UPDATE: Mom didn’t regift me thank goodness. She actually did a good job with her gifts this year, though there were a few “off the wall” gifts as always.

My quick rundown of what I got for Christmas:

• Friends Second Season DVD box set
• Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons
• Allan Folsom’s Day of Confession
• A dancing Grinch Who Stole Christmas that also sings the Grinch song
• An iPuppy
• A Christmas ornament
• A vase with naked women on it
• A vintage Kodak camera
• An old jewelry box with some of my Dad’s stuff from when he was a youngin’

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With Christmas just a few days away and the new year not much further off I was reflecting on the past year. Aw yes, reflection—something that is abundant online and in the mind—seems these days reflection is everywhere. There are going to be plenty of bloggers talking about great designs of 2006 and predictions for 2007 but not me, I don’t fit in that realm. I rather talk about, well, me (that’s a joke y’all)!

Taking stock in the last year made me realize that I’d forgotten I had undertaken some big changes in my life. I bought a car then shortly thereafter left my secure job of 3 years (and health benefits) to go in business with 2 other people then left that business to sit here and write this entry, i.e. I’m unemployed, but I’m happier this year than I have been in quite some time and that’s the largest, shiniest reflection of all. I guess what I’m trying to say is all in all, it’s been a pretty good year and nothing makes a year better than a list, at least that’s what they say on all the respectable blogs…or are they?

So without further ado, “20 Things I’ve Enjoyed This Year.”
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I’ve come across several sites that have a Friday link round-up but what about those of us that need help getting over the hump? Here’s my solution, “Link Tank—Humpday Linkage.”

• Project Management Made Easy: No matter what you do for a living you need to manage some sort of project—read this and learn something.
• 9 Ways To Get Banned by Search Engines: You can take this article one of two ways but for my money, I’m gonna follow these tips so I’m not banned by Search Engines.
• 5 Tips for Hiding Your Email Address from Spammers: Title kind of says it all. I personally use the javascript method.
• Kody’s Moleskine iPod Hack: It’s a moleskin and an iPod, what more can you ask for?
• Showing Good Form: Creating forms without tables can sometimes be difficult. Here’s an article that sheds some light on the subject.
• Everystockphoto.com: And to round it off, everyone loves a freebie and stock photos for free are even better.

I was asked to write an article for .net magazine and it was published in their December 2006 issue with usability guru Jakob Nielsen on the cover.

My “article” is towards the back on page 104 under “Expert Advice.” That begs the question… does that now make me an expert? Can I put that on my resume?

Anyway, it was fun to do and the only thing I regret about it is the photo of me—it’s bad, bad, bad.