That week shot by. How was it for you?
I've had a lot going on this week. I could have written a post on each section, but I didn't have the time to do any additional writing. I want to share how my week went in smaller sub-sections and I'm hoping things will return back to normal (ish) next week.
Blogging
I've been really happy with my first month blogging. I've found it so much more rewarding than I was expecting. I really enjoy the writing process, and this alone will probably keep me going for a long time. I'm also aware of all the spending and saving that I'm doing because after Monday next week, I'm going to be publishing my first monthly 'Income & Expenses' post. I can tell from the last 4 weeks that blogging about my spending habits and recording it for you all to see is really going to help me keep it all in line.
My viewing numbers are slowly growing too, which is great to see. Now, please don't laugh, but I got really excited this week when my daily views tipped the scales at 85 views! They've been anywhere between the 5-20 views up until now. So, what happened?
At the start of the week I spent some time giving back to the Blogging community and I decided to read loads of blogs in detail. I took the time to see what others were doing to get inspired, I posted comments on Blogs/Posts that I liked, I took tips from blog layouts or widgets, and generally got better acquainted with people around the world doing the same thing as me. This in turn led to people checking out my blog and seeing who I was and what I was doing. My apologies to anyone who's fully aware of this process, but for me this was unexpected, but appreciated.
Through my Blog reading I decided to add any blogs that I liked or felt connected to in some way to my Blogroll. I did come across a few that I didn't connect to as much and although I had taken the time to read their blog and understand them as a person, I didn't want to add just anyone. So, if your blog is included on my list you should feel truly honoured! :-)
My intense blog reading brought me to my next section.....
The FIREstarter Questions
I came across an interesting blog The Fire Starter. His blog is based around achieving Financial Independence within 5 years and retiring early. He's based in the UK, and I liked his frank writing style.
He started a new feature on his Blog called 'BlogFAQ' which he's hoping to turn into a series. It involves interviewing other blog owners about their blog and their lives.
I read the post on his first volunteer Eco Thrifty Living. It was a very interesting read, and you got to understand the writer very quickly. The 'About Me' section on blogs can be quite different from person to person. Some are very personal and detailed, whilst others are brief and generic. The 'Frequently Asked Questions' Post gave a great insight into the Blogger. Once you've read it, you know whether or not it's a blog that would interest you or not.
In this post, TFS offered out the chance to volunteer yourself to be questioned on his Blog. I enjoyed the read, and it would be nice to tell others about what I do on a different platform so I thought why not!
I dropped him an email and he agreed to check my blog out to see what I do, and if he was happy with the content, he would send through the questions. He was happy so he sent them through. There were quite a few to go through, and he said that if I felt any were too intrusive, not to worry about answering it and just move on. I ended up answering them all, and although it took me 3 evenings to complete, I thoroughly enjoyed the process. It made me look at a couple of areas that I hadn't thought about before such as Net Worth and Blogging Goals. I sent through my final copy last night, so you might well see it on his Blog (if he's happy with it!) in the next week. I'll post a link when it's live.
Now onto some not so good news....
Family Health
My dad recently had a biopsy taken from his prostate, and I went with him to the 'results' appointment. It came back positive for cancer. Fortunately, it is treatable, and he's started on his medication immediately. Our family has been very lucky so far as we haven't had to deal with anything like this before. My dad has never had any significant illness, so this was a big adjustment for us. As this was new territory for me, I was a bit surprised with the time it takes to take on something like cancer. He'll need to go on medication for 6 months before he's considered for radiation, although he might not need any. The reality dawned on me that overcoming cancer can a long tough road. This might sound obvious to many, but the process has been really difficult for us all leading up to the news this week. The idea of sitting through another 6 months to however long it takes, wasn't one that filled me with excitement.
However, like most challenges in life, I believe they make you a stronger human being. When I'm walking home in the rain from work, I'm hungry and I think "this is a bit rubbish", it helps me gain some perspective!
When my dad is able to get through this process he'll be a stronger man because of it.
I was really proud of my dad and how he handled the whole situation. He's doing his best to remain positive and upbeat about the whole situation, and I feel really positive about taking it on with him.
My Health
For the last 4 weeks I've been unable to do any weight-training as I've had a pain in the side of my abdomen. The doctors initially thought it was an abdominal strain and told me to take it easy for 3-4 weeks, which I have. I limited my exercise to just walking so I would give my body the chance to recover fully.
After 4 weeks, it feels the same if not worse. I went back in to the doctors and they decided to run a blood, urine and feces test to see if it was related to my liver, kidneys or bladder. I hate having my blood taken. It feels like the doctors/nurses are taking away my strength and soul! :-) I get a bit 'woozy' afterwards, I have been known to pass out before. I don't do it enough, thankfully, to become more accustomed to it. This has led me to think that I should challenge myself and go and give blood though. The blood test this week took about 20 seconds, if that. Giving blood can take up to 15 mins. That is my idea of hell by the way. If giving blood makes me that uncomfortable, then I'm uncomfortable with that. So, I intend to attack my weakness, research blood donation and this will be an additional goal for 2014!
Thankfully my results came back fine. The only concern was my low platelet count in my blood, so they want me to do another blood test in 4 weeks.... brilliant!
In the meantime, I'm still not exercising the way I would like, but after my dad's appointment this week it has reminded me that I could be a lot worse off.
Catching up with friends
One of my best mates and his wife are coming over today for a good old catch up. I haven't seen them for a while now. I love catching up with friends, seeing what they've been up to, laughing, and generally talking crap.
For those of you that read my post Consumer Confessions you'll be aware that I'm looking forward to giving my friend a driving experience present, and I'm really excited about it! How's he going to react?
The red wine is stocked, the sticky toffee pudding and ice cream are chilled and frozen, and the weather this weekend is due to be in the late teens. It's going to be a great weekend I can just feel it!
Thanks again for reading and I hope you all have a great weekend!
Have you got any plans for the weekend? How's your week been? Please feel free to share......
Labels: Blog Update
