I need a holiday. Actually, what I need is an anti-holiday. You know, to take some time off and stop doing what I want to do, so that I can do more of the things that I have to do.

As you all know, my dear readers, I I write because I want to, and do it regularly because I value your patronage. But this means that when I get too busy in real life, I need to slow down, and start paying attention to the things that pay for my mortgage, buy food for my family, and send my children to school. Which is why today I am putting my pencil in the drawer for the coming eight weeks. I need to invest my time and energy in doing things that I’d rather not be doing, but that need to get done.

My gift to you

Don’t despair! As usual, bad news come in the company of priceless gifts. Because I know some of you depend on my publishing efforts, I have devised a clever little plan to keep your addiction well-fed. At the end of this article you will find two lists. The first one is a list of my all-time favourite articles from this blog. In some cases they will be short; in some others they will be a bit longer, and in one case I will refer you to an entire series of articles. Either way, I am making it easy for you to visit some of my best writing to which you probably have not been previously exposed.

The second list is very short today: one entry only, and will grow by one entry every week during my anti-holiday. Yes, I will still publish every Monday by adding a new entry in the list. This list is my best-kept secret: A list of my favourite on-line authors and their work. Some of them deal with the environment; others with writing and the creative process; a few more with technology and productivity. Yet there are 3 things that links them all: the author’s passion for the chosen topic; the quality of writing; and a generous outlook in giving it all away for free.

Your gift to me?

I knew you’d ask, so yes; there are a few things you can do to help me. And they don’t cost any money. If you want to give back to this father of 2 who is trying to figure out how to make a living out of what he loves the most, then read on.

Have you noticed the ads on the right of this blog? They were my pathetic attempt at making a living out of writing. I say pathetic because my advertising revenue over the life of this blog (2 years) has been $0.11. Yes, you read it right. A whooping ELEVEN CENTS. I had heard horror stories of bloggers getting small amounts from Adsense, but this is ridiculous!

So if you want to help me, there are four things you can do:

1. Give me some feeback. In a previous post I asked for feedback about this blog, to which I got no answers. I really want to make your day every time you visit us. Please spend 5 minutes of your busy day answering any of the questions I asked in the original article, and publish them in the comments section.
2. Give me dangerous ideas. In another previous post, I asked you what topics you’d like me to write about. Again, I got no replies. Zip. Nada. Zero. Why not take 5 seconds right now and leave a comment where you can tell me the topics you’ve enjoyed reading and/or those you’d like me to write about?
3. Give me a compliment. If you like my writing, please let me know. It gets kind of lonely around here! All you need to do is leave a comment to your favourite article or send us a message via our about page. Since you really like my writing, you should also let others know. Go to your favourite article and Stumble It, Digg it, or Bookmark it with del.i.cious (or whatever social bookmarking service you use).If you don’t use any, then send an email to your friends telling them about it. The choice is yours.
4. Give me a present. Want to show me your appreciation by giving me some of your hard-earned-greens? Then you need to go to this page and Just Do It. I have so many options, you can give as little or as much as you want. Seriously.

The Crazy Colombian’s favourite articles

It was very hard to decide, but I’ve made my choices. My 5 favourite articles of all time are:

• FIFTH PLACE
  
• FOURTH PLACE
  
• THIRD PLACE
  
• RUNNER-UP
  
• WINNER
  

How about you? What are your favourite articles? Let us know in the comments section of this post.

The Crazy Colombian’s favourite on-line authors

Here is the list that will grow, one item per week over the coming 8 weeks. This is the ‘creme-de-la-creme‘ of internet writing. I am sure in this list you will find a some additional subscriptions to suit your taste. Enjoy!

I, Cringely (link)

Written by The God of Knowledge in the information era, “I, Cringely” is updated weekly with unusual insights into the world of technology. With 30 years in-and-around the personal computer industry, Bob Cringely has developed a unique ability to spot trends and insights.While reading his ramblings about Google’s plans of world domination; his tale of how IBM is dying a slow dinosaur-like death; or discovering how a bunch of rocket-scientists will save the world from global warming by flying kites, you will find that Bob’s articles are short, packed with information, and entertaining. I strongly recommend you subscribe to his blog or podcast now.

Zen Habits (link)

How would you like to regularly receive articles that will help you achieve goals, increase your productivity, be more organized, Get Things Done? And what if the same subscription helped you increase your motivation, gave you ideas for simplifying your life, guided you in your quest for happiness, and coached you in successfully implementing good habits ?

Welcome to Zen Habits, the creation of Leo Babauta and source of inspiration for thousands of people. Leo is a father of six, lives in Guam, and spends his life, writing, running, and writing his reflections in this highly popular blog. Some of his most popular articles are a bit more grounded and full of tips on eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, living frugal and parenting; so don’t let the mystic name of his web site keep you away from visiting this fantastic resource.

Seth Godin (link)

Did anyone say The Father of permission marketing? According to his online official biography, Seth “writes the most popular marketing blog in the world;is the author of the bestselling marketing books of the last decade;speaks to large groups on marketing, new media and what’s next;and is the founder of Squidoo.com, a fast-growing recommendation website.”(link) If you want to read from America’s greatest marketer, head over to his blog. You will not regret it!

Randy Cassingham’s This is True (link)

If you want to read from the person who invented internet publishing, Randy Casingham is The Man. Randy is well known for his weekly publication This is True, a compilation of bizarre-but-true news stories from legitimate newspapers from around the world (never “tabloids”). Randy ends each story with a tag-line which is either humorous, ironic or opinionated. An online pioneer, Randy started This is True since June 1994, and has launched several other publications including The True Stella Awards; Heroic Stories; Jumbo Jokes; and Cranky Customer. If you want to read insightful commentary from someone who was there before the ‘Net was born, head over to Randy’s web site or blog and subscribe for free