What To Watch For

So I think I might have figured out one reason that I got burnt out on blogging last year. I was starting to try to get a bunch of hits on my blog in order to try to monetize it. And I just didn’t get there, probably because it became too much of a chore, and I ended up just not blogging. Planning my blogs, installing plugins to try to optimize SEO for each post, worrying about keywords and all of that… it just got to be too much work and took the fun out of blogging. So, I think I’m just going to blog for fun for the time being. If I get hits or followers, then I do. If not, then I don’t. I actually had someone at one point kind of insult my blog, saying that no one reads it. I think at this point I get enough comments to know that people do. But if they don’t, oh well… I’m really blogging for me, no one else. If you enjoy it, great. If not, then don’t read. No biggie.

On that note, I was trying to think of some things to blog about. In light of the name of my blog and because it’s what I enjoy writing about, I think if I had to give a one-word explanation of what my blog is about, I’d say “experiences”. Whether it’s traveling across the world, going to a beer festival in town, or even just watching a movie, I like sharing my experiences. And I kind of think people actually do like reading about them. So that’s what I’m going to continue to write about (along with anything else that happens to strike my fancy, of course!).

So thinking through it, I thought I’d give you all a bit of a teaser of what you can look for in the coming weeks and even months of the kinds of things I’m planning that I hope to blog about. Doing this also holds me somewhat accountable for blogging about these things and not just being a slacker. So, here is what’s coming up on my calendar!

Wiener Mania
This is a local fundraising event here in Phoenix at a horse racing track. It’s a fundraiser for Arizona Adopt a Greyhound as well as Happy Tails Dachshund Rescue, which is where I adopted Charlie from. I didn’t know that Happy Tails was a sponsor of the event until after I’d signed up, but it’s awesome that they are! This event includes a wiener dog race, which is something I’ve thought about entering Charlie in for a while now. I’m not sure how well he will race (or if he will even do it – haha) but we will find out and have fun either way!

Chandler Ostrich Festival
I may or may not be visiting this one. My friend Tom and I have talked about it before, and I think he’s actually been. I haven’t, but he sent me an email about going, and I’m free on Sunday, so we may hit that up this weekend. What’s second best to watching wiener dogs race? Watching ostriches race, duh!

Phoenix Film Festival
You’re all groaning, right? I have attended this the last few years that we’ve been in Arizona, and it is always a blast. The movies are great, and I usually end up meeting some really cool people. I’m hoping to attend as press again this year, which means I will be writing reviews of some of the movies I see. And there are always plenty of great movies there. I can’t wait.

Las Vegas Trip
I’ve been to Las Vegas several times now, but my friend Stacy has never been! She and her husband are going in May, and Ricky and I are meeting up to hang out with them there. It should be a lot of fun, and I think Stacy will enjoy it. Maybe I can get her to write a guest blog from a first-timer’s perspective.

Europe Trip
Ricky and I are planning another trip to Europe later this year as well. This time we want to visit Berlin, Amsterdam, and some places in Belgium. This is still in the planning stages, but you know it will include beer.

So those are some of the things I have upcoming. Hopefully this will hold me accountable, and I will be blogging about some or all of these experiences. Just stay tuned!