Save your second pasta? I feel dissed.
I’m glad you’re doing well and decided to jump into the free range chicken world or self-employment. And you won’t be 40 til 2015?! Holy. Shit. I am so old.
.-= Carolyn Online´s last blog ..Avatar: The movie. In its Biblical sense. =-.
@carolyn online, Yeah, but you look 30, so, quityerbitchin’.
And you used to think I was wasting my time when I read my blogs before bed…
A very proud (very pretty) bride over here, excited about another wild year together.
@Dave, that pasta was AWESOME. Just you try to wrest it from my grip, boy–I’ll cut you. Not really. But kinda.
@PB, You’d cut @Dave 2? That’s some scary shit there.
Well, Muskrat. I’m sorry to say that I missed all your posts last year. For that I have nobody to blame but myself. Somehow I missed it all. I promise to do better in the new year 🙂
@keith, You sorry sack of shit. You better recognize.
righteous recap of really read-able rantings, reality, rumblings, reactions and roamings.
@avatgardener, Thanks!
Happy New Year, man. Great recrap 😉
.-= SciFi Dad´s last blog ..2009: A Year In Review =-.
@scifi dad, You too…but crap?
This is such a good idea. Too bad Bossy will never ever ever never have the patience to comb through her own stuff to do similar. Happy new year!
.-= BOSSY´s last blog ..Bossy’s Absolutely No Spoiler Movie Review: Did You Hear About The Morgans? =-.
@bossy, Thanks! It’s an original idea, too. No other blogger has ever done it.
I’m sure Bossy could put together such a recap if Bossy wrote as infrequently as does Muskrat.
Wow. I made the list? Geez. Next time, we’ll see if we can sneak something more trecherous onto the roller coaster instead of a paltry camera.
.-= Nancy at Fear and Parenting in Las Vegas´s last blog ..2009 in 22 Tweets =-.
@Nancy, But of course! How about sneaking some hookers on there?
Well, it sounds like 2009 was quite an eventful year for you, my fine young man. Congrats on striking out on your own. I’m sure you’ll be successful. And when you’re 40, you’ll have the satisfaction of saying: YES! I had balls!
.-= JD at I Do Things´s last blog ..I Throw Kisses so you don’t have to =-.
@JD, Very. Thanks…I hope I still have them even!
Whew! What a year. It makes me exhausted and slightly underachieved just reading about it.
@chris, No need to feel underachieved! I also slept a lot. I just didn’t blog about it.