Yes....it's been months now since I've blogged and even though I have spent many months trying to excite and incite my nonprofit clients to blog, twitter and facebook with abandon, I have not taken my own advice lately so I'm writing now to tell you that I am making my first New Year's resolution to get back in the game.
 
It's not like I don't have anything to say.  My family will attest to the fact that they can rarely get me to shut up but sometimes the nasty bits of life do get in the way of moving forward.  Soo..let's see what has been happening in the past few months and well, this year.
 
My "side" business as a photographer got alot of unsolicited attention this year and I mark 2009 as the first year that I got a photo published in the New York Times (promoting a Pete Seeger tribute in Hoboken)....kinda cool.  I also got a few photos of a friend, Irio O'Farrill, published in Bass Player magazine.  They did an article on him as he is the bass player for "In the Heights" on Broadway.
 
I produced my first photo calendar.  A personal, rather last minute project which I gave for gifts this year.  Inspired by some dog walks with a friend's dog.  You can see the photos for a time on the homepage of my photo site which I am in the process of updating.  www.lyricphoto.com
 
Musically, I recorded a version of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" with a little help from my friends, Rich Feridun and Irio O'Farrill.  I was supposed to sing in the Pete Seeger tribute but got swine flu instead so out of frustration, I recorded the song in a day and posted it on here http://www.myspace.com/annaleevankleeck . I finally gave in to the digital gods and converted my recording studio to a Pro Tools setup and I still dream of the day when I will actually have the time to use it!
 
Database and website business-wise, I launched my first Drupal/CiviCRM site, www.handson.org which combined, membership, donor and event management in one place and has revolutionized the management of their business for the Executive Director; I completed a few database conversions; moderated a session on fundraising systems at the Foundation Center and ended my 2-year stint as Program Co-Vice Chair for Fundraising Day in New York.
 
All in all, not a bad year.  A few of my plans for the New Year include:  Re-vamping my photo website and actually marketing that business; Producing a CD of my own songs and favorites; Teaching a Development Systems session at NYU; Increasing my website business and education of the open source technology field...oh, and last but not least, get healthy and fit back into that little black dress which has been gathering dust in the closet...:-)
 
Here's hoping the New Year will bring us all prosperity and exciting, growth-filled days!