Originally published on Facebook, 1/2/10
Yeah, so a sleep-deprived brain and a very, very quiet, bitterly cold night out at Studio Arts isn't probably the best environment to try and put down some New Year's Resolutions onto, well, if not paper, then on a computer screen. I got up way, way too early to watch some excellent football games (The Outback Bowl holds the title of best game of 2010 so far- the ending especially was just plain nuts! I'm also especially happy the Big 10 is 3-2 in Bowl Games so far- hopefully Sparty can continue that trend tomorrow) and now I'm paying the price. Sleep will be the best of gifts tomorrow.
But 2010 feels important. The back half of my 20s feels especially important. That feeling in your oxcipetal- that chill you get, when you look at what kind of a life you're building and realize that even if you don't end up with something more, the belief that you are meant for something more and the ability to at least try your very best to get that are part of what defines the human existence for us all.
I want to do my level best to take these seriously. Every year people write down or make a New Year's Resolution and never both to really follow through on it, for me (and this doesn't count as a resolution, though it could) I want to make 2010 the year where I fulfill the majority of my goals for myself- and actually, for one of the first times in my life follow through with something.
So, without further ado:
10 For 2010
1. Get Inked (x2): It is past time... I have the ideas, the image in my head and I know what I want and should, in fact, get at least one tatt before the end of this month, if not a lot sooner.
2. Write, Blog, Tweet, Communicate: The more you write, the better the writer you will become- that's one part of the rationale behind this. The other is to be a better friend and just keep in touch with people on at least a semi-regular basis. Too many good friends have fallen by the wayside because I didn't make time to write a short email-- that has to change.
3. NaNoWriMo: I am going to prep for, plan and participate in National Novel Writing Month (http://www.nanowrimo.org)
4. Clear my book backlog: This will probably not happen until I'm dead, but there are a large stack of books I own that I haven't read. I'd like to cut into that this year.
5. Ambition: I'm a pretty mellow, laid back kind of guy. I have moments where I can get severely pissed off or irritated, but by and large, I'm pretty cool about the majority of stuff that life throws at me. But, my laid back personality has some drawbacks- I've never really been driven or ambitious about my life. I think that's why I succumb to overwhelming attacks of ennui a lot of the time- everyone else seems to have a plan and a place to go- I'd be happy running a coffee shop selling joints and cappacinos to peeps. (Once they make weed legal, of course.) But this year, I'd like to push myself a little bit. Reach a little higher, try a little harder. That sounds a little abstract, but it's the best way I can think of to put it.
6. Make PoliSci Work for Me: Find a candidate, volunteer/support them- or alternatively, find an issue relevant to the 2010 elections and do the same thing. Time to make all this polisci work for me.
7. Lose Weight: The classic chestnut of a resolution, I'd like to drop 30 pounds by this time next year. We live literally spitting distance from Mercer Park Pool, so I'd like to get into swimming and do it at least 3xs a week.
8. Be A Better Person: Again, another classic chestnut-- I firmly believe we can all be better people, husbands, wives, etc. Some need to be better than others, but we can all improve.
9. Live: Every day we breathe air on this planet is sort of a miracle in and of itself- I don't want to shrink from any experiences. 3 random things for 2010: go skydiving, go somewhere totally new and paint a picture on a canvas.
10. Shove The MA Over the Goal Line: My poor, poor APP/Thesis/Deluded Love Child of My Brain-- stuck in bureaucratic, long distance hell- I'm going to pretty it up and shove it over the finish line. Before May, so that I can finally, at long last, be done with it all.
So there you have it- my 10 for 2010. Stay tuned this December to see if I actually achieve any of the things I set out to do this year, or whether like so many people, New Year's Resolutions are just as futile as they always are.
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