My 9 y/o had to write an essay describing the person who has been most important in teaching her the difference between right and wrong..... thought I'd share...

"A person I know that has taught me right from wrong is my dad.  He is very smart, positive and he always says to be polite when I go to my friend's house.  Some qualities my dad has are being nice, funny, neat, loving and very happy.  He is also positive, so when I leave the house, my dad says, "make sure you act polite and friendly!"  Those are some things my dad is, too.  He teaches me to always be very positive, polite, friendly and outgoing.  One method is that at Stop and Shop or Shaws, he always says to the cashiers, "Hello Mr. or Mrs. So and So!  We are here to check out our items.  We've got quite a few!"  It really embarrasses me and my sister but it teaches us to be friendly and outgoing.  This makes a big impression on me because he shows me I can make someones day or put a smile on someones face with the little things I do every day."

Yes.  I am still here.  Yes.  I do have more to the story.  Yes.  I have had Active Rain-ites pounding on my door demanding that this long, drawn out, never ending, 26.2 mile story actually come to some conclusion!  Tough!  Too bad!!  Although.... I will move the story along and hope I haven't lost everyone!

First, lets have a quick summary. 

- I don't like to run
- I momentarily lost my mind and with just three months before the race, I got myself entered as charity in the Boston Marathon
- I was striving to hit $1000 in donations per mile that I complete
- I pushed my training too hard trying to ramp up in just three months.  With just a few weeks before the race, both knees hurt to the point that I could no longer run.
- I did no training the last two weeks before the race except to eat well and stretch.

So to move the story along and to try and maintain the AR friends that haven't sent me evil letters, I'm going to jump up to race day.  From here on out, the story is an attempt to give us non-marathon runners an idea as to what it's like to participate in the Boston Marathon.

I was picked up at my house by Super Dave at 6:30 AM and we head into Boston. The town feels like a ghost town as there are parking spots available everywhere since its early and its a Massachusetts holiday.  Dave parked in one of the available spots and since its a holiday, there is no need to pump in the quarters.  His plan is to just hop in his car at the end of the race and drive home.  Someone will have to pick me up as I don't know when (if ever) I finish.

We met three of Dave's friends on Tremont street.  There are about 30 school buses lined up which will ship the runners out to Hopkinton.  It's an amazing thing to watch.  Hundreds of runners pile into the buses, the buses pull out and are replace by 30 more buses.  Quite a production line.

As we're driving out of Boston and hop onto the Massachusetts turnpike, it hits you... wow... this is pretty far.  The bus I was on was filled with runners of all shapes, ages, sizes and experience.  Some are listening to Ipods, some are napping, one, attempting this also for the first time, had plan written down and she was going through it.  At mile one, a Gatorade.  At mile two a water.  At mile three a Gatorade.  Etc.  A bit too organized for me.

After 45 minutes, we arrive in Hopkinton, Massachusetts where the athletes village is set up.  We found a spot in the village where we opened up a blanket and drop our stuff.  What a great place to people watch.  Just behind us were two twins from California, about 40+ years old and totally decked out in pink with pink fluffy boas and tiaras.  There are alot of people napping, reading, drinking coffee, chatting with friends and eating breakfast.  There was a stage set up which had performers singing through the morning!

The village also had an area for coffee, bagels, water and gatorade, all free.  I brought my breakfast/lunch with me which consisted of two bagels, two bananas, a power bar and eight mini bottles of water.... the breakfast of champions?  I space out my meal as I hate running on a full stomach.  I also managed to get in a 30 minute nap.  Dave's friends couldn't believe how relaxed I was.  Actually, even with my knees in questions, I don't think that I was nervous or scared at any point before or after the race.  It was all to exciting.  THIS was the athlete's village for the Boston Marathon!

Stay tuned for Boston Marathon - What Was I Thinking (Part Fifteen)

What Was I Thinking (Part one): In the Beginning
What Was I Thinking (Part two): Goodbye Reality
What Was I Thinking (Part three): The Point of No Return
What Was I Thinking (Part four): Super Dave
What Was I Thinking (Part five): My Follow Through
What Was I Thinking (Part six): The Rise of Marathon Martin
What Was I Thinking (Part Seven): Doctor, Doctor.... Give Me The News
What Was I Thinking (Part Eight): Train, Train, Train
What Was I Thinking (Part Nine): Show Me The Money
What Was I Thinking (Boston Marathon Part Ten): Double Trouble
What Was I Thinking (Boston Marathon Part Eleven): I Must Recap
What Was I Thinking (Boston Marathon Part Twelve): The End of the Road?
What Was I Thinking (Boston Marathon Part Thirteen): Could this be the End!?

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Staying in Boston?  Try the Inn at Longwood in the Longwood area of Boston.  This Boston Best Western Hotel is conveniently located near many Boston attractions.

It happened about a year ago.  My largest web site optimization client brought out the broom and decided to consolidate their SEO efforts.  I was one of about four companies that they used and they only wanted to deal with one.  The others were going to get swept aside.  Besides consolidating, they were also going to expand their efforts.  They were going to add many more of their hotels (they were a large luxury chain) and they were going to need an international presence.

To say the least, I was stressed.  I had a feeling that things were going to get messy.  (This was about the time I took Frumble for a walk... Thank you Mr. Frumble).  I spent long nights working on a proposal.  I worried and I got concerned about what to do and what would happen.  Would we be one of the companies to get flushed away like dirty mop water?

Then we had a tragic event and I realized that the stress was preoccupying my thoughts completely.  I was neglecting myself and my family and no good could come from it. I needed to clean up the mess that was in my head.

I realized that I had to take control and not just sit back and let things happen TO me but to make them happen FOR me.  I needed to grab the mop handle and get working.  I searched through the trash can of my mind and found my positive attitude.  I worked at a solution rather than dwelling on the muck.  I may get the client back... I may not get the client back... but I had to be prepared either way.  I decided to clean the slate and go shopping and after a few months of research and searching, I made a purchase.

The same month that my client informed me that they would be going with a more International and larger firm, I closed on my commercial cleaning company!

I'll never forget the day it happend.  It was April 1, 2006 and I had to call my parents to tell them that it was all over.  With just two weeks left, there was no way I would be able to run the in the Boston Marathon.

It started when I was driving down the main street of town and saw a pop up camper with a for sale sign.  I had always wanted a pop up camper and had been looking at both new and used.  I pulled over and this one looked to be in great condition.  After a few phone calls, a tour of the trailer and some negotiation, I made the purchase.

The seller delivered the camper to my house and we set it up together on the lawn.  I kept it up for a few days and on April 1, I decided it was time to put it into the garage.  So down it came, packed up nicely into its little box.

I called my parents to explain to them how I was tring to lower the front part of the camper using the crank.  Unfortunately, the crank was not moving easily and I thought there was something that was locking it in place.  Without reading the instructions, I turned the other handle.  I explained to my parents how that was a big mistake.

The other handle was what secured the camper to the metal tube at the front.  If you loosen it without it being attached to the car, the front end comes crashing down and in this case, I explained, crashes down right on my foot.

I continued to tell my parents how it was a good thing I had my cell phone with me because I was home alone and with the camper on my foot, I wasn't going anywhere.  I was able to call 911, the rescure team was able to jack the camper off my foot which let loose the blood.  When I woke up, I was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

What was I to do?  My foot was crushed and there were only two weeks left until the marathon.  I guess the only thing I really could do was remind my parents of the date.

When they were finished laughing, they swore, as they do every year, that they would never again answer the phone on April 1.

(NOTE: The first part of the story was actually true, but the camper missed my foot by about 3 inches.)

Stay tuned for Boston Marathon - What Was I Thinking (Part Fourteen)

What Was I Thinking (Part one): In the Beginning 
What Was I Thinking (Part two): Goodbye Reality
What Was I Thinking (Part three): The Point of No Return
What Was I Thinking (Part four): Super Dave
What Was I Thinking (Part five): My Follow Through
What Was I Thinking (Part six): The Rise of Marathon Martin
What Was I Thinking (Part Seven): Doctor, Doctor.... Give Me The News
What Was I Thinking (Part Eight): Train, Train, Train
What Was I Thinking (Part Nine): Show Me The Money 
What Was I Thinking (Boston Marathon Part Ten): Double Trouble 
What Was I Thinking (Boston Marathon Part Eleven): I Must Recap 
What Was I Thinking (Boston Marathon Part Twelve): The End of the Road?  

I had been feeling alot of pain in my knees after ramping up my training so quickly and I was a bit concerned.  It had only been eight weeks since I started training and I had added on miles very quickly.  I had been following my doctors advice and was heating my knees before running and icing my knees after running, but now they hurt every time I went out.

I had made another visit to my doctor to verify that I wasn't doing any permanent damage and he did confirm that he didn't think it would be anything long lasting.  He told me that I had gone from such low mileage to such high mileage to quickly and my knees were having a hard time with the adjustment.  He also told me to take some time off.

Time off!  Sheesh!!  There were now only four weeks until the race and I was supposed to be at the pinnacle of my Boston Marathon training!  Sponsorship was over $700 per mile and I had to stop running.  The doctor said to take at least two a two week break.

Well, mentally I was still okay.  I had made the decision weeks before that I was going to do this and I was going to finish the marathon.  I figured that even if I walked most of the race, or hobbled most of the race, every mile I completed brought in a large amount of funds for the cause. I really had nothing to lose. 

I still recall a friend asking me, "You're not training?!  How are you ever going to finish the Boston Marathon without training?"  And I recall my answer quite clearly, "I am just going to."  I had convinced myself that I could do it and I wasn't going to let anything make me change my mind.  If I had to stop training for two weeks, then I'd stop training for two weeks but it wouldn't change my attitude or the outcome. 

I think that all of the support I was receiving in the way of fundraising, phone calls of support and the constant inquisitiveness of friends and family on the status of pledges and training that really helped me stay focused.  I also kept picturing, so clearly in my head, how it would feel as I crossed the finish line. What a feeling!

Boy was my head in the clouds.  I had no idea how far 26 miles was when you have to run them and looking back, I'm glad I didn't know.  I think I may have panicked.  The pain I was feeling in my knees was nothing compared to what was to come.

Stay tuned for Boston Marathon - What Was I Thinking (Part Thirteen)

What Was I Thinking (Part one): In the Beginning 
What Was I Thinking (Part two): Goodbye Reality
What Was I Thinking (Part three): The Point of No Return
What Was I Thinking (Part four): Super Dave
What Was I Thinking (Part five): My Follow Through
What Was I Thinking (Part six): The Rise of Marathon Martin
What Was I Thinking (Part Seven): Doctor, Doctor.... Give Me The News
What Was I Thinking (Part Eight): Train, Train, Train
What Was I Thinking (Part Nine): Show Me The Money 
What Was I Thinking (Boston Marathon Part Ten): Double Trouble 
What Was I Thinking (Boston Marathon Part Eleven): I Must Recap 

My original plan for this 'What Was I Thinking' series was to have the conclusion of my running of the Boston Marathon story coincide with the actual Boston Marathon.  Unfortunately, since I had my two month hiatus from AR, I missed that opportunity.  The Boston Marathon was held about two weeks ago.  So, I've decided to run a 365 part series to be concluded at next years marathon.  (No ... not really)

It has been awhile since part ten so for my benefit (to remind me where I was) and for your benefit (to remind you were I was), I thought that I'd delve back into the story by recapping the first ten installments.  Here it is in the Cliff Notes version.

Part one - In the Beginning: I decided to get healthy and out of shape (out of the oval shape).  This tends to happen in early January each year. To un-oval, I run three miles every few days until my motivation wears off.  I don't like to run and I needed something to keep me motivated.  (Little did I know it would all end in tears & pain)

Part two - Goodbye Reality: My mind played tricks on me and I decided to run the Boston Marathon to raise money for our local synagogue, my goal was $1000 in pledges per mile I complete.  That should keep me motivated!  This happened in January 2006, three months before the race.

Part three - The Point of No Return: I actually managed to get an entry number into the Boston Marathon and reality hit.  I'm going to run the Boston Marathon!!

Part four - Super Dave: I consult with my running friend, Dave, who has run numerous marathons.  We drink a few pints and discuss the fine art of marathon running and we come up with my plan.

Part five - My Follow Through: I buy sneakers and create a training schedule.

Part six - The Rise of Marathon Martin: A small committee is formed to discuss how I am going to reach the $1000 in sponsorships per mile.  Marathon Martin is created and a plan is formed.

Part seven - Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News: Before I am allowed to continue, I have to visit my doctor for confirmation that I'm healthy enough to do this.  He also consults with me about my knee that has been paining me after some small runs.

Part eight - Train, Train, Train: The training continues and I start to hit the big mileage.

Part nine - Show Me the Money: The fundraising continues and I start to hit the big dollars.

Part ten - Double Trouble: After running the last 14 miles of the actual marathon route, both of my knees start to hurt.  A few days after the run, I am not able to complete small one and two mile runs.  It's time to see the doctor again.

Stay tuned for What Was I Thinking (Part Twelve)  .... soon... I promise! 

You have your site but you're not getting found.  You thought you were doing SEO right.  You did your keyword research and you have come up with a website full of unique quality content.  So why aren't you getting ranked well on Google?  Have you looked at your Title tags?

So what is the Title Tag?

Basically, the title tag is HTML code.  This HTML code is located in the header section which is not visible on the webpage itself.   You can see what the Title tag of a site is by viewing the blue banner at the top of the browser when on a webpage (It's the blue banner on Internet Explorer).  Through the eyes of the search engines, the most useful piece of code on any page is the title tag and typically carries alot of weight in the search engines' algorithm.  Don't skip over the importance of your titles.

Title Tag Errors

There are two main mistakes that website owners will make in relation to the title tags. 

1. The same title tag is used on every page: You see this often when a business uses the name of their company on each page.  This works well if the company is only optimizing to get found on engines for their business name.  This, however, is usually never the case.  Companies want to be found by visitors based on their services they provide.  
   
2. The second mistake occurs when a designer places the page name in the title tag.  This happens usually on the home page and contact us pages of site.  Rather than put useful key word text in the home page title tag, it just says something like 'home', 'default' or 'business name home page'.  This is not helpful in getting better ranked on Google, Yahoo and other search engines.

How  Should I Create My Title Tag

Avoid the two mistakes I listed above when trying to optimize your sites.  As I mentioned, the Title tag is extremely important in SEO.  Here are some guidelines when creating your title.  For these recommendations, I assume that you have done keyword research.  To create useful title tags, take a look at the webpages on your site and review your blueprint (keyword list).  What is the overall theme of the page?  That is the starting point of your title tag.  Create a 2 to 9 word phrase based on your theme and blueprint.  Keep the tag to no more than 90 characters and make it readable.

Remember to do your Title Tag right as it is one of the most important aspects to the SEO fo your website.

My wife has decided to join the Web 2.0 community and has started to blog.  She's not quite sure why she is doing it but she has done it anyway.  Honestly, I was a bit skeptical at first.  She hasn't ever really read posts on other blogs and I didn't think she would really know what to do.  Boy was my skepticism unwarranted.  She only has about six posts up, however, I am very impressed with the quality of posts she is putting out.

Now she is wondering if anyone will ever actually read what she is writing.  I told her that it takes a little while before the engines will catch on to her and then a little more time to build a following.  But I am so impressed with what she is writing and feel that it could be useful and entertaining, I thought I'd give her a plug.

So... my AR friends... feel free to stop by Aviva's Thoughts and tell her what you think.  Her blog is at www.knitting-mall.com

I realized today that winter is really over!!!  It was that big annual event that really sealed it for me.  It happens just once a year, is so monumental and so life changing .... and it happened today. 

It is that one thing that truly ushers out the winter and leads the way for the renewal and rebirth of spring.  It happens just as the flowers start budding on the trees and it is as significant to the new season as the crocuses popping up in the yard.

We've all seen it happen and it always puts a smile on my face.  I like to watch it happen and I usually go outside to witness the event and to get a close up view.  I stand there in awe as I can feel the last bit of winter disappear before my eyes.

Yes... today... was that day.

Today, I heard it happening and ran outside as I didn't want to miss it.

Today was that day....

Today..... the street sweeper removed the sand and grit from my street!

I took Mr. Frumble, our humble Cairn Terrier, for a good walk last night.  This wasn't out of the ordinary as I take him for a walk every night, however, last night was a bit different.  I'm not quite sure why last night was different for we walked around the same neighborhood and we stopped in the same areas to 'do his job' that we always do.

While walking, I realized that recently, I seem to have forgotten alot of those things I believe in.  I have been very stressed with my job to the point of losing sleep.  I have felt overwhelmed with the amount of things that I had on my list to get done both in my personal life and with work.  The affect of this was that I was a bit snappy with the kids and I felt tired.  I didn't seem to be myself and I didn't like it.

So last night, while thinking and coming to that realization... I continued to think and I watched my dog.

Mr. Frumble stopped so many times along the way, to smell and explore and look around.... rather than being annoyed by his constant stopping, I tried to adopt his attitude (although, I didn't stop to smell the poop).  I tried to notice things as well.... a row of bricks, a pile of terracotta pots, a boulder being consumed by vines growing up and around it. 

Rather than just walking past all of the houses with the goal of finishing the walk, I relaxed.  I actually looked at the houses and the gardens as I walked.  I noticed the multitudes of beautiful flowers in bloom.... yellows, pinks, reds and whites.  I also took some deep breathes and felt spring in the air.  Spring, the season of rebirth and renewal.  Everything I saw had it's own beauty.

And I remembered.

I remembered that there is so much beauty in the world from the flowers to the shards of terracotta. I remembered that the one and only thing that I have complete control over are my own thoughts and my own feelings.  I remembered that happiness is a decision and that no matter what others do or say, I can decide to be happy regardless.  I remembered that stressing and losing sleep doesn't help anything.  Getting angry, sad or upset doesn't complete my work any faster.  My to-do list will not get shorter by worrying about it.  And I decided to be happy again, content with the world again, to notice the little things and to see the beauty in everything. My list will get done regardless of how long it gets.

I hope I don't forget again.