Things I'd Like to Do This Year

This is why you always check back on things, and take care of unfinished business.

I'm a big fan of cleaning house. This takes a variety of shapes and forms for me. I literally like cleaning house, in the sense that I don't like clutter, I don't like things to be sitting around for too long, I don't like things that aren't in their proper place. These are always calls for me to take action, which is a good thing. If I've left something out or in a strange place, it's because I intend to do something with it very very soon (else it'll drive me nuts!).

Another way I clean house is by keeping an empty inbox, 0 drafts, and 0 incomplete posts in my blog dashboards. If it's still in draft, that means I intend to publish it eventually. Otherwise, I want to delete it and move on.

This particular post has been in draft since the beginning of the year, and for some reason, I just now discovered that it was still floating around. I reread it, and had an interesting feeling while thinking about the resolutions I had made, and progress (or lack thereof) on them so far.

THIS is why we write down our thoughts, and process them later on. Before I started reading this, I was a little scared that the person who wrote this over 7 months ago would be a different person than I. I strive to change and adapt, but also to be the same person at the core no matter what. I was pleased to see that I'm still the same person, with the same core goals and personal drive.

So here goes ...

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(Originally written on January 5th, 2010)

I'm starting a fresh year.

Start doing volunteer work again.

I used to be very good about volunteering at least once a week, usually doing a mixture of adult computer classes, music classes at housing projects, and cat shelter work. My move to London really screwed up my schedule and routine with these sort of things, and I just never got back around to it with the second half of my year being kinda crazy. Time to start giving some of that time and love back.

UPDATE: I haven't done this at all this year. There's still time, and I've been thinking about it a lot. I'm going to sign up for some NY Cares event today.

Continue to "train" friends at the gym, and maybe look into formalizing exercise and/or nutrition advice.

I've always enjoyed somewhat of a consultant role when it comes to friends' exercise routines and even diets. The amount of pride I hold with regards to knowing this subject area, especially as it applies to a healthy and happy lifestyle is quite large. While continuing to nurture the existing relationships and routines I already maintain, I'd like to start a blog, or offer my services, or do some freelance training work this year. Not even for pay, but just to get myself out there and see what it takes.

I could start a (oh GOD, don't say it dude!) blog on exercise and eating. Or join up with some sort of NYC meetup group. Or find ways to volunteer in this area as well. This is again about giving something back, and encouraging people to live healthier and happier lifestyles. Allow them to focus more on the other more important things that I don't know how to figure out!

UPDATE: Been doing a good job of this actually, at least in terms of training. We've thrown some ideas around for a blog/application for weight training, so maybe that will still happen.

Record an album.

Even if I have to buy it for all of my friends, The Birds of War need to release something. How else will I prove to my children that daddy was once cool? The internet probably won't even be around by the time they grow old enough to understand.

UPDATE: Basically did this! Except we changed our name, ha! My band Between Wars recording a 7-song demo, which led us to start playing gigs and get a new drummer. Hopefully we'll record something more polished towards the end of the year.

Visit at least 3 new states.

Vermont, Rhode Island, and Oregon top the list. I've rode on a train THROUGH Rhode Island, but haven't ever actually gotten out.

UPDATE: I'm close! New Hampshire and Maine have been visited so far, but I'm still down one state. Plenty of time and opportunity for this though, and a Vermont trip is definitely on the mind.

Take a class at a university.

Creative Writing would be excellent, more specifically something for short fiction. Horror-specific if possible.

UPDATE: WILL HAPPEN. I've looked a bit at some writing classes, and I just need to dig a bit deeper to see what I really want to spend the time on.

Start relearning French.

I used to be so good at it! I rekindled my interest with a trip in April to Paris, where I had to navigate an awkward situation involving several Americans and some non English-speaking French landlords over an inheritance question. I would love to be able to hold minimal conversations without having to think so hard about it.

UPDATE: I've tried to start chatting with a few people at work every now and again, and have been looking at taking a French class this fall. We'll see how this one turns out.

Go to a Knicks and Rangers game.

Not a hard thing to do, just need to pencil the dates in! Hard to believe that such an avid sports fan as myself can spend nearly 5 years in a city without once attending a live match of their flagship franchises. Giants/Jets/Mets/Yankees all taken care of.

UPDATE: Missed both again, the season went by so fast. I did however make plans with some friends to definitely do this next year, so it's on. I'm not too torn up about missing this goal.

Cook dinner IN more often than not.

Been spending way too much money on food that really isn't that good for you (and I don't actually know what's in it anyways) and could be saving money on booze by buying in. This one better be checked off pretty soon.

UPDATE: This one is a success one week, and a miserable failure the next. One of the problems is that I recently moved into a brand-new apartment in my favorite part of town, which means much easier access to my favorite restaurants. Also, the summertime is the worst time to try and stay in at night, so I'm hoping for a happy turn of events once the weather starts to cool off.