Catching Up

My silence on this blog has spanned a period of time that includes all of my anniversary type dates - my 8th blogiversary, my 4th twitterversary, my year celebration on Empire Avenue and my not-yet-40th birthday. Let's just call it a blog hiatus.

Twitter is the New Blog...

Summer's Daydreams has been around now for six years (cue Blogiversary music). Sadly, in the past three years a couple of jobs I've had made it difficult to blog and I seem to have fallen out of the habit.

I want to blog more, I really do. Often I have all sorts of things and opinions rolling around in my head that yearn to be blogged and discussed. I sometimes regret not blogging about some things that I normally would have been all over... watching them pass by while the blog remains too silent. It's true I have a bit of a time issue these days and finding the time to sit and write a blog post has been a small challenge in itself.

But what I really blame is Twitter. Twitter steals the blog's thunder everytime. Sure it only gives me 140 characters but that is often enough to throw my thoughts out there - quick and easy - and that diminishes the need to blog.

Twitter is the new blog.

So I am going to think about how I can make my blog relevant to me again and try to recommit to it once I do. Hopefully I can set the tone for the next six years of Summer's Daydreams.

Happy blogiversary to me...

Blog Catch Up - Would you like Fries with that?

A lot has happened since I started my Blog Hiatus... so a quick update is in order.

Rocking in the free world...

Happy Blogiversary to Summer's Daydreams, which turned 5 years old on Feb 18th! 5 years ago I started this blog for my random thoughts, petty complaints and various political opinions - but more importantly as a journal, recording events and experiences as they happen to me. I don't know if I planned for the blog to still be alive 5 years later, but it is very interesting to see the evolution of me over those years. I have to admit now the blog has become an important part of my life.

Election Central in Meadowlark

I was appointed Returning Officer in Edmonton Meadowlark which proved to be an amazing experience. I started very late in the process due to the resignation of the previous RO and almost immediately found the challenges I faced to be very unique. I had to hire and train enumerators for a partial enumeration and assess the constituency growth areas (I even created a new polling area), all before Feb 1. Then I had to hire two full time office staff (and find said office) and proceed to hiring almost 200 people to work on election day. Reading that back, it doesn't seem so hard, but consider that all election officers have to be eligible electors and live within Meadowlark (in this job market) and that I wasn't legally able to sign a lease until writ drop yet we legally had to be open for business by day two. Once the writ period actually started we were so busy that it went by at an incredible pace - candidate nominations, training (I ran five training sessions), arranging for ballots and polls on election day, etc. If it wasn't for my amazing office staff I'm not sure it would have been so rewarding - but I really did enjoy it. Working as an RO allowed me to be part of the democratic process in a way I've never considered before and has given me a greater appreciation of the process and everything that goes into running an election.

Another year older, another hole in my head!

I had a birthday in March... and turned... well, it's not really a secret. I'm 36 years old. I had a lot of fun and was spoiled terribly which is always good in my books. I also died my hair dark and had three new piercings done.

Happy Blogiversary!

Summer's Daydreams is 4 years old today!

Six Figure Blogging!

When I started this blog I didn't really have any idea of where it would go or what it would come to be for me. I didn't even know I was a blogger! Now, a month away from my third blogiversary and 1054 posts later, I will soon cross the magical 100,000 visitors mark! Will it be you? Leave me a note so I can see where you are visiting from... afterall it's really all about the visitors, and 100,000 visitors can't be wrong!

Thanks everyone!

EDIT: My 100,000th visitor came here from Munich Germany at 11:33:41 am!

Today is...

My Blogiversary! Summer's Daydreams is two years old!

I guess I should change my template soon...

TA DA!

Happy Blogiversary to Summer's Daydreams and Phendrana Drifts!

What do you think? Do you like the new layout?

Welcome to my first attempt at a blog...