Thank You Mario But Our Princess Is In Another Castle

Two thousand eight... 2008... Two Zero Zero Eight... anyway you slice it, what a year it has been! It was lightening fast. My family started 2008 after a bit of a better holiday last year, I think, but then January brought us in (albeit nearer the end of the month) with Dad going into the hospital after falling and busting his head, causing more problems, and more decline of his condition. Then we wrapped the year up with the same, a hospital visit and a worsened condition. I can't lie, this was the worst year for me and the 'holiday spirit'. Just the way things have been around my childhood home, and my feelings about it all, I've fought depression and reasoned with myself about the realities of life, and then of course work, band, and the rest of everyday life is really enough to keep us all occupied. It keeps on moving though, and it's like being on a fast motorcycle, you gotta pick your feet up and lean with the bike on the turns or you're gonna get "P3WNED!!!"

Wow, I was really planning on saying a lot more in this blog entry, like a run-down of my latest rants and all, but I swear I still just feel ultra low on emotional energy, and my fingers just don't feel like the extra mile. So we'll go with what I have.

So basically, the title of my (official) year-end blog entry for 2008 just seems to fit how I'm feeling right about now. We've played the game, we've lost a few men, we've tried to find all the bonuses and rack up as many points as possible, still we get to the end and find out that we didn't quite accomplish all we set out to do this go-around. Therefore the message seems to fit, "Thank You Mario But Our Princess Is In Another Castle." If you ever played Super Mario Bros growing up, you will understand that, and having played it alot with my neices, and throughout the video-game generation, I identify. If not, I hope at least you might see the point I am trying to make.

Can 2009 Be A Better Year??

I thought it might be fitting at year's end to do a little 'statistical' data on 'The Forrest'. Some people put a few things up here and there throughout the year, and I really haven't in a long time, so I will. Just a few fun facts I guess.

Let's start with the top keywords for 2008. I tried looking through the top 50, and they're not all interesting enough to put up, so I will give you my favorite keywords out of the top 50 (courtesy of Google Analytics.

1. full frontal friday - Something I started and didn't have the material or creativity to keep it up, but still people somehow find my blog with these keywords.
   
2. memphis top blog pages - Hmm, would be nice to know that I am one of those, but I highly doubt it.
   
3. tu morrow - Celebrities and their baby-naming skills are always a hit.
   
4. josie grossy - I'm not the only one who identifies with Drew Barrymore's character in "Never Been Kissed"
   
5. homemade jamz band - Very talented kids
   
6. people in hell want ice water - Well, they do
   
7. aunt jackie - One fantastic Aunt, who happens to have a dance named after her apparently.
   
8. raffe's beer garden - Had a few mentions on the blog, great place for Mediterraneann flavor and a few beers!
   
9. birthday spankings - Come on, you know you want some.
   
10. dear santa i want a stick - Don't ask me WTF these people were looking for.
    
11. back in the day when things were cool - Good song, and of course we all wish we could go back there.
    
12. fullfrontalfriday - (See #1)
    
13. spankings - Always an opportunity for fun.
    
14. dick chop video - Part of the BME Pain Olympics, and a video that nobody needs to see.
    
15. elvis is dead and i don't feel so good myself - Well he is, and I don't... lol
    
16. ramesses shadow tattoos - Best Tattoo Spot in Memphis
    
17. butterflies, zebras, moonbeams - I love Jimi Hendrix, and his song, "Little Wing" has more than a little significance for me.
    
18. butterflies and zebras and moonbeams and fairy tales (see #17), and this is obviously true for others.
    
19. some of the worst mistakes of my life have been haircuts - Jim Morrison-related quote, but rings true for us all.
    
20. weird things to do in an elevator - This theme seemed quite popular for keywords to my blog. You'd think I would be surprised.
    
21. mark it zero - Related to "The Big Lebowski" and one of the funniest scenes from the movie.
    
22. hump day jokes - Always good, but I don't recall having many of them here.
    
23. strippers caught on video - Interesting that this brought folks to my blog
    
24. tgif drinks - Sometimes you just gotta have one
    
25. that'd be great - yeah it would
    
26. things that were cool - are most likely not cool now huh... but still they brought folks in
    
27. top 10 things to do in an elevator - More elevator stuff, what kind of girl do you think I am? ;)
    
28. bme pain olympics dick chop - related to #14
    
29. butterflies and zebras and moonbeams (see above)
    
30. forrest people - (?!?)
    
31. full frontal tattoo - Yeah I got em
    
32. laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion . . . . i myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward - This one was long, and I am baffled by it. Anyone? Anyone?
    
33. legion of divine punishment - My husband's ex-band, LDP, "Legion of Divine Punishment", mentioned in the posts about how he and I met.
    
34. some of the worst mistakes in my life have been haircuts - (see above)
    
35. "deep in the forest" - Yes but missing an "r", I spell "Forrest" that way on purpose.
    
36. 100 things to do in an elevator - Now you're talkin, let's get creative here... any suggestions?? Personal Experiences?
    

Ok that was fun I guess...

I had 12,173 total visits since January 1, 2008, 8054 of those being "unique" visitors. *The Highest Hit Day: March 22, 2008 with 187 hits for Easter Bunny Is Coming For You (for whatever reason)

Finally, my appreciation goes to my top bloggers (or sites) who referred visits (whether themselves or others) in 2008. Most of these are part of my blog family and I am quite fond of. Remember, these are in order of # of hits coming from these urls.

1. fourdinners.blogspot.com (Four Dinners xoxo!! He's my Hero)
2. olebluetheheretic.blogspot.com (Ole Blue, a great writer)
3. cynicalbstd.blogspot.com (Jay is really high competition with his Vlogs, and the way he Rocks his Viking hat, he Rules!)
4. barnze.wordpress.com (Barnze was my first official member of the blog family, He's the best!)
5. further-on-up-the-road.blogspot.com (Furtheron is one cool talented guy, I enjoy his words)
6. zigzagman.blogspot.com (Zig, although I rarely hear from him anymore is still tops in my book)
7. fubar69.blogspot.com (Nothingman, yeah he is a great writer/poet so glad to know him)
8. pickledbeef.blogspot.com (Tink I learned about through the Weekly Words Challenge, but now am a regular visitor of hers too)
9. bbc-spiritsdoings.blogspot.com (BBC definitely dances to the beat of his own drum!)
10. anothermanicstreetpreacher.blogspot.com (Four Dinners again, he switched blogs, and he rocks)
11. the-tranquility-of-solitude.blogspot.com (Cappy is one sweety pie, and a mod but we'll give him a break for that... haha kidding Cappy!)
12. fabflawed.dreamhosters.com (My blog sister, Awa!)
13. sibupegasuspower.blogspot.com (One of my newer family memebers through the WWC)
14. mostlyinappropriatetales.blogspot.com (Blondie rocks, even if she's elusive sometimes!!)
15. mallofmemphis.org (an old dead mall now, but I wrote an article on this page and I guess it gets hits)
16. speedcathollydale.blogspot.com (Speedy is definitely a unique cat!)
17. farmerdave.blogspot.com (He's quiet around the Forrest, but he runs an enjoyable blog too)
18. greenlighton.wordpress.com (Mike has a unique slant on life, and from his own experiences takes us on quite a journey)
19. imissmychildhood.blogspot.com (Chelly is fantastic, and thanks to her, we can enjoy our childhood memories and share stories)
20. wormbrain.com (Interesting and unique blog, although I haven't been by lately, sorry worm!)

You guys are all so cool, and I am glad to have you in my blogosphere. You Rock... Thanks for hanging with me in 08'... But now, let's get movin' and shakin' make 2009 a better year for us all... Best of luck and lots of love from my house to yours (and better luck next time Mario!) -AJ