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My spam folder gives me a good giggle. I love it because it protects me from annoying advertisers hawking all kinds of crazy gobbledy-gook.
Until recently, I just deleted everything in my spam folder. But then I got the idea that it would be fun to really examine it and point people back to old posts that they may have missed over the last view months.
First let’s talk about some of my wonderful guests.
Each Wednesday since mid-August, I have been blessed to have wonderful bloggers write about their favorite (or not so favorite) teacher memories for #TWITS — my acronym for “Teachers Who I Think Scored” or “Teachers Who I Think Sucked.”
The guest blogger who earned the most views (and the most comments) — was Tamara Lunardo with “Those Who Can’t Teach.” If you missed it the first time, it’s never too late.
In fact, if you are new to my place, just click Giddy About Guest Posts, and you can read every post in the series. And once someone guest posts for me, he or she wins a place on my blogroll.
Mary Mollica wrote about how she was inspired to create art by her high school art teacher who taught her that her work was “Not To Be Trashed.”
Hey Charlsie, I am a result successful by myself found out the following, too! 😉
Chase McFadden wrote “I Got Lucky” for landing in Mrs. Watne’s class, and some dumb phone accused him of having “tremendous issues.” Stoopid Android. What does he know? He wasn’t even born when Chase was in high school.
Paul Waters wrote “The Good, the Bad & the Naughty” and made us guess which teacher was whom.
I have no idea what this means, but I’m guessing these are sites for adults, if you know what I mean. (IYKWIM)
If you’ll allow me to be a little braggy for a moment, I authored a few posts in 2011 of which I am particularly proud. I was Freshly Pressed with the post “Monkey Has Left the Building” and saw over 7,000 hits to my blog in a 4 day period!
I am proud of my post “No More Bad Hair Days” because I think I have become a more grateful person over the last year as I have come to focus on the many blessings in my life. I got this in my spam folder.
I have no idea about the “effects of allerga of the taxonomic mass” but I am grateful I do not have “rational penas canine” or a “diseased lung.” Wowza.
Two posts inadvertently went together. I wrote a letter “To The Student Who Withdrew Himself” late in the semester, and I apparently ended someone’s four-day hunt. Who knew?
Then I received “A Surprise Response” in the form of a letter from a former student which made my day. And then I got this:
Yup. Porn-spam. And now I will probably get it all the time, whether I want it or not. IYKWIM.
Finally, I’m so glad I was able to write “How Could We Have Known.” It was the first time that Tech Support allowed me to use his image on my blog, but he let me do it because I wanted to enter a contest sponsored by Galit Breen of These Little Waves and Alison at Mama Wants This. And I won! As soon as the New Year rolls around I will contact the folks as Canvas Press and claim my 16″ x 20″ canvas print.
I am proud of two scary-honest guest posts that I did. The first was “Annual Kite Drowning Day,” and I’m grateful that Deb Bryan was able to provide a home for that one at The Monster in Your Closet. My other hard post to write was for Kelly K’s blog I Survived The Mean Girls because I had to admit that “I was a Mean Girl, Sometimes.“
Interestingly enough, the post that people seem to consistently read the most is a post that I wrote a really long time ago. See if you can figure out what it is about:
Clearly, it’s about love.
No, it’s about my 100% completely irrational “Fear of Lice.”
But I think most teachers live with this fear.
Probably.
Thanks to all of you for reading and leaving your comments.
May you all have a happy and lice-free healthy New Year.
I will continue to be inspired your words and do my best to bring you fresh writing in 2012.
renée a. schuls-jacobson 
I recently did a post that is kind of similar, although I should have included more spam comments. Really, if you’re having a bad day, they can do nothing but build you up. Sure, it’s some robot from a sex toy company, but they still tell you you have “wonderful content” and “great idea! So smart!” 😉
Anyway, I enjoyed “meeting” you this year and look forward to following you in 2012. May you have nothing but health and happiness! 🙂
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Abby! You know you are one of my faves. I will take personal credit for getting you on to twitter. (Whether or not this is true or not is not important; I’m just glad you are there.)
And you are right, there is nothing so wonderful as someone from anal.com telling you that you are “really just so fine.” 😉
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You’re brave, checking your spam folder. It gets icky in there!
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Jim: You had better not be the Cialis Jim to whom Tori is referring. (See below.) But if I have an erection for longer than two days, I will call my doctor. 😉
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Hi Renee,
Now I can’t stop thinking about lice–I taught kindergarten and saw plenty of them–but didn’t catch them until my daughter brought them home in first grade. Mom, Dad and daughter were head-scrubbed furiously with the special shampoo, and the beloved stuffed animals were relegated to the attic for a long time. Long ago but a strong memory!
Renee, I enjoy your thoughts and writing style so much–thank you! You are also such a great cheerleader for those of us who are trying to become better writers and entertainers! All the best to you and your family in 2012, and I look forward to meeting you in the New Year.
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Ack! You had lice! How can you be a guest writer on my blog? Can I catch them through cyber space after all these years? 😉
Seriously, Ermine, I have loved reading your stuff this year. I love being your cheerleader (rah! rah!) and I’ll see you in 2012. Happy New Year!
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I like to list “rational penas canine” as one of my finest attributes. Nobody likes an irrational penas canine, afterall 🙂 I particularly like the spammers that are so clever you almost respond to them. I got a few messages from an enthusiastic “new reader to [my] lovely site” named Jim. I just had to go and be a comment whore, responded to him with lots of smiley faces and exclamation points, and have spent a few months trying to get taken off the Cialis e-mail list. Touche, Jim. Touche.
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Tori: I know, those SPAM folks are starting to sound more real lately. We have to be so careful or else the next thing you know…we are getting p0rn.
All the time.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. 😉
Also, I hope that Jim guy up there is not your Cialis-Jim.
I’m scared.
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There was a huge lice breakout when I was a student teacher. While I never caught any, I did visit the school nurse every day for about a week to make her look in my hair. And just in typing this, I am getting itchy…
I missed your Mean Girls post but just read it. Thank you. I was mean to the mean girls in high school. I am not so sure that was the right answer either. I read somewhere the other day, “Karma is a bitch only if you are.” It didn’t state that feeling vindicated through rude behavior was somehow better or more acceptable. But I appreciate your honesty because it is so easy to allow ourselves to be defined by the people we surround ourselves with, rather than what is in our heart. I am so glad I came upon your blog!
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Hi L2L:
I’m glad you read the Mean Girls post. I was sooo hard to write. But I was glad also for the opportunity to post it at Kelly K’s — a wonderful safe space for people who are going through difficult times.
And if I am ever going to be punished, well, I think we all know how it’s going down.
*scratching my head and wondering if we still have that extra Kwell upstairs in the medicine cabinet.*
See you in 2012!
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Love your mash-up! I will check out the ones I missed!
Happy New Year to you and your family~ *<): D
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Susie! You have been such a wonderful supporter to me this year! I can’t wait to get to know you better in 2012. And I hope you will consider doing what we talked about.
Get your minds out of the gutters people! 😉
I just asked her to write a guest post. Sheesh!
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What a year! I am so grateful to have met you in 2011 and can’t wait to see what shenanigans 2012 has in store! xoxo
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Tamara: So happy we are cyber-friends! What other craziness will 2012 hold? Only time will tell! IYKWIM. Wishing you and yours a wonderful, happy, healthy new year!
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My spammers are mean. They’re like, “Well, it’s not my first choice at a career, but thanks for opening my eyes! Click here for your dream job!” or “Why am I reading this when I could be looking at [insert spam link]?”
I want friendly, encouraging spammers, even if they’re hocking questionable wares.
SO glad I got to know you this year. Can’t wait for more RASJ, iykwim.
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Seriously all my spammers want me to buy naughty products.
If they had better grammar, maybe I would. 😉
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7,000 hits in a short week. WOW. My best has been 700. I am sure you agree that the comments and exchanges are more valuable and enjoyable that hit stats, right. As Spock would say “It’s not the number of planets but the number of successful and quality contacts with alien species that count.”
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I’m with Spock on that, Carl.
But being Freshly Pressed is always a fabulous surprise. And the madness is really fun, plus it always brings a few new people with whom to really connect.
But I always remember my original cyber-friends. 😉
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What a great summary of your best posts (and spam!), Renee!
I’m not surprised you got hits with the lice post, haha! 🙂
Enjoy your Canvas Press print and happy new year.
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Thank you for the opportunity to participate in that fabulous contest! I was so happy that my son allowed me to use his face — which, of course, inspired the post.
Hooray for random number generator.org! 😉
See you in 2012.
I hope the rest of your pregnancy is smooth sailing.
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I’m so excited to dive into this schmorgishboard (?) of good writing from you! Sounds like the past year has been a learning one and one for making new friends, of which I am so pleased to be. And you reminded to me to peak at the search engines that bring peeps to my blog again. Those are always hilarious to read! Even more when their search bombs from Leanne. IYKWIM. LOL
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Jess: Leanne isn’t the only one who search bombs, you know! I’m looking forward to getting serious with you in 2012… IYKWIM. 😉
What were our super secret code names again?
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Wishing you a blessed new year, Renee!
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To you, too, Larry! 😉
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Hey Renee! Thanks so much for including me in your year end review! For even letting me guest write at all! LOL! I loved doing it! You always ROCK in my book! I love you! Have a fantastic New Year babe! Hugs & kisses! M
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Mare: You are always welcome here. And you know I love to ROCK with you. IYKWIM. See you in 2012. 😉
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That’s one of my favourite things to do… check out what search words brought someone to me…
I’ve had some interesting ones!!
I always love reading your blog.
I hope your Holidays were fantastic and that your New Year rocks 🙂
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Hi Lindsay!
I am glad you are here! What blogger doesn’t love to check out our stats and the Google searches that bring people to us. So much fun!
So glad YOU ARE HERE.
See what I did there? 😉
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I once missed an important email lost in spam, ever since then I painstakingly go through my spam folder. Thanks for sharing freshly pressed stats, it answered my curiosity. One thing I have seen about spam is that if you try to stop them they all of a sudden grow. Seems like the evading action acts as a catalyst to trigger the spam.
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I absolutely love hearing about other people’s dashboard details. And what a year of blogging success you’ve had! You should have like, 11,000 champagne toasts in your own honor. (Zero sarcasm there, but I think you know that. It is me, after all.)
Can’t believe I never read the lice post!
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Jules: I have loved getting to know you this year, my sweet chipmunk! I hope 2012 is a year of slap bracelets and side-ponies! Plus, I hope we get to do a little collaboration. 😉 Happy New Year.
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It is reassuring I’m not the only one who receives such ‘readers.’ It is fun to read and sometimes a chuckle, well most of the time a chuckle. Then I hit empty spam folder and I’m on my way. I enjoy reading your blog and I’m glad we’ve crossed paths… I wish you a happy new year and continued success – especially on your project!
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Hi Clay! I hope you academic year is going well. I guess if you are getting SPAM, it means you are writing — which is a good thing. 😉
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