Happy blog-birthday to me!
Can you believe I nearly missed it? The ELEVENTH birthday of this blog actually took place on January 4th, two days ago, but I was having too much fun with our nephew Kurt to sit in front of the computer. That’s pretty much been the story of the year, I guess. If I’m not out (literally) running around, I’m usually on Facebook, Twitter, Ravelry, DailyMile, and Health Month. The poor blog has fallen way down the priority list. Still, as I said last year, I keep postin’ and you keep readin’. We’ll keep going as long as we can. As always, I’ve compiled some fun statistics to celebrate. (Previously: 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003.)

• Number of posts: 707 (1% INCREASE on last year!)
• Number of comments: 814 (another big drop from last year – nobody comments on blogs anymore!)
• Comments to post ratio: 1.15 (still dropping)
• Posts mentioning the Snook: 162 (this is like some universal constant – it barely fluctuates from year to year!)
• Most commented posts: Oscar Contest 2011, Macleay River Marathon 2011 Race Report, 25 Ways to Wear a Scarf in 4.5 Minutes!, Marathon training run, and 2011 Blog Birthday.
• Top 10 commenters excluding myself: Rachel (52), M-H (37), 1funkyknitwit (33), Kristen (27), Dr K (27), RoseRed (26), Miss Fee (19), The Snook (17 – seriously!), Jenny (17), JulieK (14).
• Oscar contest entries: 414, won by John M.
• Runkeeper total distance run: 1043.77km / 652mi – 4% increase on last year
• Races run: Mother’s Day Classic, Macleay River Marathon, City 2 Surf, Blackmore’s Half-Marathon.
• Finished knitting projects: eleven, including redyeing a previously knitted cardigan and my second major crocheted thing!
• Finished sewing projects: just two shirts that I haven’t even blogged yet, and a Wonder Woman skirt!
• Jamie Oliver meals cooked: 37! Our favourites were Grilled Sardines, Oozy Mushroom Risotto, Tasty Crusted Cod, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, Beef Hash.
• Memorable restaurant feeds: Bentley Bar and Restaurant, Porteño, Momofuku Seiobo
• Frocktober: dresses or skirts worn on 22 days of the month!
• Movember: $220 raised by the Snook!
• Concerts and outings: Amanda Palmer concert, One Man Lord of the Rings, “Paul” screening with Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, talk by Terry Pratchett, Star Wars Burlesque,
• Trips: Wollongong Knitting Camp 2011, Mid-North Coast (for the marathon), Trip to Melbourne and Mornington Peninsula, Sewjourn knitters’ retreat in Victoria.

Looking back on my goals for 2011, I didn’t actually accomplish that many of them. I did manage to hand off the Knitters Guild webmaster position to someone else, but I promptly volunteered for another role. (D’OH!) I joined the IIBA and went on a training course. We have made some progress on our kitchen and garden plans. And hey, I RAN A MARATHON. But the second half of the year was difficult, and I dealt with illness and injury that wrecked my other running goals. I lost a few pounds, but not as many as I’d hoped. Work was challenging as I dealt with changing responsibilities. I’m really looking forward to turning things around in 2012.

Goals for 2012: Renovate the kitchen. Run 1100km in the calendar year and get my 10K time to under 60 minutes. Lose 15kg. Sew a dress for myself and continue with transition to “dressing like a grown-up.” Sort out my US tax situation. And as always, win a goddamn blue ribbon at the Easter Show!