Commuter Daddy's 2009 Readers' Choice Awards

Photo by Optical Illusion

Hello, 2010. We'll get to you soon enough. First, we have some 2009 Commuter Daddy business to handle.

Welcome, dear readers, to the second annual post dedicated to you. It's the Commuter Daddy 2009 Readers' Choice Awards! You thought I forgot? Nay! Nothing is more important to a blogger than interacting with the audience. It's only fair to let you choose the content when the opportunity arises.

So below, please find the list of 2009 posts that you read the most, and the New Year's resolutions they inspire (which is sure to also inspire future content):

1. Jelly Belly cycling team... who knew!?
   I have not yet acquired the jersey, nor have I tried Sport Beans. They're still on the wish list. It's neither the jersey nor the jelly beans that make the man, though. It's the cycling, and I've done nearly a ton this past year. Despite a 2-month layoff at the end of the year because of illness and minor surgery, I still managed to travel 1,748 miles on two wheels in 2009. That included completing my first organized group ride, plus completing my first metric century. It also included taking the bike with me on business trips, something I intend to resume when the weather warms. Meanwhile, though, I'm back in the saddle on the Cape when ice and snow are not covering the route, thanks to Santa bringing me a balaclava. I resolve to tally 2,500 miles in 2010, and complete a century ride.
   
2. Cooking in the cubicle
   I still haven't tried this, but I do have a new source of similar inspiration: George Egg's Hotel Survival. I resolve in 2010 to try cooking more than Lean Pockets in my hotel room, and turn the experience into a Commuter Daddy blog post.
3. Cooking in the car
   I haven't tried this either, and am less likely to do so this year -- at least until I have mastered hotel cooking. However, I do need to lose weight, so I do resolve to forego candy on my commutes. To know me is to know I have an acute weakness for Skittles and Jelly Bellies. They helped me quit smoking four years ago, becoming my substitute for the half pack a day I would smoke on my Cape-to-Providence commute. I quit smoking cold turkey once I put my mind to it, so I think I can do the same with candy. Once that is tackled, we'll see what can be done about my midnight ice cream weakness.
4. 25 Things about CommuterDaddy
   See item 13. I still may not tackle the sump pump project this year, but I will resolve to install drainage at our side door to prevent water from running down the basement stairs.
5. Podcasts for the musical commuter
   I never did get around to sharing the marketing, history, comedy and other miscellaneous podcasts to which I subscribe. That will be coming soon to a blog post near you. I'll aslo update my music, sports and food lists.
6. On the road with Hulu
   Still loving Hulu at home; not so much on the road. This reminds me that I resolve to read more books in the coming year. One a month would be great. That was my goal last year, too, but I fell well short, which means I am either working too hard or watching too much television. Probably both.
7. Airports improving water options
   I did leave the water bottle at home when making a day trip last week. I wasn't sure how well it would be received in the wake of the Christmas terrorism attempt in Detroit. I will get back to toting the empty coffee mug and water bottle through security on the next trip.
8. Join Commuter Daddy at Detours and Onramps on Wednesday, March 25
   This was my favorite event as a panelist in 2009. I resolve to continue to eschew journalism-specific events in the coming year, except those for which I'm invited to speak or am helping organize for NENMA. I don't intend this as a slight to any of my friends, colleagues and peers. There simply is more to be learned from those outside our industry than insiders. The mobile-specific events I attended in 2009 affirmed that. There will be more of those on my docket in 2010.
9. Germs trump green at Connecticut Lavazza
   I ran into this again when ordering coffee at the Starbucks inside the T.F. Green Airport in Providence twice in the last three weeks. The barista said she was under strict orders not to refill mugs directly, and had to pour coffee into my mug by using a paper cup. Give me a break. Let me come behind the counter and fill it myself, or put out some urns for those of us who want a plain ole coffee. Why sell the mugs if you can't refill them directly? Contrast that with the Dunkin' Donuts at the same airport, which had no problem refilling my mug without a paper-cup middle man last week. Guess who is getting my business from now on? Thanks, Dunks.
   
10. Dear, Coffee Shop Owners: Wi-Fi Influences Purchase Decisions
    I saw some signs outlining wifi time limits at Coffee Obsession while stopping in there with the boys a few weeks back. Sigh. It won't stop me from going there, though. I'm usually in Falmouth to shop, or else have arrived there by bike, so I rarely have my laptop in tow. Plus, I could never give up Coffee Obesssion's Mexican Mocha Latte (make mine a double, please).

This list ignores the fact that the two most read posts in 2009 were actually published in 2008: Check Engine Haiku and Commuter rail linking Scranton, Poconos with NYC receives fed money. I get the message. You, dear readers, want more haikus and items about commuter rail, or maybe what you're really saying is you want commuter rail haikus. Either way, we'll see what we can do.

Meanwhile, I've also resolved to write more this year. That, plus the goals set above, are more resolutions than I've ever set for myself. Wish me luck!