Feeling the Crunch

This week I’ve felt how the demands of life have influenced my ability to write and take pictures. My mind has been preoccupied with statistics and projects so I’ve been more eager to do that than to write. But I’m still able to write, and I guess the crunch pushes me to photo edit and write faster.

Last night I spoke with my dad and he was telling me about his childhood. He was telling me that all these images from when he was younger are all coming back to him, and he is writing more. He also feels sad for the things he can’t remember.

This is the reason I write on the blog, to make sure that we remember those things that are going on in our lives. That small window to the world is also the way we record our lives and who we are choosing to be remembered.

Photo Challenge Week 12

March 13, 2015March 13, 2015

Numbers Talking

Views per Month

Number of Posts Views and visitors are not the focus of my blog, but boy how I love to see the graphs. I find myself hitting the refresh on the “Stats” page over and over, especially if I published something that day. There is something magical about publishing something, posting it on facebook and seeing people come to the site. There is excitement in having something meaningful being read by others.

December was a record month, and then February broke the record again with over 650 views. And I know all this is small potatoes to most sites, but this is my baby. As I look at the numbers, when I post something on facebook people come, sometimes new posts bring people, sometimes old posts on Thursdays bring people to the site. Small posts are good, videos are better; things I know, but so hard to produce.

The main thing, the real cause to this bigger numbers is really that I’ve been publishing 2 posts every week and doing a #TBT on Thursdays, it’s just having new content and opening that window to our home. I’m happy that I have this window, where we can share out happy moments and our sad times.

As you can see from the number of posts on the left, and the views on top; the more I write the more people come to the site; and that makes me want to write more, and happy that I’m doing it.

Photo Challenge Week 11

March 6, 2015

Update 10: On Writing

From this point on, I will not include which Update I’m doing, it has been 10 weeks of posting, and you and I understand that this is happening, consistently. This consistency is what has really stretched me this year. 10 Weeks, 3 posts per week (2 on the Main Site and 1 here) very consistently.

My mind keeps coming back to this post from Gina Trapani about her new rules of blogging. I too put new rules at that time—Just Write. This year I’ve also put in a goal to write more often, flexing the muscle; and I’ve used this particular space to just fill it with my thought of the week. A Meta Blog for FamMijangos.com

Had it not been for this setup, I don’t think I would have written some of the posts. Having that deadline is just moves you to think of your week, the experiences, that might even seem trivial are the ones that shape you.

I see things differently, they make me to pause and reflect how I understand them. I find myself being somewhat in a reminiscent state. Are my reactions based strictly on what I see or are they linked to things from my past. This week I wrote on my girl’s love for tying her stuffed animals with blankets, and how I love to help her with that. I went back to the time I was in Scouts and my love of knots.

I enjoy writing about these things, not long posts, not the 1,000 word description of a vacation which I want to do; but are not the most enjoyable. I’ve found that posts between 200 and 300 words are enjoyable, deep enough, and fast enough to write.

Check out the new template for the 365 Photo Challenge:

Photo Challenge Week 10

February 27, 2015

Update 9: Points of Friction

Yesterday I picked up my car from the shop after being down for a few days due to trouble with my power steering. Turns out that the return line had a leak, and it exacerbated after the deep freeze we had these past weeks. The leak was caused by the line coming free from a pin and being in constant friction with another metal in the chassis.

094 - Points of friction

As I looked at it, and being mad that the friction caused me to replace the whole line and paid for someone to spend a few hours putting it on, I thought about other things that could be causing friction in my life. Working for an engine manufacturer I know that friction is what you always want to avoid. Metal on metal friction can cause so many problems. So looking back, there so many times that I have let friction into my relationships.

Knowing that love is the balm that heals and also prevents these frictions; we choose not to be encircled by it; and thus have those friction points. We might think that having a well oiled machine that runs smooth is not exiting, there is no fun in that. Certainly an engine with sparks flying and fire spewing from the exhaust might look exiting; but how long will it last?

This post might be deeper than I intended, but just wanted to share my thoughts as I pondered on the events of this week.

365 Photo Challenge

I’m amazed that I have been able to do this, and continue doing so. February is almost over and I’m happy to share the results.

February 2015

February 20, 2015

Update 8: Instagram to Twitter via IFTTT.com

Yesterday, I posted image # 50 on my 365 photo challenge, wow so much. I really don’t think I’m close to being a good photographer, but I find myself looking for opportunities, and I know I have to have my camera close.

Today I want to share something I did, that changed how I share things on Instagram. This whole year I’ve been using Instagram a whole lot more, it is where I’m publishing this 365 Day Challenge, I’ve also started following more people and it has been really interesting.

So I haven’t really shared the images outside of Instagram, it wasn’t compelling. I had shared some images in the past on facebook, but that was it. A few days I go I shared an image on twitter, I thought that i would be good for me to share this experience of the 365 Day Photo Challenge with my twitter followers. Then yesterday I saw my post, and it was not what I wanted.

I wanted to share the image, not a link. I had remembered that my brother had mentioned that he used IFTTT.com (IF This Then That) to send all his Instagram images to twitter, at that time I didn’t want to send my images to twitter, so it really didn’t register. Even today, I don’t think I want to send all my Instagram images to twitter, but I do want to send all the images in this challenge to twitter.

I opened my IFTTT.com account, where I use their system to back up all my posts from this and other blogs to evernote, like a journal. So I picked the right channels that I wanted to use and created this recipe:

It was so easy, I picked the recipe to only be triggered when I post with the tag #ciuan365 which is the main tag I’m using. Then post the caption as a tweet, and create an image with the Instagram image. Boom! See the result:

This is what I really wanted, thanks IFTTT, you made me happy. Putting the internet to work for you.

365 Photo Challenge

February 13, 2015

Update 7: Reporting, Documenting or Sharing?

I am getting used to the 3 posts weekly (2 in FamMijangos.com and 1 here), yet every time I sit down to write I struggle with the voice of what I am writing about.

Pirate School Post Take for instance this post on an outing with my daughter. It was an event put on by the city. I look at my images and start narrating what happened; and then I think: “Am I a reporter?” Since I don’t think I want to be a reporter, I change my voice, now I’m recording history! Isn’t that what I want that blog to be, a family history? But I struggle with that voice too, because even though I want to open that window to the public, I also owe the readers a window to my thoughts and feelings.

Now I’m talking about feelings, being a dad and seeing my daughter have fun; happiness, fun and youth slipping away. I don’t want the blog to be too sappy, too much introspection; it is not my journal, but close to it. I don’t want to pour all my heart, I think there are things that are personal and I do write those in my journal (although often enough).

I guess we need a bit of everything, enough context to understand the feelings, and enough feelings for things to matter.

So those are my struggles when I write, the lens or lenses that I think about as I write those posts. I do report a bit, sometimes the opening paragraph, sometimes I document (trips, restaurant, adventures) and sometimes I just share my thoughts and feelings. I guess we need a bit of everything, enough context to understand the feelings, and enough feelings for things to matter.

365 Photo Challenge

I’m still going, almost a month and a half! The last photo this week was #43, so 43 days of opening my camera for this purpose. As you can see, not everyone is great, but I’m learning, and thinking about what I want to photograph. Hopefully by the time the baby comes, I’ll be a lot better.

February 6, 2015

Update 6: Use of Video

This week, not really planning for it, my posts on FamMijangos.com where primarily videos. I haven’t been very successful with videos, first I don’t have a good recording device and second, I’m always in terrible lighting conditions. This week one of the videos also had poor sound, so I know I am beyond help.

In spite of all these conditions, the posts did pretty well. It helps that both feature a cute 4 year old, singing and dancing. It’s just so weird for me to post bad material, and people like them. I guess is goes back to having a meaningful message, and people can forgive the medium.

Readers are not expecting professional videos, with perfect lighting and high resolution. They are content with me allowing, an otherwise closed, door into our family. In 20 years, it won’t matter to my children that the quality was bad, but rather that it is available.

I am learning to forgive myself more, I shouldn’t expect perfect material, it should be the best I can; but not to limit my output due to quality. The value is in opening those doors, hopefully by doing so I will get better.

Again, my objective is for FamMijangos.com to be a record of our family’s history, the most important part is not perfect quality, but continuity. So I will continue to work on my imperfection, someday I’ll produce better videos, for now readers will have to bear with me.

365 Photo Challenge

So I completed the first month, 31 days of picking up a camera and shooting. Here is January, and the 7 pictures for this week (Friday Jan 29 – Thursday Feb 5).

January 30, 2015

Update 5: On Good Times and Bad Times

This week I published the post “Un procedimiento impresionante“(An Impressive Procedure), which tells our experience with TAC (Trans-Abdominal Cerclage), where the uterus, with a baby inside, is taken out and the upper part of the cervix stitched to prevent the baby coming early.

I debated whether we should publish that or not, was it TMI or was it just reality. Looking at FamMijangos.com you would think that our family is always happy, no trial, just fun times. I don’t want that, I also don’t want to be a pity party, but I want to maintain that balance.

I saw this week a post on 71toes.com, and the author also struggled with that reality. She even has a page (keeping it real) with a list of post of examples of not so happy times. So I do see that others are struggling with these types of decisions.

I do think that there are things that you shouldn’t share to the public, but I do want to have a balanced output of our family dynamics. What do you think it’s the right balance?

And here are the pictures of the week:

January 23, 2015January 30, 2015

Update 4: On Kaizen and The Collect App

Back on the saddle again, posted 2 posts this weeks on FamMijangos.com. It feels good to stay on course, I also noticed that I was faster at editing images and writing, I was surprised that I wrote almost 500 words in an hour.

So going back to my original post on Kaizen, this is exactly what I wanted. I wanted to improve, and the only way is by practicing. I want to share our family adventures, and I want to do it well, and I guess I want to write it faster too.

Another thing that I found this week was The Collect App, several websites said that the App was a great help when doing the 365 Photo Challenges. It has been a great motivator to see my images, one by one start filling up my calendar (I’ll share the calendar at the end).

Another thing that happended yesterday, with regards to this Challenge was that it was around 9pm. I had forgoten to take a picture and just didn’t feel like it. But I didn’t want to break the stretch, so I just put my phone and took a picture infront of the mirror. It was so simple, yet it boosted my confidence that I can do this challenge, even if I only take dumb pictures like that. So today I’m happy, and see th images bellow.

365 Photo Challenge

January 16, 2015January 16, 2015

Update 3: Creating vs Recording

I’ve been in training all week, plus my wife underwent a surgical procedure over the week end. So in short, I didn’t meet my goal for this week for publishing material on Monday or Wednesday on FamMijangos.com. I don’t know if it’s sad that I broke my stride so early in the year, I don’t really feel sad.

I do wish I had more time to work on this project; but I realize that the primary goal of FamMijangos.com is to document our family adventures. Focusing on documenting, missed the point of having adventures. Having to choose between spending time with the family, and documenting our time together; spending time will always win. I rather have my family remember my participation, rather than a memory of me editing last year’s pictures.

Have other bloggers experienced this paradigm? How have you dealt with it?