A Skosh Better’s Most Read Articles of 2018

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Hi All, if you’re reading this, thank you for visiting askoshbetter.com. 🤗 This article is a countdown of the most read articles of the last year according to Google Analytics*.

In late 2017 I launched “oakfive” on blogspot (this website is now called a skosh better. In March 2018 I made the switch to WordPress.com for blog hosting, and consider that migration the official launch of oakfive.com.

Over the last year I’ve written nearly 60 articles, and have had over 4,000 pageviews with visitors from 75 countries.

This site has been something I wanted to do for years, but a desire to do it right always held me back. I gave up on perfection in order to start publishing this site. Rather than try to be perfect, I’ve tried to write and publish consistently. Thank you for putting up with typos and funky formatting. 🙂

Read on to see my most read articles of 2018, and be sure to share any that resonate with you.

A Skosh Better’s Most Read Articles of 2018 (Countdown)

10. Three Reasons to Cut Down Your Own Christmas Tree in a National Forest

With a $5 permit you can go into a national forest and cut down your own Christmas tree. This article is about why I think doing so is pretty cool.

9. I’m a Google Local Guide and So Can You

Anyone can contribute to Google Maps. That’s right, anyone. And if you contribute enough, you get free perks from Google. Being a Local Guide is a great way to let people know about your favorite local businesses too. I really believe Google Maps is a gift to humanity. Being a local guide is my way to give back to the map.

8. Bike Commute in Wildfire Smoke

The new reality of the North American West is that we’ll have days or weeks of smoky air every summer and fall. This article outlines how I used a N95 air mask to make my daily bike commute somewhat bearable.

Important note – the face mask must adhere tightly to your face to do it’s job. Experts think most people use their facemasks incorrectly.

7. DIY Rear Rack Mounted Bike Fender for Less Than $5

Have a rear bike rack? Need a fender? You can literally make your own fender with a 2 liter soda bottle, and some zip ties. This article explains how I made a fender for my bike for less than $5.

“If it’s stupid and it works, it ain’t stupid.”

– old military saying.

6. How I Cured My Eczema

I was a lifelong sufferer of eczema until I stopped eating potatoes, and reduced nightshade family food consumption.

This article is bitter sweet, because I’m acutely aware this is a personal experience, and may not work for everyone.

I know how painful and embarrassing eczema can be, and how frustrating it is to be told you’ll be on prescription creams for the rest of your life.

I truly hope what worked for me works for others to cure/eliminate eczema.

5. Using Project Fi in Portland and Beyond

Google launched a cellular network with immensely cheap and transparent pricing, and good coverage.

This article outlines my experience on their network. Spoiler alert, I’m a big fan. 😉

4. Fight Fire with Fire the Radical Success of Oregon’s Prescribed Burn Program (Fiction)

After hearing Dr. Paul Hessberg’s TED talk, “the Era of Mega Fires” in person at Portland’s World Forestry Center, I became a convert to the need for fire in healthy ecosystems in our region.

Rather than sound a direct rallying cry to get people on board with prescribed burning (which I do do too), I thought a fiction narrative would be a helpful way to get more people to understand why prescribed burning is important.

A note on reading the article; the first section is Tweets, links, and YouTube videos that are non-fiction. My short story follows.

3. Thankful For

This is my first ever letter of thankfulness. I felt there were some important things I wanted to express gratitude for publicly. Maybe I’ll make it a yearly tradition.

2. The Hurdles of Biking and How to Get Over Them

Becoming a bike commuter has changed my life for the better. This article is me musing on why I didn’t start biking sooner.

It’s a most read article because it went “viral” on Twitter gaining retweets from @Modacity and many more bike advocates.

1. The Companion (Short Story)

This is a short story I wrote after an experience on my bike commute in Portland.

This is a most read article because of traffic from neighborhood social media network, NextDoor.

Honorable Mentions

I also write extensively about Wim Hof Breathing and Self Driving Cars. Though no one article from these two topics made it into Oakfive’s top 10, they’re important topics to me, and for humanity. Please check them out by clicking the links at the beginning of this paragraph.

I’m a poet. This is my first time ever stating that publicly. It’s an art form (for me at least) that’s intrinsically informed by vulnerability, so I’ve always been scared to tell the world this is part of who I am.

My favorite poem this year is Wimahl, which is the Chinook word for the Columbia River. I spend a lot of time in the gorge, and this poem came to me while on a flight over it from Portland to New York. The poem includes links for things I call out in hopes to give readers more context.

Check out my poems here.

There you have it, these are my most read articles of the last year. I’m looking forward to another year of writing ahead.

Thank you for reading.

– Nate

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Of these 10 what your favorite? Any not make the list that you love? (Please tweet me or comment below)

Want to support oakfive.com? Please share your favorite articles via email, Facebook, or Nextdoor, visit my sponsors page (and buy something), or send me a tip on venmo (@nathancorliss)

Thanks again for reading and supporting this creative journey.

*Important to note on Analytics, WordPress.com puts the tracking code in the footer of the site rather than the head section of page code, so my actual stats are likely slightly higher due to the delay in the code firing in the footer. For this reason, I’ll likely get off WordPress.com in the near future, perhaps in favor of Squarespace or Wix. You can read more on why I chose WordPress.com for this site here.

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