Category Archives: Life Stories

Mar10

Things I Learned This Week: March 10

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Anne Hornyak

Inspired by Ryan Nance’s 5 things I learned today posts on Google Plus, I’m starting a weekly post that examines new learnings. Some of these will most likely be educational, especially in the world of social media, while others will just be little life lessons, some of which will probably be saturated in sarcasm.

It’s possible to create a Pinterest tab on a Facebook page. (More to come this week.)
After months of being sick with mono, getting out feels INCREDIBLE, even if it set me back a little with the recovery.
Dinosaurs affect Klout. (More to come on this as well.)
Not everyone replies to emails as much as geeks do. If I email you, please make an effort to reply.
When collaborations and partnerships actually come together, it’s a beautiful thing.
Pin of the week:

Jan16

Dealing with Mono

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Anne Hornyak

Dealing with Mono

It’s 4:30am and I’ve been up for nearly two hours trying to fall back asleep. Welcome to my new life.

I’m 34 and I have mono. Again. And the symptoms are much worse than when I had it in college.

Sure, many people make fun of mononucleosis by calling it the “kissing disease” but it’s nothing to laugh at.

I’ve had a low-grade fever every day for the past three weeks. Every. Day.
Slight nausea started before the fever and was extremely intense while on antibiotics.
I’ve been on Amoxicillin, Azithromycin and even Rocephin via IV infusion. None of the antibiotics helped.
My tonsils were so inflamed that I had problems swallowing and breathing.
I just finished a course of Prednisone, which should have reduced my swollen tonsils but it’s still painful to swallow.
I had migraines from a severe sensitivity to light.
I still get horrible headaches if I’m awake for more than 4 hours at a time.
I’m taking 3-5 naps throughout the day. The fatigue is unbearable.
It takes me nearly an hour to fall asleep each time.
I’m much weaker. My arms constantly ache, especially when trying to sleep.
Gatorade is the base of most meals. A loss of appetite has resulted in forcing meals in between naps.

Now the good news:

The swelling in my lymph nodes is finally starting to reduce a little.
My eyelids are no longer swollen.
The white patches on my tonsils have drastically decreased from the Prednisone.
My thermostat is set 2-3 degrees cooler than normal, which hopefully will be reflected in my NISPCO bill.
I’ve had a few days without nausea.

Yes, the list is short but not dealing with nausea on a daily basis is a HUGE plus for me.

Many sites say that the major symptoms last for 2-4 weeks, longer for older adults. It’s been 4 weeks since the fever started but I’ve only dealt with extreme fatigue and strep-like throat for 2 weeks. The fatigue seems to be getting worse so I’m hoping that things will turn around soon.

The physical symptoms are bad but the worst part for me is all the frustration that comes with the disease. I’m not big on watching tv and I get bored with movies. I’ll sometimes play on Pinterest while “watching” tv but that’s the extent of my online life now. For someone who built her professional credibility on twitter and in Facebook groups, it’s sad to see this decline but I just don’t have the energy to maintain it now. And for future reference, jokingly referring to mono as the “kissing disease” to those infected only makes things worse. I’m exhausted, irritable and frustrated. Please tread lightly.

Oct2

Stars

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

Stars

I’ve always loved nature and consider myself lucky to have gone camping each summer growing up. My family had a motorhome so it wasn’t really roughing it but it still was camping. We would sit around campfires at night, gazing at the stars.

When some local photographer friends made plans for a night photoshoot, thoughts of those summer camping trips came to mind. Even though it’s been many years since those trips, I don’t remember ever seeing as many stars as I did Friday night. It literally took my breath away. The photos cannot even give you a glimpse of how incredible the night sky was but they may inspire you to travel away from light pollution and get a view of your own.

These photos were taken at Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area near Morocco, Indiana. I plan to go back so let me know if you’re interested in tagging along. Let’s just hope we don’t hear as many coyotes as I did the other night!

Read the rest of this entry →

Sep23

Postcards: 100 years later

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

Postcards: 100 years later

I started collecting antique postcards about a year ago and just picked up two more recently at The Antique Market of Michigan City. These two were not chosen for their image or travel-related message. Their messages amuse me, especially since they’re each over 100 years old.

This first one has a sunset image from the Seattle area. The message reads “Dear Ava, What’s the matter with you, Why don’t you write” and is dated from 1909. Perhaps I’m adding more sarcasm that what was intended but that’s exactly how I feel when people don’t reply to my emails.

The second postcard has a lovely image of sheep in Washington Park, Chicago. The message reads: “Dear Art: – your wife is dangerously ill. We just gave her soup and hot-a-mollies, but she needs some tulip-salve. How about it, old fellow?”

It was sent to someone in Chicago, from Chicago. Obviously it was not travel-related at all. Even though the message is quite serious, I like the ending.

If you work in the tourism industry, please pick up some postcards the next time you travel. Here are some tips on writing postcards. We must keep this art alive!

Sep21

Adorama + Twitter = Great Customer Service

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

Adorama + Twitter = Great Customer Service

If you’ve been to my house, you’ve probably noticed my wall of photos: a number of 11×17 framed prints of my favorite photos. I change them out regularly and always use Adorama for printing. They provide excellent quality and ship the photos in a flat box. I’ve never had any problems until last month’s shipment. UPS bent the box so badly that all of the photos had deep creases in them. I’ve tweeted to @AdoramaPix before and love their twitter efforts.

When I saw the bent UPS box, I instantly sent twitpics and tagged @AdoramaPix in them. After a few DMs, a new set of prints were on their way. I didn’t have to login to my account on the Adorama site. I didn’t have to contact customer service. I only tweeted. The results: a VERY happy customer as they communicated with me on my preferred platform.

Adorama’s print quality is excellent. I’ve recommended them to friends before and I will continue to recommend them, especially after experiencing their amazing customer service first-hand.

Thank you, Adorama. I will be a loyal customer for life. Read the rest of this entry →

Sep11

New Look, Same Great Taste

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

New Look, Same Great Taste

If you haven’t noticed, Tourism Land has a new look…and name…and URL. While the design is not really finished yet, I wanted to update you on this change.

I finally replaced my FrontPage/hasn’t-been-updated-since-2009 website with WordPress last week. If want to know more about this delightful process, check out How to migrate your blog.

If you’re a life-long fan — and really, who isn’t?! (read with sarcasm) — then please follow me at annehornyak.com.
If you previously signed up with your Google Reader, the old RSS feed will still work.
If you previously signed up via email, please enter your email address again. I don’t believe the old email subscriptions transferred. If you’ve already received an email for my How to migrate your blog post (Sept 2), you don’t need to sign up again.

Thanks for your continued support!

Aug31

Postcards

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

Postcards

I like vintage postcards. Not just for their images but for the stories they tell. And I believe that postcard writing is truly and art form. A lost art at that.

Sheri, a twitter friend, tweeted The lost art of postcard writing earlier this month and we began talking about postcards over twitter. She set up a PO Box so her Facebook friends could send postcards to her kids and I thought that was a wonderful idea!

I asked her for her PO Box address so I could also send them one. Well suburbia isn’t the easiest place to pick up a postcard so it took me a few weeks to find postcards. But I finally found some at the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond, IN. By the way, if you’re looking for The Christmas Story memorabilia, go to their gift shop.

The plan is to regularly mail postcards to Sheri’s kids. Hopefully I’ll be able to travel more so the postcards won’t all be of Indiana or Chicago but I stocked up at the Welcome Center just in case. If you’re interested in sending them a postcard, please message me for their address. Read the rest of this entry →

Aug29

Everyday Heroes

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

Everyday Heroes

There’s something amazing about twitter. It’s so easy to find and connect with people who share similar interests with you. And every once in a while, you’ll create lifelong friendships and find everyday heroes too. A few new names were added to my list of heroes this weekend.

Betsy Decillis and I went on #geekcation this past weekend. We had our first #geekcation, May 2010, in Chicago when we worked on acquiring Foursquare badges. This #geekcation was a little different as it was based on a visit to AJ Bombers, a mecca for social media geeks. Read the rest of this entry →

Aug22

3 things you must do before summer ends

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

3 things you must do before summer ends

The days are getting shorter, kids are going back to school and some trees are beginning to drop leaves…summer is definitely on the way out. Take time in the next few weekends to celebrate the end of summer by doing what we do best – traveling!

1. Be a tourist in your town: We live here but we always travel somewhere else for fun. When’s the last time you explored your town as tourists do? Whether it’s going to the downtown shops, a farmers market or a local restaurant, take time to enjoy what you have right here.

2. Take a road trip: Even if it’s just for part of the day, get in your car and DRIVE! There’s no better way to explore our country than to see it first hand on a road trip.

3. Capture your travels on film: Start creating photo and video memories. If you don’t have a camera, just use your phone. Anything is better than nothing. But don’t just collect the memories – share them on Facebook, Flickr and YouTube!

This weekend I’m taking my own advice with a road trip to Milwaukee. But it’s much more than just a road trip. It’s a #geekcation with Betsy Decillis. Yes, we’re tourism geeks and we use hashtags when we travel. Don’t you??