Monday, January 3, 2011

Happy New Year!

Hey guys...guess what?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Even though New Year's was like...three days ago. Maybe I should say Happy January Third instead? Hm...somehow, that doesn't seem quite right. Either way, you get the idea.

So I just got back from vacation in Walt Disney World. My dad, brother, and I met up in Florida and spent a week roaming around the self-elected happiest place on earth (though, it isn't self-elected without reason). It was amazing. I'm a real Disney junkie so I've always loved WDW, but seeing Cinderella's Castle lit up with Christmas lights was the epitome of Magical. They even made it snow on Main Street, which was adorable beyond words. For some of the kids walking around, it was the first time they had ever seen snow, and watching them frolic and try to make snow angles with their parents was worth the entire trip. The spirit of Christmas lives on, even in the heat of Florida.

Anyway, it had been a month since I'd seen my brother and my dad, and we had a lot of fun catching up and playing with our Christmas gifts. For Xmas my family got me two presents which I was able to use on the trip. I got a digital camera and a Nook, which I named Compass. I love them both, especially since now that I'm home I can use them for my blog! IMM will certainly be a lot easier to participate in, now that I can take pictures of the stuff I get in the mail/pick up in the library. Expect a flood of photos in the next few weeks.

And now, even though it's a few days late, its's time for me to do the wonderful and obligatory look back on 2010. I started Oktopus Ink six (almost seven) months ago, have posted 24 reviews (which is nothing compared to the 103 books that I read in 2010) and gained...*checks* 95 followers! Overall, it was a great year. I learned a ton about social networking, made some great friends/stalkers, talked with some really cool authors, and added more books to my TBR list than I could possibly read in a year (I swear, Goodreads is not a healthy place for readers.) So, with that said, I'm going to move onto my blogging goals for 2011. I'd go over my top 10 favorite books of the year, but honestly you guys are probably bored of reading lists. If you're curious, you can just check out my Inky Reviews page for the books that got 8/8 tentacles.

I've decided to declare 2011 the year of fist pumping. Now that I know a bit more about blogging, I plan to step up my game. I want to...
1. Post AT LEAST two reviews a week, every Monday and Friday--unless its finals week or I wind up in the hospital due to some freak accident. I'd like to shoot for three reviews a week, but this semester I plan to focus on some writing projects that I've started and would like them to eat up most of my time instead.
2. Post AT LEAST one author interview a month.
3. Post AT LEAST one giveaway a month. 'Cause really, who doesn't like free stuff? Even though I don't have a job, I'll make it work.
4. Comment more on other blogs. I've been a bit of a lurker this year, and would like for that to change.
And, last but not least...
5. Finally get a button for my blog. I fail at HTML, which is why I don't have one yet. But it's never too late to learn, right? Maybe one of you out there would be willing to help me. *wink wink nudge nudge* That way, people can easily post a link to my blog if they want to.
So, there you have it, my blogging goals for 2011. I expect this year will be bigger and better, and a hearty thanks to all of you that made 2010 one of my best years yet. Bring it on 2011. I'm ready!