You would think that someone who is retired would have plenty of extra time over the year to get stuff done – especially items sitting on the top of his to-do list since the first day of the new year. What has turned out to be a surprising development, it feels like I am BUSIER than when I was in the career grinder. No idea how this is happening … but it is. Every day I’d wake up, check the list of things to get done that day, tell myself that it is finally time to get the 2021 blog summary done and then somehow get to the end of the night without it being checked off. Procrastination isn’t a trait I would willingly label myself with, but when I choose to .. I like to think I’m the best at it ha. 11 months later we can finally scratch that item off the list. One big catalyst is we are nearing the time when I need to produce the 2022 summary – which needs the calcs from the 2021 summary to complete – what a sticky mess.
Unfortunately, 2021 isn’t as fresh as it once was and thus difficult to really go into detail. I can call out the highlights. Covid was starting to lift and the race season was trickling up to speed. Managed to erase a large blemish on my ultra race record by completing the 30K CMAR race (link here). No worries about the heat this year, but it was replaced by 6 hours of nonstop raining that flooded the course. At one point I was thinking the heat would be better ugh. With that success, upped my game and took on the 50 mile Farmdale ultra. Can honestly say the 50K was a cakewalk compared to the 50 miler (link here). Made it through, but it took a LOT out of me and added another doctor’s visit to my list due to a badly injured ankle.
The birding front went very well this year. Set a stretch goal of hitting the 300 mark for lifers. As you probably already know by now, it requires a recognizable picture and a feature here on Intrigued to officially get the check. Took me until the last part of December, but got it done! Excited for what ’22 will bring.
Following on from the previous year’s goal, a heavy emphasis was placed on increasing the awareness of Intrigued. This was the 14th year of blogging and feel we are really hitting our stride in both overall image products and content. Really seeing that effort pay off this year with the huge increase in readership and comments. Note, we even figured out that WordPress has been undercounting those stats and were shocked how good they really were – we will be doing our own stats from now on. For the existing fans as well as the new followers, we are truly thankful and honored you are willing to spend the one thing that is the most valuable in our lives – ‘time’. I am also thankful for all the great bloggers out there that keep me entertained, push me to get better on every post and motivate me every year to keep going.
A few quick shout outs. Ron is a big part of the Intrigued operation. We often get the chance to get out in the field together where he is continually finding birds I might have missed, always willing to help me in the ID phase and graciously there to take on any predators that might attack us…well, he’s there, I won’t be hehehe. Brad M. is always there to point out syntax errors that somehow still make it through the gauntlet of checks each post goes through prior to release. In my defense, I graduated from an engineering college where we dealt more with numbers and letters that were primarily of Greek origin hehehe. There are rumors Brad might become a full time Intrigued member in ’22 …. shhhhh, don’t tell anyone yet! Then there is Linda – our birding whisperer, travel guide, itinerary planner and overall business coordinator that keeps this site stocked with topics. She won’t admit it publicly, but she has become quite the birder as well.
Well, it is time to look back on ’21 and bring you the performance stats. If you are curious about the details, hit the jump to see the 2021 Life Intrigued blogs stats and accomplishments (mothership and the wild side).
Thanks again to all my readers that keep me committed month after month.
Life Intrigued 