First and foremost, I want to wish all of you who have stuck by me these past *almost* six years(!) of blogging a very MERRY Christmas (and so does my husband and cattorney Wendel Clark).
Some of you have become good friends in my offline life, and I wouldn't have met you all if it wasn't for this hobby of mine. I want to thank Fred for the best advice ever given to me when people ask me why I continue to do this ...
WHY DO YOU KNIT? Because I enjoy it. SAME HERE.
WHY DO YOU GARDEN? Because it centres me. SAME HERE.
WHY DO YOU STAR WARS? Because it gives me an escape. SAME HERE
WHY DO YOU BLOG CJ?!
Because people read it (*mic drop).
I like to entertain. I like making people laugh. I love bonding over all of this nonsense. I love learning about people's lives, their nuances and what causes commuter rage.
Of course, there's a dark side to all this, and I've had to really mature as a blogger to handle it.
There are things I miss that came with being "unknown" at first ... being confused for GO Transit's Lost and Found department, being accused of being a retired bus driver, being accused of being part of a marketing ploy for Metrolinx, being accused of being a fired and vengeful GO Transit employee, being accused of being the daughter of Gary McNeil (lolololololololololololololol), being accused of being a reporter for the Toronto Star AND being accused of being perfect (you've all seen the comments from people who "footride all the things" and "all your space" all the things).
I also miss the text messages. The world changes. More people have data-enabled smart phones and camera-enabled phones then they did in 2010. Back when it was just text messaging and phone calls, it was easier for people to make mistakes with phone numbers and information. I very rarely get a person who contacts me thinking I'm someone else.
I want to thank BuzzFeed, the Huffington Post, Melbourne Metro, SkyTrain, SunRail, The Toronto Star, Transit Toronto, BlogTO, Q107, Metro Morning, CBC Radio One, CFRB1010 and Metrolinx for their promotional support, editorial features and the many mentions on Facebook and Twitter this past year. If you've shared this site on Reddit, I owe all my spikes in traffic to you.
For 2016, I will remain true to my commitment to keep this site free of advertising. I'm not here to make money from your time. People think I'm crazy but this is important to me. Where I will entertain offers is for product reviews and restaurant reviews, so I can share whatever you want to reward me with, to thank me for helping with your business, with people who are important to me.
This is my last post for 2015, folks. Hug your family, eat all the food, love your pets and please, keep your feet off the seats!
Merry Christmas! And here's to a wonderful blogging 2016!
ReplyDeleteI am *almost* outta here and will be thinking of everyone (well not really, maybe a teenie bit) while sweating it out in Florida.
Have a very Merry Christmas, CJ! May 2016 bring back the funny, the absurd, and the good times to blogging. No more drama! 2016 - the year of the funny!
ReplyDeleteI'll be enjoying some downtime as my office is closed between Christmas and the New Year. I plan to watch everything that's stored on my PVR.
A very merry Christmas to you and yours, Cindy - keep figuring I'll eventually see you around Courtice. And in the meantime, rest up and enjoy some well-deserved time off in anticipation of another exciting year of GO train blogging!
ReplyDeleteHave a very Merry Christmas, CJ! Thank you for all the funny stories, the thought provoking articles, and allowing us to share some of our craziness with you in 2015.
ReplyDeleteMay you and your family enjoy this very special time of year.
Merry Christmas CJ, many thanks for the lolz!
ReplyDeleteThe cat. The cat totally makes the photo.
ReplyDeleteHey! My buddy is in the picture! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope your holidays were good.
ReplyDeleteIt was splendid! Thank you. Hope you had the same
DeleteI did, thank you.
ReplyDelete