Empty Notebook

It’s time to do a bit of checking in on my 2008 resolutions, and frankly, I’m not quite sure that I’m happy with two of my picks at this point.

Healthy Living - Other than the pizza I had yesterday, I’m doing a lot better in this regard. I still have to figure out how to trick myself into eating more veggies though.  And does helping my girlfriend move some of her furniture around count as exercise for yesterday?

Investing Money - Okay, I like this goal, I just don’t know if it’s achievable this year because of various planned expenses for 2008.  For now, it’s on hold. This is really a second half of the year goal.

ScalpEm.com - I’ve realized that the Top 100,000 sites is going to be a cyclical thing for an FSU sports website. So the better goal is to focus on better writing for the site and more interesting posts. Consistency is key.

A review of the 2007 New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Exercise more / eat right: I started off strong and crapped out about halfway through. It’s something that is going to stay on this list for a long time. I’ve struggled most of my life with this stuff, but I’m staying positive and I’m going to make a better effort in 2008. Specifically I’m going to exercise more and overall eat less.

2. Clean out the house: Talk about making a huge dent in the project. This can fall into an ongoing list now, as there’s always a little bit of cleanup to do, but overall I’d say my goal was achieved. The paperwork is much more organized now, the closets are cleaned out, and there is generally less clutter around the house.

3. Grow ScalpEm.com’s writing base and readership: Well, I grew the readership and the advertising base, but I’ve still had no luck growing my contributors in the sense of contributing articles. However, I did get more contributions in the comments section, which means A) there are more readers and B) they are contributing that way. Mission accomplished.

So where do I head from here? 2008 New Year’s Resolutions

1. Healthy Living: It remains #1 on my list for 2008. Specifically, I’m going to exercise at least 3 times per week for 30 minutes. Eat a vegetable at least 5 times per week, and I’m going to work on ways to relieve stress, either through Zen meditation, sports… whatever works.

2. Invest some money. By the end of the year I would like to invest in either a mutual fund, an IRA (which would be a mutual fund) or a combination of both. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to save, nor am I sure what the best combination of tax benefits and flexibility of getting the money is at the moment, but I have the early part of 2008 to figure that out.

3. Push ScalpEm.com into the Top 100,000 Alexa Websites: To do this, my writing is going to have to be much, much better. Specifically, I’m going to stick to a regular posting schedule with regular features. I’m also opening a message board at TailgatingForNoReason.com.

1. Healthier Living - Feeling a bit better, still #1 for 2008.

2. Cleanup - Just getting a couple of final things done for the year. All in all it’s mission accomplished, although there will likely be some better “organization” next year, instead of pure cleanup.

3. Website Growth - The December slowdown begins. Happy Holidays!

1. Healthier Living - Like I said last week, welcome to #1 on my 2008 New Year’s Resolutions.

2. Cleanup - Not much to report, I’m hoping to get a few things done before the end of the year.

3. Website Growth - The December slowdown begins. Happy Holidays!

1. Healthier Living - Welcome to #1 on my 2008 New Year’s Resolutions.

2. Cleanup - Not much to report, I’m hoping to get a few things done before the end of the year.

3. Website Growth - November was the best month on record for ScalpEm.com. Thanks readers!

1. Healthier Living - Two words, Thanksgiving Leftovers.

2. Cleanup - Not much to report, I’m hoping to get a few things done before the end of the year.

3. Website Growth - The Florida game always upticks ScalpEm.com… so I’m preparing for a bit of a slow down until bowl week.

1. Healthier Living - Um, it’s the holidays. It’s going to be tough I’m sure, but I’ll keep portions under control.

2. Cleanup - I’ve reorganized the pantry and a big cabinet in the kitchen.  It freed up a bunch of space, and it’ll make getting Thanksgiving dinner items easier to put away.

3. Website Growth - EmptyNotebook is a superstar this week thanks to the post about NBC Life. It’s nice to get some comments over here.

1. Healthier Living - I’m feeling better finally, had some weird stuff going on which was like stress related. Or maybe it was a virus. Good news is that the doctor wasn’t concerned.

2. Cleanup - Bam! My girlfriend and I got a spiffy new calendar for the fridge to keep track of important dates, and I got rid of all of the crap on my dresser. It’s all nicely filed in the To Pay, Paid, and To Save letter organizer on the dresser. That should keep things a lot cleaner. I’ve got a couple of filing cases to file away the paperwork that I need to keep around too.

3. Website Growth - ScalpEm.com and EmptyNotebook are continuing to risk up the Alexa ranks, although it’s slowly starting to level off. I’m very, very pleased with 2007’s performance was it comes to a close over the next month and a half though. I also launched a redesign of ScalpEm.com, which everyone seems to be very, very happy with. Not only did it make the site look more professional, and easier to read, but it opened up more space for advertising, that isn’t overly intrusive.

Ooops.

1. Healthier Living - Not much change, other than I’ve been under the weather a bit.  I’m feeling better though mostly, so that’s good.

2. Cleanup - Time to head back into some drawers and organize some paperwork.  Hopefully that can be done prior to Thanksgiving.
3. Website Growth - I’m ecstatic with ScalpEm.com’s performance this year. It’s really grown far and above what I thought, and I love getting comments from people I don’t know.  I hope to spur up some more discussion soon, and I’m considering expanding my topics from just FSU football and into the ACC and college sports in general.  It won’t be an everyday thing, but I think it would broaden the appeal of the site, and of my creative desires.

1. Healthier Living - Better than it’s been. I’m looking to hit my low for the year again by the end of 2007. This will again be a priority in next year’s resolution list (and many more I think). It’s something I really need to be conscious of as I head to my 30’s in a couple of years.

2. Cleanup - Time to head back into some drawers and organize some paperwork.  Hopefully that can be done prior to Thanksgiving.

3. Website Growth - I’m ecstatic with ScalpEm.com’s performance this year. It’s really grown far and above what I thought, and I love getting comments from people I don’t know.  I hope to spur up some more discussion soon, and I’m considering expanding my topics from just FSU football and into the ACC and college sports in general.  It won’t be an everyday thing, but I think it would broaden the appeal of the site, and of my creative desires.