I started this blog on April 10th, 2008.  Technically it was a few months before that but due to some rookie mistakes for the first few months I finally figured out how to manage a blog without blowing it up.  Over the last 4 years I’ve had 465 comments.  That means for every 6 blog posts I get one comment, not too bad I guess.  That number is terrible if you were to compare to likes/comments on a Facebook posting.  Blog engagement/community seems to be dying.  Maybe it is just me.  People consume on blogs/sites and engage in social media.  At least that is my view.  I’m averaging 40 some RSS reads per day, is RSS dying too?  To date 256,199 people have visited my site.  I don’t have a blog for the hits, or for the comments.  I use my blog as an online brain, a place for me to refer to things I’ve thought, sites I’ve enjoyed, videos, pictures, things I want to share.  Thanks for hanging in there with me while we all figure this out.

Try taking the Visual DNA test and see how closely it fits your personality.  I think it did a good job for me…

Spirit
You’re a Seeker. You’re efficient and reliable with tons of energy for getting things done! Keeping all those plates spinning is one of your specialties. A sensitive soul with an expressive nature, you tend to be quite a romantic at heart. Sometimes you love nothing more than escaping into your very own dreamworld. Spontaneous new experiences can be really inspiring to you and you like exploring your creative side from time to time. Seems like you’re in a really good place right now, feeling happy, playful and full of energy. It’s great when everything in life seems to flow. Your natural tendency to look on the bright side definitely helps! A healthy relationship really is the bedrock of a happy home, but it also takes a lot of energy and commitment to maintain. Make sure that with all the other distractions, your love life doesn’t end up at the bottom of the list. It’s important to remember to tap into your inner strength and to believe in yourself. Take on new challenges and stay stimulated so you remain enthusiastic and inspired by life. As a Seeker, you get excited by new ideas. You like adventure and original experiences that stimulate and challenge your status quo. Stay inspired with a rich mix of activities, and find time for hobbies that allow you to explore your creative side. Learn to recognize when you need variety in your life, and then incorporate it into your daily plans. Having a loving relationship is one of the biggest blessings there is. A solid home life is an immense source of strength and support. Make sure you don’t take your partner for granted. Carving out some regular special one-on-one time is always worth it.

Relationship
You like to feel protected and cared for. It’s important that your partner is someone whose advice you really value and a loyal ally you can lean on through anything. As a Rock Steady, it’s important to you that your relationship feels secure. You tend to be realistic about what makes a lifelong relationship work and understand the value of forging a love based on friendship and respect. You believe that a true partnership is about sharing responsibility and being able to count on one another through whatever life throws at you. This feeling has probably grown even more since the kids arrived. Creating a true sense of honesty and support means your love will grow as the years go by.

Relationship tips:

So you’re a Rock Steady but what tips can we give for keeping the magic alive in your relationship?

1. Rekindle the romance. Get up with the lark and meet at a local market to buy beautiful flowers and feast on a yummy breakfast
2. Do something different. Take a cocktail-making class together at a local bar. It’ll be lots of fun with plenty of tasting to be done!
3. Take it easy. Imagine you’re on holiday in your own city. Do the fun things tourists would do and capture it all on film with a disposable camera.
4. Let your inhibitions go. If it rains, grab the chance to run wild in the puddles and have lots of fun getting soaked to the skin and then warming up afterwards!

Money
You’re a techie, and you love to have the latest gadgets. If you get some money to spend, chances are it will go on something shiny! Your drive and motivation mean you know what you want out of life and you’re not afraid to go for it. You have a taste for the finer things, but you know they’re not easy to come by. You’re focused and determined, with the ambition to achieve your vision. Just make sure you take time to admire the view rather than heading as fast as you can to the destination.

Health
Unappealing as it may seem, it would be good to try to be a bit more active every day. You might be surprised at how much you’d actually enjoy regular exercise. It may sound hard to believe, but endorphins are better than chocolate if you just give them a chance! You may even find that you’re in a better mood more often. Start off with something that isn’t too intimidating, like climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator. You might even consider signing up for a few personal training sessions in the gym so that you have a program that’s tailored just for you. You may need to think about making a few changes what you eat too. Maybe you could try making homemade versions of your favorite restaurant meals to reduce the sodium and fat content and eat healthier without compromising too much on taste.

Home
If you took some time out to visualize your dream life, you could probably see yourself away from the rat race, chilling out on a beach. Nothing puts a smile on your face like waking up to sun, sea and sand without a care in the world. Fresh fruit, seafood and not a cloud in the sky…sounds like paradise!

Entertainment
You like to live life on the edge…of your chair. Laid-back and easy-going, you know how to kick back, put your feet up and watch the world go by or just chill in front of the TV and forget the world exists for a few hours. Life can be so hectic that it’s the perfect way to unwind. Don’t be afraid of granting yourself a little bit of downtime.

Style
You’re active and like to get involved in life. If you feel great, you’ll look great, and vice versa, so you know the importance of taking care of yourself. You’re motivated and driven to succeed in all aspects of your life. For you, going running is a great way to unwind and get away from it all, and let’s face it, all those endorphins don’t hurt either! But why not kick back every once in a while and show off your athletic figure in some cool surf shorts? After all, you’ve definitely got the legs for it!

Travel
You’re inquisitive, open-minded and interested in history. You love to discover new things and experience new places. For you, the tourist trail is best avoided. After all, it’s the hidden gems that make traveling so exciting! You love to thoroughly immerse yourself in culture, so chances are you’ll end up in a museum or gallery at some point on your trip.

About this time each year like everyone else I start getting goal oriented and love to reflect on where I am in life.  I like to think about where I’ve been, and where I hope to go.

Past resolutions:

• My 2011 resolutions
• My 2010 resolutions
• My 2009 resolutions

I’ve even written a few letters to some of my more challenging years (very therapeutic by the way):

• My letter to 2009
• My letter to 2008

We should also revisit my 2011 resolutions to see how I did.

2011 Resolutions:

• Resolution #1: Be happy.  How do I measure being happy to know if I achieved it?  I won’t, I’ll just be happy.
• Yeah I killed this one, knocked it out of the park, owned it.
• Resolution #2: Have a healthier balance of giving and sharing of information.  Read more, get information if it isn’t given.  OK I won’t, I love sharing, but it is worth a try.
• Shared more than ever and didn’t take too much time to really improve myself so I think I failed on this one.
• Continue my 2010 and 2009 resolutions but let’s get specific and more reasonable
  • Resolution #3: 50 consecutive push-ups
  • Result: Fail, when Jeremy + happy = weak Jeremy.  Jeremy + sad or upset = farmer strength Jeremy.
  • Resolution#4: Run at least a mile once a week
  • Result: Run?  What is that?  FAIL, epic, epic fail.
  • Resolution #5: Create one new website
  • Result: Yeah I did well on this one, actually created several, but nothing I’m too proud of or anything that is getting much traction yet.
  • Resolution #6: Add more self created videos on jeremyperson.com, I’m really enjoying doing that
  • Result: Fail, don’t think I did any this year.
  • Resolution #7: Make my bed at least twice a week
  • Result: Fail, hate making the bed.  Never do, sue me.
  • Resolution #8: Do the dishes 4 times a week
  • Result: Yeah I think so.
  • Resolution #9: Work on one book
  • Result: No, didn’t really get to this one.
  • Resolution #10: Christina and Jeremy date nights (like actually taking my Christina out) at least every other week
  • Result: No but this did come up in conversation last night.  I recognize we need to “hit the town” more often.
  • Resolution #11: Mr. Tyler man don’t think I forgot about you.  This year we are going to work on some computer skills, language, and continue your (OK my) love of baseball.  Oh and we are going to play, play, play.
  • Result: Lots and lots of playing with T-Bone, T-Dog, Tyler…

And drum roll please…

My 2012 resolutions are…

Let’s start with the “fuzzy resolution” stuff…the stuff you really can’t measure very well:

• Resolution #1: Share less, do more.
• I find I spend so much time sharing things with others that I’m actually not as productive as I could be.  Same problem as years past but I’m slowly learning to cut back on giving and in 2012 I’m going to get all knowledge greedy on you all.  OK I’m always a big talker but we’ll see how I do.
• Resolution #2: Music
• I’ve been using Spotify for about 6 months now and I absolutely love it.  Ironically I’m listening to Pandora because I need some new recommendations for my Spotify playlists.  Listen to more music, I absolutely love music.
• Resolution #3: Open source
• Keep my thoughts and actions open.
• Resolution #4: PHP
• Keep up on learning all I can, and doing all I can with PHP.

Alright and now for the stuff that we can measure:

• Resolution #5: Read a book a month
• Books.  I have a large queue but I’m not taking the team to read them.
• Resolution #6: Drink more water
• Drink more of that H20 stuff.  You know the stuff were 60% made of.  It is probably a good sign I’m drinking water as I write this.
• Resolution #7: Write a book
• I’ve had a few book ideas, and I’ve even started on them but I’d love to get one completely drafted.
• Resolution #8: Push ups
• I’m happy, really happy.  As previously mentioned being happy isn’t the best for my physical health.
• Quarter 1 of 2012: 15 consecutive push ups
• Quarter 2 of 2012: 30 consecutive push ups
• Quarter 3 of 2012: 45 consecutive push ups
• Quarter 4 of 2012: 60 consecutive push ups
• Resolution #9: Schedule a quarterly update on how I’m doing with the above resolutions.

Keep on keeping on…and…remember this is going to happen to us throughout 2012…

BUT…

Happy 2012 everyone!  Let’s rock this year…

Thanks Safeway friends for my birthday lunch yesterday.  My birthday is tomorrow, the big 34…

Because I share everything else with the world. How beautiful was Christina? Very.

People who are meant to be together always find their way in the end.  I found the type of woman I have been looking for, someone who brightens my day.  Someone I respect.  Someone who has been there for me every time I have needed her.  Someone intelligent. Someone fun.  Someone who I love as much as they love me.  Someone who loves Tyler as much as I do.  We found you and we won’t let you go.

I can conquer the world using one hand just as long as you are holding the other.

Today is the start of the rest of our lives.  Today I will marry the most amazing woman.  Today and forever more I promise to love you Christina.  I can’t wait to start a new chapter with you.  To a new life together.  However the story ends just know I’ll be there in the end to live it with you.  I love you.

My sister sent me this picture of my nephews who couldn’t wait to come to California for the wedding.  How cute are they and how awesome is this picture?!?

My parents are driving down for Friday’s wedding today.  Yesterday my parent’s dog Duffy knew something was up.  He didn’t want to leave their side.

A big table + free food = Jeremy happy.

Pro tip: if you visit IKEA with a small car expect to leave like this.

Our dog Maggie and I when we lived in Cameron Park, CA.  The kid across the street got a basketball hoop and I used it non stop back then!  By the way that kid (Rob) was the one who introduced me to Def Leppard and Poison.  Oh life wouldn’t be as awesome without meeting Rob…

I think I spend a lot of time and a lot of disk space sharing with you.  JeremyPerson.com is 13.7 GB’s!

In the packet of old images I was returned I also got some images with my Grandpa Hansen in them (my mom’s dad).  For those fortunate enough to know him found he was one of the most kind and gentle people you could ever hope to know.  He loved teaching me to fish as a kid and every time I saw him he wanted to take me fishing with him.  When I was a teenager he started wearing Reebok pajamas.  He always said how comfortable they were and every afternoon/evening he’d change into them.  We used to call him “Reebok Man” growing up…

I made this collage the other day for Christina and framed it at lunch.  Making things is my love language evidently.  I think it turned out really nice if I do say so myself!

You may have noticed a decrease in the amount of blog posts recently and in a large part it is because I’ve been planning a wedding!  A few months ago I asked Christina to marry me.  I told her she’d never know when it was coming and I think I shocked her good when it finally came. We were at her parents house and it is a very long story but I eventually found the right time to propose.  We’re getting married in late October of this year so wish us lot of luck.  Cathy Breslow took these wonderful pictures a few weeks ago at a park.  I’ve known Christina for a little over two and a half years now.  Over that time we’ve become the best of friends and completely inseparable.  We both share a similar past and through those experiences we now share a common future with a fantastic outlook, one to last a lifetime.  Tyler and I are so fortunate to have found her and as you can see in the pictures we adore her and promise to always love her.

Lana had some pictures she inadvertently took a few years ago and she was of course nice enough to give them back last week once she discovered them.  I decided to put them up as I have time so expect more in the coming weeks.  Did you know I used to be crazy about baseball and even more crazy about baseball card collecting?  When I was about 10 or 11 I used to sort baseball cards for a guy who owned a baseball card shop in town.  He evidently liked me and took me under his wing to teach me the business with his son (the one putting me in a headlock at a baseball card convention).

To this day I have lots and lots of cards I don’t plan to ever sell, they will probably get passed on to my son or sons some day.  I could sell them for a few grand but the memories and hard work as a kid can’t ever be bought so I plan on holding onto them.   Oh and if you look at the bottom left hand corner of the picture you’ll see a Jose Canseco framed poster.  At the conference Jose and his brother Ossie Canseco did a signing session so I got their autograph and the poster hung in my room as a kid and my man cave until recently.  It is one of my few prized possessions I’ll again never sell and isn’t probably worth much but the memories are priceless.  When other kids were out enjoying their summers I was working in a baseball card shop in the back or sorting them from home.  I absolutely loved it…

I changed the header images on the site a few weeks ago which included a more professional picture of me.  I wanted to give you some background on it.  At work I was talking to Brian about a new project which we thought may require employee avatars.  I showed him my avatar on LinkedIn and Twitter and he said something like “yeah you like that picture, you’ve had that for a long time now” so I said OK well then let’s change it and gave him my camera phone.  I was actually joking around when taking the pictures but they turned out half decent (to my surprise) so I decided to use them.  The photo below was my Jerry McGuire pose.  I was probably saying something like “show me the money” or something absurd but he said my hand was covering my face so it didn’t work very well.  All work and no play makes Jeremy a dull boy.  So next time someone says you need a change, try something different and have some fun.  It also helps if you are a camera ham.  So there is the story behind the new picture in case you were (yeah I know you probably weren’t) wondering.