Best of the Search 2005 - Part 2

Welcome back to a new year folks. Today we finish up the End ‘o The Year Recap we began last week. Let’s get started:

July – This month brought the heat of summer and also the longest blogging break I’ve taken in years (Total? 9 days). It also spurred some pretty good posts, too:

Houses of Glass – This post was meant for Brian Bailey’s “Other Voices” series, but he cut that series off before publication. This one talks about the outer fringe of Christian society.

Worst. Day. Ever – Officially the worst day of 2005 for me. It splintered my friendly Magic playing buddies, suddenly burnt out on playing competitively, and cost me a ton of money. I look back with a grin, but it still hurts.

The Thankless Job – Sys admins don’t need thank you cards. I explain why.

August – The dog days were upon us, and writing was abound…

Erosion of Innocence – I watch my first porn and I betray a friend in the process. One of my first true autobiographical posts.

The Army Saga – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. I detail what it was like to work for a recruiting office at 14, and how I was caught for shoplifting during the same time.

Dear Site5.com – Blogging shows its true worth as I complain about a bad experience then get a great response.

September – Ah yes, my birth month. This month brought plenty of bloggy goodness, along with me creating ‘title’ tags for my lyric quotes (ie, hold your mouse over the lyric quotes at the bottom of the page to see what I was listening to as I wrote the post).

Bitten by Blogs – Though I’m uncredited, I make it into a car dealer magazine warning dealership owners to not scorn bloggers. I thought this was pretty cool and if nothing else legitimizes blogging as a tool for change.

Once Upon A Time – I tell my little girls bedtime stories about a far off land in which they are princesses.

My Favorite Album – It’s hard to pick a true ‘favorite’, but as time wears on there is always one album which brings me consistent joy. Read all about it.

Best. Birthday. Ever – Contrasting the worst day ever, my 25th birthday party was just…forgive me, “Off the hook.” Please see The Birthday Calendar for more proof (and better pictures of myself).

October – The month of fall, the month of change, the month of ghouls and ghosts. This one held a few gems:

Great Expectations – I’m just so bad at emotional reactions. Reasons and examples inside.

Hall of Secrets – Definitely one of my favorite posts of the year. There are different kinds of secrets in this life. Read all about em.

My Favorite Time of Year – Why Fall is so important to me, and why I love it so.

November – The year barrels toward a close, and yet I just keep writing.

Infuriations – This one could also be called “Anatomy of a Marital Spat.”

The Cynic – Another autobiographical post about losing innocence and turning cynical at age 11.

Upchuck – Dreams and sickness intertwine.

December – What turned out to be the biggest and best month of blogging ever. Woo boy.

The Top 10 System Administrator Truths – Wow, okay, this got about a million times bigger than I expected it to. At first I added it to digg. It was subsequently dugg over 1700 times (one of the most dugg stories of the month). Then it was farked, and finally the geek trifecta was complete with a rife slashdotting. Total hits for this article alone? About 170,000. Total times Evan geeked out? Too many to count. This also brought me a bunch of great readers, so I appreicate that too. See also: Flipside: 8 End-User Troubleshooting Tips. To all those who helped it get huge or who arrived here as a result: Thanks.

Running – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and the Finale. I run from cops, I get caught twice…by the same State Trooper.

Richies – Because in this world of giving, there is you and your $25 contribution, then there are ‘those that matter’ with their $25 million substitutes. Guess who gets the accolades?

Final Thoughts

As I try and ‘close out’ the year of 2005, I can’t help but think of how great it’s been personally and professionally. I’ve met such amazing people. I have such fantastic friends. I’ve got a great group of people around me, both in the real and virtual worlds. My family is second to none. Life is pretty good, all things considered.

So with that, 2005 is done. Join me tomorrow when we get right back on the horse and another Family Update hits you upside the head.

There on the wall in the bedroom creeping
I see a wasp with her wings outstretched