Happy Birthday, Bitter & Backtracking!

I’m currently in New York, tagging along on my husband’s business trip.  While he's attending important meetings, I'm wandering around the city doing whatever I please.  I love business trips!  Come to think of it, I did enjoy going on the occasional business trip back when I worked in finance.  I got to go to some really exotic places: Rotterdam, Calgary, Tulsa, and a power plant in Queens!

Anyway, before I begin eating and drinking my way around New York City, I wanted to publish this blog post.  Why?  Because today is the one-year anniversary of the launch of my blog!

I did some Googling to see how other bloggers have celebrated this tremendous milestone, and invariably, the answer is "a fabulous giveaway!"  Fine, I can be generous too.  So here it is... The first person who comments on this blog post will get a signed photo of yours truly!  (Unless you write something creepy, in which case I reserve the right to withhold the prize.)  

Even though my blogging pace has slowed somewhat, I’m proud of myself for keeping it going this long.  I thought for sure I would’ve quit by now and moved on to some other pointless hobby.  I can’t say it’s been overwhelmingly successful.  I see blogs with hundreds of followers and think, “How the hell did they do that?!”  (Giveaways, apparently.)  Blog directories don’t seem to generate any traffic.  I've looked into blog networks and was invited to join BlogHer, but I refuse to clutter up my website with ads.  (You’re welcome, readers, you’re welcome.)  Even though I can't brag about my site traffic, at least I can say that I’m proud of every entry I’ve posted in terms of the quality of writing, and I guess that’s all that matters.  Who needs fame and fortune?

People sometimes ask me why I bother blogging at all, and honestly, I can only think of two reasons.  First, it forces me to practice writing.  Writers are supposed to write, right?  If I didn’t have handfuls of people waiting for my next blog post, I might procrastinate indefinitely.  Second, my blog is a way for far-away family and friends (and random readers) to find out what’s going on in my life.  It's less awkward than talking on the phone.  And I never get interrupted.  I can also gauge who misses me the most by how often people read my blog.  I miss you too, Mom!

Hey, I just thought of a third reason.  Someday, my future children can go online and see how cool and funny their mother was back in the day, before they drove her insane.

So, family, friends, random readers, and future children, here are my top ten favorite posts from the last year:

1.) “He Who Aims at Nothing Hits It Every Time”

2.) The Easiest (and Worst) Decision You’ll Ever Make

3.) There’s a Career Advice Book For You!

4.) When I Grow Up...

5.) I Think You Should See Someone

6.) Crappy Job #2: Payless

7.) Crappy Job #4: Last-Picked Intern

8.) Busted!

9.) Executive Household Manager

10.) Me, Encapsulated in a Word