On 2009 Resolutions

It is time for a quick recap of the 2009 list of resolutions (which will be followed up shortly by the 2010 list in a second post...


1) Get weight down to between 175-185 (target). Didn't happen, exactly. I did manage to shave off about ten pounds before the holidays hit, I was still a longway from the target goal. But some is better than none, and gives me a good place to start.

2) Read 26-30 "new" books. Holy crap, is the best phrase that comes to mind. 44 books. Even if you drop off the one reread (for a class), I still managed a helluva lot of reading, across a pretty wide range of works (from academic, to various forms of fiction, both short story collections & novels, and some writerly advice books). Epic win is another phrase that come to mind.

3) (a) Write. The daily routine (500-1000 words per day), with the year's target being at least: 2 books (50k+ words), 6 short stories/novellas, 2 scripts (long form), and 2 scripts (1 act/short form). Lofty goals, but no dice. I do have two books at almost half-done, and a few other projects that were worked with, butnothing "complete" in the sense I was looking for.

3) (b) Marketing and sending submissions out. I started the process, and made some short story submissions. Meager volume of works out, but I broke the (mental) ice, and began solicitation. I even scored a Finalist spot in a writing contest! A modest first step, but room for a lot of growth in 2010.

4) Train for the local Biathlon (to be held 5 April 09 - 3 mile run, and 15 mile ride). Nope, darn it.

5) Get "A"s in my classes. Done.

6) Finish cleaning out at the old house. Um, close but not quite. There's still a lot of stuff that is in the attic that will need to be hauled away, and will need weather that is somewhere in a more comfortable range (neither freezing, nor roasting) before I try to clear the rest out.

7) Travel - like last year, 1-2 "good" trips, just me and MC, with a few weekend jaunts free of any familial obligations. A weekend trip to Myrtle Beach, and a week in the Carribean. Call it done!

8) Christmas shopping done by early November. Success, actually. Most of our shopping (for other people) was done by early November, and we were able to handle shopping for each other without a lot of the extra stress in the weeks before Christmas.

9) Send out birthday and anniversary cards, etc. in a timely manner. Also done, er.... sort of. Thank you cards were pretty much on the ball, and most birthday stuff, butthere were a few that probably slipped through the cracks.

10) Work on the photography skills... [Which means, actually, taking a lot of pictures, and carrying a camera around on some of the expeditions... or plan "photo trips"...] Sort of done, with some side credits. I played quite a bit with my phone's camera (at concerts, etc.), and took quite a few pictures on our Carribean trip. Got a new camera for Christmas, and am readingthrough some stuff to be able to start getting some pretty nice shots. Definitely on the agenda for 2010 to try a variety of things.

11) Process the Netflix queue - watch 100 movies from the queue. Not quite. Made it the the 1/4 mark before the end of the year hit.

12) Work on my Wii Fit age (which, I suppose, goes with # 1). And I have not gotten on the Fit recently... which translates into a severe fail on my part.

All told, not too bad for the year. Not a glowing, star-studded success, but featuring a lot of areas that saw significant steps towards some level of acheivement. Which is part of the point. I think resolutions should be something to create a challenge, so completion carries some sense of accomplishment. And it's the challenge that keeps things interesting along the way.

Happy New Year!

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a week late here, but I've been so busy around the house the past week and getting ready for the new semester that I'm only now getting back to the blog.

I hope the holiday season was good to you, and not too difficult to get out in the swarms of shoppers. More to come soon, on the 2009 recap, 2010 projections, and other writerly goodness.

Until then, again, Happy 2010!

2008 - Resolutions

I did this a year ago, and listed some of my "public" New Year's Resolutions. The ones that I don't mind the world seeing, commenting on, or being the recipients of. Now, again (like last year), these are in no particular order.


1) Get my weight down to between 160-175 lbs.

2) Read between 26-30 new books during the year (meaning - reading a book for the first time)

3) Return to "Book 1" - the project started in November 2006's NaNoWriMo. Continue the work, trying to push through to about a 1/2 novel... or about 100-150 pages, and shopping for critiques.

4) Write 8-10 short stories/articles/short scripts.

5) Complete 1st draft of a script idea I've been working with (working title: Four Corners)

6) Train to participate in the local Biathlon event (working up to around a 7-minute mile pace for up to five miles, and sustaining a 20mph pace on a bike for an hour).

7) Get an "A" in my graduate classes.

8) Clean, organize and purge my office (and keep it clean)... trust me... it is a bigger deal than one may think...

9) Clean, organize and purge my attic space... a big undertaking, considering the attic has become one of the "catch-all" storage spaces...

10) Clean, organize and purge from the guestroom (the other "catch-all" storage space... which has made the room impossible to use for anything else... like, guests!)

11) Travel - at least 2 "decent" excursions, and a handful of weekend retreats - with some actually being "alone time" (read: no familial obligations).

12) Develop and maintain a daily writing routine (starting target: 500 words, or about 1 page a day), a regular blogging routine, and weekly postings to "Fictional Echoes". Travel journals, and daily notes on life.

13) Return to the "Call Center" project, aiming to complete a first draft.

14) Send birthday and anniversary cards, and regular emails. Send "Thank You" notes in a timely fashion.

15) Learn to write a query letter.

16) Start building a marketing database/list of possible markets and submission locations - my personal version of a "Writer's Market" if you will.

17) Work on the 2007 NaNo Project - "Fantasy Gilligan" (with or without Chris, but preferably dragging him back into it so he can break out of his non-writing funk).

18) Work with Ben on the "Player" script project (originally his script idea).

19) Finish 95% of my Christmas shopping by early November.

20) Work on my photography skills.

21) To watch at least 100 "new" films/items from my Netflix queue (which, as I write this, is sitting at almost 500 items - a lot are series collections, but still...).



I think I'll cut it off here, as we are now a week into the new year... adding anything else would start seeming silly... Now, the question rolls to, "How many can I actually work on during the year...?"



I think it's time to find out...

Holidays, and Headstarts...

Yes, I admit it. I fell down on the job. Sue me. Here is a belated "Happy Holidays" message (although, personally, it is more "Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year, but that's me, and I digress...), that I hope finds you well...

There... that's the "Holidays"... and now for the "Headstarts"... I have several items in mind for my "End of Year" blowout - movie notes, intended resolutions (and updates on the failing and successes of this years batch), notes on the readings, and maybe a few other items...

But consider this the notice...

When I drop them, it will be a lot going live at once. Brace yourself, it will be interesting...

The New Year, pt. 1

Here we are in January... the new year underway, and a bastion of hope for what the new year may bring. With that, I give you my "resolutions" for the coming year... at least the ones that I see as fit for public consumption. Here they are, in no particular order:
1) Get my weight down to between 160-175 lbs.
2) Read between 26-30 new books during the year (meaning - reading a book for the first time)
3) Finish "Book 1" - the current project started in November's NaNoWriMo
4) Write 8-10 short stories/articles.
5) Complete 1st draft of a script idea I've been working with (working title: Four Corners)
6) Compete in a 1/2 marathon (there's one that I'm looking at that's scheduled for the fall in Virginia Beach...)
7) Learn three (3) songs on bass guitar (to be able to play through completely)... (By default, one of them is going to be "Lady Madonna" by the Beatles, as I have already started on it... the other two are still undeclared at the moment)
8) Clean my office (and keep it clean)... trust me... it is a bigger deal than one may think...
9) Clean & Organize my attic space... a big undertaking, considering the attic has become one of the "catch-all" storage spaces...
10) Clean & Organize our guestroom (our other "catch-all" storage space... which has made the room impossible to use for anything else... like, guests!)

That's the basics for now... I'll try to put a "year in review" post a bit later...

New Year...

Not sure if I will get an opportunity to post before leaving later this afternoon, so "Hapy New Year" to those that find this. My wife and I are working on our resolutions, and I plan on posting mine early next week.

Until then, and just in case, again, "Happy New Year!"

Gate of the Year...

I swung over to check out Neil Peart's page, which has received a December update, where he mentions a poem "The Gate of The Year." (The poem itself comes off, on first read as a bit depressing as it talks about death, but is also encouraging for those of Christian faith as it suggests that God is the light and the guide... read it for yourself, and see what you think here: http://www.geocities.com/piers_clement/gate.html .)

Anyway, the poem aside, the opening couplet is a great image to me:
"I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year /
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'"

Since we are into the last half of December, we are at this year's gate... in two weeks we will be starting 2007, and the events that shall be unfolded within that year (and beyond, but I prefer to be a little on the short-sighted side for events - longer term for planning)...

Just a bit of philosophy to start the week, I guess. I just felt the need to write about that poem. On a different note, I actually remembered my flash drive today, so I can try to put more words down either towards the novel, or do some work on another project (notes and outline for an older project that I have been tinkering with)....