Adrian's Year in Review: The Best Blog Posts of 2019

It's that time again my friends.  It's Dec. 31st, 2019, so it's time for the "Best of Blogs" for this past year.

I've been writing this blog since April of 2008. Since 2011 I have been writing my "Year in Review: The Best Blog Posts of." When I started this blog I wanted to average one blog per week. Every year I have attained my goal. This year, including this post, I will have written 70 individual blog posts.

At the end of every year I make two lists for my "Best of" blog posts. The first one is my personal favorite blog posts. The second list is the most viewed blog posts.
This year I had a quite a number of posts I liked.  Since I usually write around 55 posts per year, a top five list works well.  However, I had 70 posts this year.  So I decided to expand my personal favorite blog posts to a Top 10 list this time around.


Top Ten Personal Favorite Blog Posts


#10. Philmont 2019: Day 78, The Horse
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-horse.html

I felt this was a classic angry Adrian post.  It was short, to the point, and angry.  The honest brutality of it really appealed to me.

#9.  Idiot Scoutmasters: The Idiot Committee
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/12/idiot-scoutmasters-idiot-committee.html

It was time I stopped whipping the Scoutmasters and turned my attention to the Trop Committee.  If you ever wanted to read about an epic failure, this is it.

#8.  The Failing Victory of Upgrading My Cello: A Long and Ridiculous Story
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-failing-victory-of-upgrading-my.html

It was long, painful, and completely unnecessary.  This was one of my major screw-ups in instrument repair.

#7.  Tattooing Josh's Guitar
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/05/tattooing-joshs-guitar.html

I was able to do something I've wanted to do for a while.  That was wood-burn into an instrument.  It turned out brilliantly.

#6.   All I Wanted Was The Recipe!!!
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/09/all-i-wanted-was-recipe.html

I don't need your life story.  All I want is the damned recipe!

#5.  Death, Grief, and Memorial: The Passing of Curtis Johnson in Three Parts
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/10/death-grief-and-memorial-passing-of.html

My classmate Curtis Johnson passed away at the age of ten.  It was quite traumatic for Shaw Elementary's 5th grade class.  I've included this post on my top 10 because of how well I wrote it, and the pure honesty of it.

#4.  Coffin Case Failure: All I Wanted Was A Handle
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/03/coffin-case-failure-all-i-wanted-was.html

Not all companies are the same.  Not all companies know what the hell they are doing.

#3.  Philmont 2019: Day 70, Cold Fish
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/08/philmont-2019-day-70-cold-fish.html

This post was, by far, the funniest post of the year.  Nothing else came close to it.  You'll laugh.  You'll cry.  You'll facepalm.

#2.  Days of the Week
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/01/days-of-week.html

This might be the best written blog post of this past year.  I explain what a Strawman argument is, and show the hypocrisy behind it.

#1.  I Have The Perfect Mascot For Gay Pride Events!
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/10/i-have-perfect-mascot-for-gay-pride.html

What started as an offhand funny thought quickly morphs into an idea so crazy it could work.  There was no doubt that this post would be my favorite blog post of the year.


Top 5 Blog Posts By Views


#5.  Springtime For Bluebirds... And Happiness!
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/03/springtime-for-bluebirds-and-happiness.html
21 views.

A pair of Tufted Titmouse birds move into the birdhouse.  Photos ensue.

#4.  The Birdhouse Community Apartments
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-birdhouse-community-apartments.html
26 views.

I decide to go from one birdhouse to an apartment complex of birdhouses.

#3.  I Accidentally Bought An Amp
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/04/i-accidentally-bought-amp.html
26 views.

What started as a bad situation became one of the best amps I've ever played.  And now it's mine for $54.
30 views.

#2.  Generations: Finding My Great Grandfather's Grave
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/08/generations-finding-my-great.html
33 views.

It took four people, one graveyard thick with brush, and a hell of a weed-eater to find my Great Grandfather's grave.

#1.  New Pickup Day: Dragonfire Gatebucker Review
https://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2019/03/new-pickup-day-dragonfire-gatebucker.html
36 views.

I wrote a review of Dragonfire's Gatebucker pickups.  I couldn't find another review on the internet, so I figure a lot of musicians were viewing this blog post.


So that's it for the year everyone.  I am content.  I wrote 70 blog posts this year.  That's the most for a single year dating back to 2008.  That, of course, is when I started this blog.  2019 ended up being quite a productive writing year for me.  So I'm going to keep it going.  As long as weird stuff keeps happening to me, I'm going to keep writing this blog.

Adrian's Year In Review: The Best Blogs of 2016

That's right kids.  It's that time of year again.  It's time for my, "Best of Blogs" for the year 2016. 

This year I wrote 54 blogs including this one.  I have once again made my goal of averaging writing a blog once a week. 

For my "Best Of," I make two "Top 5" lists.  One is for the most viewed.  Although I realize this is unfair since the blogs written in January had more time to be viewed than the blogs in December.  That is the nature of the beast though.

My other "Top 5" list is for my personal favorites.  Despite how many views they actually had, I pick the blogs that I think are my best work for the year. 

First up, the Top 5 most viewed blogs.

5.  Bad Luck Windshield, And The Best Way To Ruin A Saturday.  33 views.

http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2016/09/bad-luck-windshield-and-best-way-to.html

I'm not sure why a post complaining about how I destroyed my car's back windshield made the list, but it somehow did.  I think I only posted it once.  Since I tend to write at night I post a blog a few times on Facebook so that people have a chance to see it.  I guess my bad luck resonated with a lot of folks.

4.  The Whitest Girl Coffee You Know.  35 views.

http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-whitest-girl-coffee-you-know.html

I have to say, sometimes Adrian humor sometimes doesn't quite make the mark.  However, this time it did.  When great writing meets funny pictures, that's when hilarious blogs happen.

3.  What We Pass Down.  41 views.
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2016/12/what-we-pass-down.html

I really didn't expect this blog post to make the list.  I've only had it posted for four days.  However, a lot of my relatives viewed it due to what I had to say about my Grandmother in it.  I also think it had a lot of views due to the blog that preceded it.  That post happened to be next on this list.

2.  A "Little Talk," For My Grandmother.  48 views.
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2016/12/a-little-talk-for-my-grandmother.html

This blog post was passed around and seen by many of my relatives.  Many of them couldn't make my Grandmother's funeral service so I posted what occurred at the service, as well as the speech I gave.  I thought this would have a lot of views, but 48 is quite a lot for being posted just nine days.

1.  New Pedal Board Day:  Homestyle Edition:  Part 1.  55 views.
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2016/07/new-pedal-board-day-homestyle-edition.html

I understand why this blog post had so many views.  It's because there are a lot of musicians looking for a do-it-yourself/ make-it-yourself guitar pedal board.  Not only did I tell them where to go, but I also told them the part number.  Then I posted lots of pictures, and gave step by step details on not only how to make it, but how to make it right. 

I'd like to think that lots of musicians were able to take my advice.  I even had a friend who considered doing exactly what I did.  He found a deal on a regular metal pedal board, but he was glad that I posted this. 

Now we go onto my personal favorite blogs of 2016. 

5.  Hey Mama, Don't Rock Me.  Don't Rock Me One Bit.
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2016/07/hey-mama-dont-rock-me-dont-rock-me-one.html

Adrian finds out he's not the only one who thinks "Wagon Wheel" is overplayed.  There's a whole Wikipedia page about it. 

4.  Scareboarders:  This Year's Bad April Fools' Day Gag
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2016/04/scareboarders-this-years-bad-april-days.html

Every year Adrian pulls a pretty awesome April Fools' Day gag.  If people were fish, Adrian would have hooked a bunch. 

3.  Full Service Luthier
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2016/03/full-service-luthier.html

I was thinking of doing another guitar repair blog when I thought, "Eh, that's boring.  Let's do something fun."  So I showed just how much of a full service luthier I am.  This one had lots of funny pictures in it too.

2.  The Whitest Girl Coffee You Know, Part 2
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-whitest-girl-coffee-you-know-part-2.html

Part 1 was pretty awesome, however, Part 2 "went there."  I finally made Dad laugh after two days of him being depressed. 

1.  A "Little Talk," For My Grandmother
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2016/12/a-little-talk-for-my-grandmother.html

Not only do I think this is the best blog of 2016, it might be the most important blog I have ever written.  Admittedly, I had been thinking about my speech for a long time.  So when I wrote it I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to talk about.  So that made this blog pretty easy. 

I just posted what happened at the funeral service for my Grandmother, and I posted my speech.  However, it was what I said that made this post so important.  That, and the fact it was able to be shared with those who weren't able to hear it in it's original form.  Again, I think it's more important than it is good. 


So that wraps up another year.  It's hard to believe that I started writing in the spring of 2008.  My sister told me I should be blogging way before then.  She said that due to my natural storytelling ability and my love of writing, blogging might be something that I liked. 

Here is it almost eight years since I started, and this will be my 566th post.  I've posted stories, how to guides, instrument reviews, silly pictures, adventures, and so much more.  I hope I am lucky enough to keep writing.  I also hope I continue to become a better writer. 

I look at my early blogs, and see how they were just long posts like I would post on Myspace.  (Remember Myspace?)  That's where my blog got its start.  My posts were just quick thoughts and nothing more.  Once I had moved to Blogger I started to develop my thoughts a bit more. 

My early, erratic posts were funny in their own way, but a lot of the time they weren't that good.  Once I took writing a little more seriously I developed into a much better writer.  I hope to continue that trend. 

So here is a goodbye to 2016.  Overall, it's been an up year for me.  It hasn't been good for all the celebrities that it's killed off, but I have had a personal, profound change this year.  There was good, bad, and straight through indifferent, but overall I had more good than bad.  And despite the bad, I also grew as a person.  I think that may be the biggest, more important lesson that I will take from 2016. 

Adrian's Year In Review: The Best Blogs of 2015

Yep, it's that time of year again.  Where I count down the most viewed blogs and my personal favorite blogs of the year.  This past year, 2015, didn't see as many views as past years.  However, I am not in this for the views.  I do this because I like it. 

Long ago, all the way back in 2008, I started this blog over on Myspace.  I made a promise that I would average one blog per week.  This year I have 55 blogs with this review blog being number 56.  It's the most blogs I've written in a year since 2012 (65 blogs.)  2013 saw me write 55 blogs, and 2014 saw 53 blogs. 

So to start off, I will count down the top five most viewed blogs.  As I remind everyone every year, this is a bit unfair to myself.  A blog that I posted in January has 11 more months to be viewed than a blog that's posted in December.  But writers can't be choosers so here's the countdown. 

Now, I usually do a top 5 countdown.  But this year, I've had something that hasn't happened in a long time.  A tie.  There was a three way tie at number 6, so I thought I would include them.

6.  (Tie)  27 Views.

100,000 Miles
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/04/100000-miles.html

After 14 years my car finally flipped 100,000 miles. 


6.  (Tie)  27 Views.

Getcha Pull!!!! New Guitar Day: Dean Razorback
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/04/getcha-pull-new-guitar-day-dean.html

I got a killer deal on a guitar that I always wanted. 


6.  (Tie)  27 Views.

Hood Problems: Part 1, Strangers With Candy
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/06/hood-problems-part-1-strangers-with.html

I was assigned to the worst place I had ever been to.  When your own boss tells you to get out of that place, you don't argue.


5.  28 Views.

Draught of Living Death? Wait what?
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/07/draught-of-living-death-wait-what.html

A Harry Potter blog?  You bet.  I have a number of questions for J.K.  This is one of them.


4.  29 Views.

The Angel's Trumpet Plant In My Yard Is Mocking Me
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-angels-trumpet-plant-in-my-yard-is.html

The yard and I have a hate/hate relationship.  This is just one part of it.

3.  31 Views

Rich People Are Weird, Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Act Like A House-Elf
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/07/rich-people-are-weird-or-how-i-learned.html

The best stories are the true ones.  This one has so much truth that it goes into beyond weird territory.


2.  32 Views

New Pedal Day: Blue
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/02/new-pedal-day-blue.html

I bought a guitar pedal that hadn't really been reviewed.  So a lot of folks looked up my review online to see what I thought of it.


1.  57 Views.

New Pedal Day: Biyang Overdrive
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/03/new-pedal-day-biyang-overdrive.html

Again, I posted a review of a neat guitar pedal, and players wanted to know my thoughts on it.


Now onto my personal favorites of the year.


5.  Beyonce, I Hate To Break It To You, But....
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/05/beyonce-i-hate-to-break-it-to-you-but.html

I have bad news to break to Beyoncé, and she isn't going to like it.

4.  Rich People Are Weird, Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Act Like A House-Elf
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/07/rich-people-are-weird-or-how-i-learned.html

When you go from working one extreme to the other it can make life kind of hairy.

3.  How Do I Woo That Special Gal Without Being Seen As A Stalker?
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/07/how-do-i-woo-that-special-gal-without.html

I suck at girls.  This blog proves it.

2.  Songs In The Key Of C...anadian
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/11/songs-in-key-of-canadian.html

My Dad is a smartass from a long line of smartasses.  This blog only proves it.

1.  I Am The Table
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/12/i-am-table.html

Even though it's been a view years since that disastrous, "Lulu" album from Metallica and Lou Reed, I hadn't had a chance to give it the ribbing it deserved... until now. 

So that's it everyone.  Another year and I have achieved my blog goal.  I will remain committed to my writing.  In a way, I hope weird things continue to happen to me.  I get the best blogs that way.  Happy holidays and happy new year.

Super 500!

Back on April 4th, 2008 I posted my first blog post.  Like the blog itself, it was called, "Destruction for Fun and Profit."  My original idea for the blog was to talk about how things had to be destroyed in order to create new things.  I had to cut up and destroy a tree to make it into a guitar.  I had to cut grass and bushes to create the nice lawn we had. 

Pretty soon however, I started running out of ideas about destruction.  I started telling a lot of old stories of things that had happened to me or others.  I also blogged about my musical instrument obsession.  When I was dating Lili, I had a number of posts about me repairing and improving her house.  Some of my favorite posts were about pets and pet care.  I even had multiple parts to blogs that would span up to four parts/chapters.

But here seven and a half years later is my 500th blog. 

I wasn't sure I'd get this far.  A lot of people took up blogging, and then life happens to them.  However, I made a promise to myself to try and post four blogs per month, and if I could one a week.  I thought that would be a fair amount of time to put towards a blog. 

So here's to Super Blog number 500!  I already have an idea for blog number 501, and no, it's not about Levi's Blue Jeans.  It's about..... yet another guitar.  So I'll keep writing even if no one reads.  But I have a loyal few readers, and that's all I need.