A while back I set a goal for myself.  As a relatively frequent blogger (4 or 5 times a week usually) there  were plenty of weeks that went by that I struggled with whether or not I wanted to keep spending time here or if it was just a phase.  So I thought I would put myself to the test to see if I had it in me or if I was just forcing it.  I set a goal to post every day for 30 days.

I reached that goal no problem.  But it was too easy.  I wasn’t really pushing myself.  Just setting my mind to it.  So I decided to set a real goal.  Instead of 30 days, the aim was for 365.  Well, that was 359 days ago.  The final countdown has started.  This is post is the first of the remaining 7.  51 weeks down.  One to go.  I’m pretty sure I can make it.  It has definitely been a struggle at times, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.  It is absolutely a marathon.

But now I have to decide what to do once I cross the finish line.  There are plenty of options and I think have some good ones, but I’m not sure which I want to go with yet.  So I need your help here.

Which option is your pick?

1. Set a new goal and keep blogging for another straight year.
2. Take a week + off and rest my weary fingers and keyboard.
3. Rush the launch of my newest project (not sure I can really get it done in time)
4. _________________________________ (fill in the blank)

As I am headed back to work today and thinking about how great it was to be with all my family on vacation I’m wondering how to get my mind reengaged with life, how to kickstart my heart again if you will.  If you take a vacation well, I believe you should disconnect yourself from work as much as you possibly can.  If I am on vacation but constantly worried about work and things that I have already gotten covered, I’m not getting much of a break from one of the main things that vacation is.

So that’s what I did.  I haven’t read any emails or answered phone calls or made setlists.  I haven’t worked on the Web site or played with a single graphic.  I haven’t even picked up my guitar.  But now I am back and vacation is over.  Now I have to get my mind going again on all things normal life.

What do you do?  How do you reengage?  Or do you find yourself not actually taking a break?

Plans are in the works for a major renovation here at brookjames.com.  I have been thinking and praying about this for a while now and I’m tired of just not doing it.  So over the next couple months (hopefully not longer than that) I will be working on a brand new look to this site.  I hope and pray that it will be something that God will use in all kinds of ways.  I don’t know what the finished product is yet, but I have some pretty good ideas of what I’m shooting for and I am very excited about it all!

So, here is where you come in.  I have come up with some plans and concepts, but the domain name that I want to get to add to it has been taken.  It was claimed back in 2008 and has not been used.  Unfortunately the owner has it until 2012.  Boo.  While there are other options, this one is my absolute favorite so far.  So if you would join in with me in praying that this lady in New York doesn’t ignore my emails, has a heart, no plans for it, and is willing to pass it on to me I would really appreciate it!  It won’t stop the plans from moving forward if she says no or ignores me, but it definitely will be a big bummer!

Thank you all for your support, prayers and love.  I seriously can’t thank you all enough!  Stay tuned for some awesome new stuff coming soon!

Pretty much speaks for itself.  Find out more here.

So I have been blogging now for over a year and I have never really thought of a good tagline for my blog.  Apparently that’s what you are supposed to do.  Your page should say something like this.

Blahblah.com – A Place Where Everyone Blahs

But I never really had that.  I had one that I kinda borrowed for a while, but it didn’t really have anything to do with what was actually written here.  So I am asking you.  As I launch my all new website here soon, what should my tagline be?  Help!

brookjames.com – ???????????

Ever sit back and wonder why you do some of the things that you do? Me too. But sometimes those crazy things are the things we enjoy the most. Christmas is a time that is chalked full of those traditions. The trees, lights, circular globs of dead foliage and pine cones on the door, every time a bell rings, mistletoe (which was the Oklahoma state flower until 2004 and yet actually a parasite…not a flower), cookies and milk for Santa, Santa, the Christmas story, breakfast casserole, you’ll shoot your eye out kid, presents at a certain time, surfing, etc. this list goes on and on and on.

But we are now in a new phase of life.  We don’t live within driving distance of everyone important to us.  We won’t see everyone for the week before and after Christmas.  The family won’t all be together for any day at all actually.  So we have to come up with and start some new traditions.  Last year we Skyped with the family as we all opened presents on Christmas morning.  The only bad part was that they all were in Oklahoma and two hours earlier than us so we had to get up pretty early.  That was good, but now we have a daughter on the way and only one last Christmas before the world completely changes.  We now have to start traditions with our family here as well.  She won’t understand for a good while I’m sure, but that excuse never seems to get by my wife or Wendy.

My mom is asking all these questions here and I don’t have all the answers.  Therefore I ask you!

• So what traditions do you and your family have?
• What are some that are worth starting?
• What are some that are annoying and a waste of time?  (If you have any involving singing Christmas carols…well…for me they fall into this category)

The wife and I have decided that for Christmas we are going to give each other the gift of blog freedom and facelifts!  Yeah, that might sound lame, but we are also trying out this saving money for a baby thing.  So what we are planning on doing is taking our blogs off of the WordPress.com site and start using the WordPress.org self hosting software.  We don’t really know what we are doing, but we know that we will have more control over our blogs which is a good thing!

What I understand right now is that I have to have the ability to host on my domain.  Check.  What we are giving each other for Christmas is the gift of doing this without the dumb ads from GoDaddy.  So now if there are ads on the page it will be because we chose for them to be there.  But there are a few things that I don’t understand.

• Does self hosting HAVE to happen through the place you purchased the domain name?
• Will I be able to work on my new blog template without it changing up my page or will I have to basically shut down the blog while I work on it?
• Where is a good place to get really good WordPress templates for free or cheap?

Help!

We have a great condo here in Huntington Beach.  We really love it.  Yeah there are things that we would like to make things ideal like a full second bath, more room, less rent, etc.  But all in all it’s a pretty sweet place.  I mean it’s right by downtown and only a few blocks from the beach.  Plus we have a pool and hot tub and look out our back door and see palm trees.  Really it would be tough to beat!

So it’s all fine and dandy right?  Well not quite.  Of course there always has to be that one thing.  You know what I mean.  That ONE thing that just really drives you crazy.  I’m a pretty laid back and easy going guy.  I can handle the old lady that sometimes pushes both buttons at the elevator because that makes it get there faster (and makes you ride up before you can go down).  I can handle the white guy that calls himself T-Bone.  I can handle a million kids playing and being loud while I wanna sleep in.  I can even handle the traffic when trying to get out.  But the ONE thing for me is our neighbor.  Is she loud?  No.  Is she trashy?  No.  Does she call the cops on us?  No.  But, she smokes.

We have an awesome back patio.  It serves as our AC (which we don’t have) because we can just open the back door and get the ocean breeze in to cool us off.  So what’s the problem?  Her back patio is right below ours.  Therefore when she smokes (which I’m told she will NOT do inside her condo) our condo is filled with the nasty smell of her cigarettes.  I really don’t know what to do about it.  She smokes all the time.  Several times a night.  I mean she smoked twice while I wrote this post!  I don’t know that I can really ask her to stop smoking on her property.  Right?  So what’s a guy to do?

Any ideas?  Suggestions?

So the question was asked of me this morning and has been asked in the past.  What is my niche for blogging?  That’s a very good question.  But first, I must ask this.  How do you pronounce the word niche?  Is it nich?  Is it neesh?  I have no idea.  I had never heard anyone say “neesh” until I moved out to California.  Weird.  Weird Californians.  So which is it?

Ok, so on to the main question.  This is where I would really love your input.  I know, I know.  I’m not gonna get much because most of you don’t comment (losers), but it’s worth a shot.  So here are some of the things I tend to blog about.  What is my niche?  Help me narrow it down here!  I have my ideas, but I would like to see what it is that those that read the blog think.

• Worship music
• Sports
• My wife
• Marriage
• Movies
• Christianity
• Leadership
• Random life things
• Music

Is there more?  Should it be less?  For you bloggers, what niche have you found?

I’m pretty sure that Billy Shakespeare didn’t have a blog to ask his random questions on, but I do.  So I put it to you.  Which is better?   Blogspot or WordPress?  I don’t know.  So far here is what I have.  I don’t know that these are all true.  If they aren’t please correct me!  Also, please add to my list.  What else do I need to know?  What else should I look for?