Resolutions 2010

A new year, a new chance to set goals to see if I can achieve whatever I can think of. Being the second year of resolutions, I can definitely say I’ve learned quite a few things about myself and the positive effects of tabulating what I do in a full year. First off, I’m inclined to accomplish things rather than let them marinate for another decade or so. Second of, I can actually see where the year has gone. I see movies I saw, games I played, books I read, trips I took etc. So what’s new for 2010? Well let’s see.

Category #1: PHYSICAL. Last year I had a decent rate going until I had a neck spasm and injured my neck. Then lack of mobility and laziness settled in and I finished up way under par with lots of what I wanted to do. So for this year, I’m simply going to repeat my ’09 goals and add onto them.


Bicep Curls
0 / 5,000

Butterfly curls
0 / 5,000

Pushups
0 / 5,000

Sit-ups
0 / 10,000

Jumping Jacks
0 / 10,000

Squats
0 / 10,000

Pullups
0 / 1,000

Tricep press
0 / 5,000

Workout 40 times with Wii Fit, Insanity or Active for the Wii
3/40

Miles run/walked
1 / 100
Last year was pathetic at best. I need to pick this up this year, no excuses allowed. Hell running or walking more than 3 miles is laughable at best.

Category #2: HEALTH. Some things that used to be in physical are being changed to health and various new goals are being added.

Meditation/Reflection/Goal setting hours/ Breathing exercises
0 /100
Last year I sucked at this. This year should be somewhat better or so I’m hoping. Here’s to a more focused 2010.

Eat less sugar
Spend two weeks in the year without eating candy or desserts
0/2

Spend two weeks in the year without drinking soda
0/2

Go to the dentist
0/2

Go to gastroenterologist
0/1

Go 4 times to the chiropractor with my fiancée
0/4

Go to general practitioner
0/2

Category #3: PROFESSIONAL

Professionally I think 2009 was a pretty good year though I was kind of tentative with a couple of things. Let’s bring it to the 2010 and beyond.

Freelance jobs
0/10

Work proposals
0/10

Category #4: ACTIVITIES

One of the good things about 2009 is that I kept pretty busy between work and all the things I wanted to accomplish. There were truly few or no boring moments of my year and I like to keep it that way. Plus, all work and no play makes me a dull boy.

Surf Sessions
6/50
Repeating the number of surfs from last year. It was great to almost make the final tally and pushed me to ride and find surf instead of stay home and widdle time away. My goal is 50, but I have all intentions of surpassing this number. Let’s see by how much I can do it.


Swim / bodysurf / water activities
0 / 10
Didn’t achieve this 2009 goal, let’s bring it into the new year and do it.

Local tourism
0/4
4 local trips with my fiancée

Movies
1 / 25
Gonna bump this down to 25 which is a full 15 movies less than last year. I need the money for the wedding.

Watch DVD’s I’ve bought
1 / 20
Watch even more of the stuff I’ve bought just to put it to good use. I’ve enjoyed watching what I’ve bought and don’t want to stop. As for a specific number, let’s put 20 to be able to quantify this goal.

1. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me B-

Finish Videogames
0 / 15
Finish 15 games during the course of 2010. I have three games already started so that’s one hell of a head start. Let’s see if I can pull it off.

Finish Reading 20 Books
0 / 20
Finish reading 20 books
Also have some books I started reading and really want to pick up where I left off last year and get a lot of reading done.

Playing guitar
2 / 100
Keep playing like I’m playing or more so. Recording and learning songs will most probably come later. To be able to quantify it, let’s say I have to sit down to play guitar at least 100 times for at least 15 minutes or more.


Category #5: KNOWLEDGE
0 / 15
Continue learning every day, such is my mission but I’d like to also put down in writing stuff I’m learning. Let’s say 15 knowledge posts for the year to be able to document and track my progress.


Learn Random Info
0 / 100
Every single day I try to find new random information, now the trick is to find other sources that aren’t wikipedia. Lol. To put a number to this let’s say 100 new things to learn.

Read the news and post a blog entry
0 / 20
Did this last year and actually enjoyed not being disconnected from the world. Might actually start posting about stuff I read about on the blogs just to add incentive to the thing. Let’s say 20 news blog entries.


Category #6: WRITING

Definitely this is one of my passions and I want to pick it up in regards to some projects that were dangling last year.

WAS
1 / 150
I actually reduced the amount of blog posts for that blog for a very good reason, I have been feeling as if writing there isn’t what it used to be and people don’t care as much and not to sound like a wuss, but well, it gets to me because if what I write is boring, then why the hell write it in the first place? Still the single best thing to vent in my life though, so can’t drop it altogether.

Posts in other blogs
2 / 75

I’m going to insist on writing on these other blogs just for the sake of it all. This isn’t a priority, but would enjoy getting it done for the sense of accomplishment.

Finish book
Up to Chapter 41 so let’s say I’m 41/44 and I want to get to 44 before May.
40.5 / 44

Transcribe book
0 / 44

Write short stories
0 / 10
It was so satisfying to write that one short story that I need to repeat the experience at least ten times.

Essay project
0 / 20
I did NONE of these last year. Will 2010 be the essay breakout year? Who the hell knows?

Draft story arcs for Novels
0 / 3
Let’s pick this one off from last year and put it to good use. I jotted down tons of ideas for the novels but didn’t write down a proper story arc.

Draft Movie Script Idea
0/1
I still want to do this one and hopefully I’ll make time for this.

Progress reports
1/4
This is the first one so I’m off to 25% woohoo. Actually I saw last year that making a progress report every month was a super pain in the ass, so I’m going to be trying just 4 posts for every quarter this year and see if results vary.

Standup piece
0/1
I’d forgotten this one in the midst of it all and I insist on being able to take it up again. Let’s friggin do it.

The Mega Music review
0 / ?
Review each and every album I own. This is not a one year thing, but want to start this year with full blown reviews for all of my albums.

Category #7 Wedding stuff

You bet I’m going to include my wedding stuff here. I need to organize myself and what better way than to always have a list staring me in the face.

Confirmation
0/1

Get coordinator
1/1
100%
Meet and greet with coordinators and pick one.

Plan honeymoon
0/1
Look at destinations once again and also cost and start making arrangements.

Invitations
0/1

Flowers
0/1

Decorations
0/1

Dance Classes
0/1

Find an apartment to live
0/1

RANDOM ACTIVITIES

Buy a box of contractor bags and take one with me to the beach to pick up garbage.
0/1

Make a great Halloween costume duo concept.
0/1

Have our first house dinner with family.
0/1

Invite two couples over for dinner.
0/2

Have at least one jam session before the year is over.
0/1

Cook for my fiancée four times.
0/4

Take my car for maintenance twice in the year.
0/2

Clean up my MSN messenger list
1/1

Clean up my Facebook Friend List
0/1

Organize my room and throw away anything that isn’t necessary
0/1

Fix light bulb in garage
0/1

2009 Resolution Report Card

So a year has come and gone and resolutions galore were made at the beginning of last year, and I did pretty good in some, excellent in others and pathetic in a few as well. Here’s the tally and my explanation for the outcome in each section.

PHYSICAL

I was in good form leading into November when I got a marvelous next spasm that knocked me out of exercise contention from this set of resolutions. True, I insisted on not doing any more exercise in the form of free weights and such and truly have only myself to thank for not achieving this. These same goals will be adopted into 2010 with my eyes set on achieving each of them.


Bicep Curls
3,100 / 5,000
62%

Butterfly curls
3,100 / 5,000
62%

Pushups
3,100 / 5,000
62%

Sit-ups
6,600 / 10,000
66%

Jumping Jacks
8,200 / 10,000
82%

Squats
5,500 / 10,000
55%

Miles run/walked
3 / 100
3%

NOTE: This is one of the problem spots I want to address. Walking three miles in one year is ludicrous at best and truly explains my lack of cardio.


Yoga classes
Never found information on this and said goal will probably have to wait until 2011 when I’m more settled down and have my own time table to work with.


Meditation/Reflection/Goal setting hours
8 / 100
8%

Yet another pathetic result in one of my resolutions. You’d think it’d be easy to sit down and think and relax, but it’s not. Going to repeat this goal and see if I can’t at least get a slightly less pathetic tally.


PROFESSIONAL


Freelance jobs
10 of 10
100%
One of the highlights of my ’09 was achieving this goal. I was sure I wasn’t going to make it and poof, four jobs land on my lap in December. Thank you to the people who trusted in me to do work for them to give my best and achieve this goal. The bar shall be set the same but let’s hope I can get an even higher number. Unfortunately there’s not much I can do to super push for this goal to be achieved since I depend on demand to offer my supply.

Work proposals
N/A
I sincerely lost count of how many suggestions, large and small, I made at work. Quite a few were taken into consideration and it’s just my job to go even further with this and show I’m not just a good copywriter. Let’s hope this isn’t all just bull.

Work on portfolio
I was never hell-bent on achieving this goal and it shows. I feel no remorse for not having added one ad to the portfolio and I sincerely hope to never have to return to an agency. Freelance work is a hell of a lot more satisfying on way too many levels to begin to audit.


ACTIVITIES:


Surf Sessions
49 / 50
98%
I’m very proud of this outcome because at the end, I could have gotten the fifty surfs in, but I saved myself for the weekend instead of surfing crap for the mere sake of achieving a goal. Actually, I even surfed one day without swim fins because I left them at home, so how’s that for retarded but committed surfing?


Swim / bodysurf / water activities
4 / 10
40%
Going to pick this goal up for next year as well and looking forward to not being such a joke. Have to see how many water activities I can come up with to achieve the goal.


Local tourism
N/A
Didn’t do much or any of this and that blows because I should make a better effort to enjoy what my immediate surroundings have to offer and not depend on a plane to have an adventure.

Concerts
4 / 5
80%
0 for 5 until October and boom, 4 concerts popped in. Seeing Pearl Jam live two nights in a row and once in front row was almost too much to bear. I couldn’t stop smiling and just remembering that is motive enough to feel better and better about my ’09. Add to this seeing ACDC live and I really can’t complain of the year. Quality shall always trump quantity.


Trips
1.5 / 2
75%
Went to Philly for the first time and to be honest, I’d give the city one more shot but I don’t think I’m ever going to be enamored by the City of Brotherly love. Maybe I expected too much and expectations weren’t met, maybe it was the rain but honestly, Philly wasn’t as wonderful as I envisioned. The experiences and the company made the trip. The .5 is from a one day stint in NYC. To be succinct, I’m never doing that ever again and I have to take my future wife to New York for a few days so she can experience the city instead of the lame time we had.

Writing with Pen & Paper
Did a pretty good amount of this and I can’t say I’m not going to take this up more often. It is very satisfying not depending on electricity to get work done. You just need something to write and your brain.


Movies
25 / 40
62.5%

The end of the year fizzled for me seeing as I didn’t go to the movies that much in December, which is odd on way too many levels. Actually I haven’t seen a movie yet this year and to be honest, that’s also pretty weird. Below is a rundown of what I did see though.

Fantastic Mr. Fox / A

SAW VI / B

This is It / A -

Inglorious Basterds / A+

Ponyo / A -

The Goods / B+

Moon / grade A -

District 9 / Grade A -

Brüno / Grade B

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince / Grade A -

Transformers 2 – Rise of the Fallen / Grade C-

Public Enemies / Grade D +

The Hangover / A

The Proposal / A -

Land of the Lost / B -*

Up / A+

Paul Blart / C

Angels and Demons / C+

The Wrestler / A+

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / A+

Coraline / A++

Slumdog Millionaire / A -

Watchmen/ B

X-Men Origins: Wolverine / B -

Star Trek / A



Watch DVD’s I’ve bought

There wasn’t a set number of movies I had to see, I just wanted to put my money to good use and not just be a completely compulsive buyer. I think I did ok, but hoping to do even better in the New Year. I might even put a fixed amount of DVDs or specific titles I want to see.

The Office Seasons 4 & 5

Read or Die / A-

MirrorMask / B+

Labyrinth / A

Tori Amos A Midwinter Graces Bonus DVD / B

Radiohead Hail to the Thief Bonus DVD / A-

Radiohead Amnesiac Bonus DVD / A

Radiohead Kid A Bonus DVD / B-

Radiohead OK Computer Bonus DVD / A-

Radiohead The Bends Bonus DVD / A

Long Step Mantis / C+

Tomb Raiders / F

Broken Saints / A++

Lost Seasons 1-4 (Already on Season 5) / A++

Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life / A+

Twin Peaks series (both seasons + pilot) / B- to A-

Pi / A

Escape from New York / B+

Inland Empire / B

Growing Up / A ++

Soda Stereo Unplugged / A+

Abnormally attracted to sin bonus DVD / B

Videogames finished
11 / 20
55%

Pretty much the same as with the DVDs except I have to play through. I left 3 games without finishing last year so that’ll possibly help me boost my finish percentage.

Zakk and Wikki / A+

Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes – Game Cube / A +

Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty – PS2 / A +

Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater – PS2 / A++

Kingdom Hearts / C+

Final Fantasy 1 / D

Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy / B+

Jak 2 / B-

Jak 3 / A+

Final Fantasy IV / A

Final Fantasy VI / A+

Currently on – Ratchet and Clank/MadWorld and Wii Sports Resort

Books read
90%

Loved reading all I’ve bought and definitely enjoyed mixing it up with kid novels, graphic novels, science fiction, horror, fantasy and even sex books. So if variety is the spice of life, call me a jalapeño.

1. 2nd book of The Bartimeus Trilogy – The Golem’s Eye / B+

2. 3rd book of the Bartimeus Trilogy – Ptolemy’s Gate / A+

3. The Wind in the Willows / A-

4. Fahrenheit 451 / A-

5. Angels and Demons / B+

6. Nightwatch / A-

7. Joker’s Asylum / A+

8. Hardy Boys / C -

9. Thus Spake Zarathustra / A+ yeah I’m weird like that. Going from a graphic novel, to Hardy Boys, to Nietzche. This book is brilliant by the way.

10. Ignore Everybody – and 39 other tips to creativity / A

11. Animal Farm A+

12. Joker / A+

13. Quintuples / A-

14. Outlaw Nation / A -

15. HP Lovecraft – Blood Curling Tales of horror and the Macabre / A

16. Coraline / A

17. Noir / B +

18. Where the Wild things Are / B+

Playing guitar

Lucky for me I have a nephew that loves for me to play guitar. Every time he comes over I get to jam and it’s good to keep the skills up to date.


ACQUISITIVE:


Get new computer

Didn’t buy one but fixed the old one. Now for 2011, I’m going to probably need a new comp though.


Net connection

Hallelujah I finally came out of the dark ages. Long live DSL.

Digital recorder

Don’t even know what the hell I’m going to do with this one, but hopefully I’ll figure something out.

Digital Camera

Bless my wonderful mother for being gracious enough to get me a cam for Christmas.


MONETARY


Save Money

Didn’t bat 0 but could have been much better me thinks.

Payments
Similar to above. Not deficient but not proficient either. Would love to always have a payment ahead in my bills just to give me a cushion and boost my credit score and whatnot.

Mom’s cakes
Is this a moot point, it feels like it is.

Donations
$300+ not bad for being broke.


KNOWLEDGE:

Learn / record songs
Didn’t do ANY of this. Shame on me.


Learn Random Info
Every single day I try to look up for random stuff, be it news, science or whatever. I simply think there is just no excuse to not try and learn every day.

Read the news
Been doing that and can’t say how interesting it is to be able to comment on what people are talking about.


Retake French
Didn’t do this and seems like a 2011 goal to me.


Dance classes
Need to look for this info before January is over.

WRITING:


WAS posts
189 / 200 (as of august 30th)
94.5%

Not bad at all but lack of comments really makes it difficult to keep writing. Sure this blog never gets comments, but I’m clear on that. On the other blog, I can’t say I don’t miss them.


Posts in other blogs
36 +10 / 100
46%
Various factors worked into me not being that active with the other blogs. This year will be different.

Finish book
I have taken my time, but I seriously need to finish this thing to begin the mammoth task of transcribing it.


Write short stories
1 / 10
10%

Finishing that one story was by far one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done. Rest assured, more of this is on the way.

Essay project
0 / 20
0%
Just didn’t feel the urge to do this. Maybe 2010 will be different?


Draft story arcs
0 / 3
0%*
I’ve written down tons of ideas for the books, but haven’t penned down a true story arc.

Movie Script
Non existent, comatose, pick your phrase or word. I didn’t even look at this doc the whole of 2009.

Progress reports
6/ 12
50%

12 reports is just WAY TOO MUCH. For the new year, I’m cutting down to 4 for every quarter. The new goals will be up soon though.

Standup piece
Another project I didn’t even look at for most if not all of 2009. Might try and bite the bullet and work on this though.


Be more positive
The year began with a slight hiccup but will do my best to do better than my hormones and be happy.


Forgive people
This was a liberating experience not because I felt free of a burden but because I had one less crappy topic to talk about, and it felt good.


Negative energy
Always doing my best to channel the anger. Will continue doing so.


Loving my fiancée
Only thing I can’t seem to stop getting better at. What can I say? I love the girl.


RECAP:

To sum up 2009, it was the first year I really put effort into making resolutions and trying to stick to them. I learned what was possible and what I REALLY need to focus on and I found out just how hard it is to get back on track once you stray. So here’s to 2010 and a better overall performance from yours truly. If I had to grade myself, I’d say C+ and I really want to graduate with honors in the school of life, so wish me luck and all the best.

Resolution Report!

Fifth installment in the Resolution Reports. Am I behind? You bet your ass, but these will come out as they have to come out. Period. It’s been a while and a lot of numbers have changed but cans till make further progress, let’s see if I can keep it up til year’s end.

PHYSICAL

Bicep Curls
2,330 / 5,000


Butterfly curls
2,330 / 5,000


Pushups
2,330 / 5,000


Sit-ups
5,200 / 10,000


Jumping Jacks
6,700 / 10,000


Squats
3,975 / 10,000


Miles run/walked
3 / 100

Definitely low on this, but hoping to pick it up for the last four months of the year.

Yoga classes
N/A


Meditation/Reflection/Goal setting hours
4 / 100

Incredible but true, but I’m only in my third hour of this. But will try and put some hours up for this month. Let’s see if I don’t forget as has happened in other occasions.

PROFESSIONAL


Freelance jobs
6 of 10. Might just make the quota, but damn is it going to be a close call.

Work proposals
2 of 10 approved

8 more in the pipeline

Small ideas approved, the other 8 I’d mentioned before are still in the pipeline.

Work on portfolio
N/A If this becomes a priority, it will be treated as such, for now, no luck.





ACTIVITIES:


Surf Sessions
23 / 50

Picked it up a bit but still need to get some help from Papa Poseidon. Here’s hoping for some better luck surfwise


Swim / bodysurf / water activities
3 / 10

Have had a few fun times but it’s been some time since I did exclusive water activities.

Local tourism
N/A

No plans yet, but actually have info to remedy this. Let’s see if I stop dicking around.

Concerts
0 / 5

Even if I only have one this year, it’s Pearl Jam, so I’m good. And I actually found about some other concerts I might be able to go if I’m lucky… let’s hope for the best.


Trips
0 / 2

Actually going to Philly to watch Pearl Jam… talk about killing two birds with one stone. Can’t waittttttttttt

Writing with Pen & Paper
The book is coming along and I’m penning countless other ideas on a small notebook so I’m doing pretty good on this front, but wish I were doing better, because that would mean my book would be near complete.


Movies
18 / 40


Disctrict 9 – Odd, different, weird, intense, stimulating. Best movie ever? No. But I’m extremely happy I saw it.

Brüno - If there’s such a thing as TMI, then there has to be a TMG. Gayness takes front and center in this movie that will have you in stitches from so many things that you really shouldn’t be laughing about.

Harry potter and the Half Blood Prince – Slow paced… visually amazing but much more than a movie, it’s a visual companion to the books. Fans will love, casual fans will be confused, haters will keep hating.

Transformers 2 – Rise of the Fallen: WOW… this movie was all over the place and I can’t help but think they wanted to condense three movies into one… and it didn’t work.

Public Enemies – My expectations were so ridiculously high that it’s natural that I felt the movie blew… It’s not a terrible flick… but it just didn’t click with me on any levels and by the end, I was thinking how to pull off a Dillinger Escape while maintaining my dignity intact.

The Hangover – Pure solid screwed up gold. I laughed from start to finish and loved every second of this new reason for not wanting a Bachelor Party.

The Proposal – I was actually surprised I laughed so much in this over par chick flick. Don’t let the nature of the movie fool you, it’s funny, interesting, random and actually quite a lot of fun.

Land of the Lost – Ok so I was the only one in the theater having a super blast… sue me, but I loved this flick for it’s B movie goodness.

Up – Just the movie I wanted to see… very fun, and very beautiful visually and let me soar up as high as five million helium balloons would allow.

Paul Blart

Angels and Demons

The Wrestler

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Coraline

Slumdog Millionaire

Watchmen

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Star Trek




Watch DVD’s I’ve bought

Broken Saints – Simply put, one of the most important things I’ll ever watch in my life. Amazing and soon should be coming the live action version… let’s hope it does the animated version justice.

Lost Seasons 1-4 (Already on Season 5) – Deliciously addictive.

Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life – A true comedy classic showing just how smart stupid can be.

Twin Peaks series (both seasons+pilot) – Weird, campy, odd, interesting and definitely worth a second watch, if only to transcribe the log lady intros.

Pi – So real and weird it’s scary. Aronofsky in Black and white. Brilliant.

Escape from New York – Kurt Russell and John Carpenter can do no wrong… well in the 80’s at least.

Inland Empire – If you don’t like Lynch, there is nothing here for your enjoyment. Turn on the weird and tune out the world.

Growing Up – Concert by Peter Gabriel… simply amazing… as usual. Great music, hell of a stage, wonderful show. Nuff said.

Soda Stereo Unplugged – Hell of a concert movie… Two thumbs wayyyy up

Videogames finished
10 / 20


Zakk and Wikki – Quest for Barbaro’s Treasure – Wii – One of the most enjoyable videogaming experiences in my life. Odd, quirky and one of the games that best makes use of the Wiimote.

Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes – Game Cube – Great game, classic storyline, steep learning curve and just plain fun.

Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty – PS2 – Weirder storyline than the first game but better controls overall.

Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater – PS2 – Best MGS I’ve played and I one of my 3 favorite boss fights ever in gaming. Memorable characters, great score, revamped controls, added features and more MGS fun than you can shake your silenced stick at.

Kingdom Hearts – It took me two years to finally decide to finish this game. Not bad at all, but for some reason I just found it hard to even want to finish the damn thing.

Final Fantasy 1 – Throwback RPG that will try your patience regarding redundant battles and possibly the weakest game ending I’ve ever been exposed to.

Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy – Great platforming is not easy to do and standing out is even harder but Jak’s first installment made an excellent impression on me. Fun gameplay, great graphics and just fun to play through.

Jak 2 – huge world but lack of direction takes away from this title. Much more engrossing and much more serious storyline but still very solid. My main problem was the whole hovercraft torture of the game.

Jak 3 – Takes all the problems from Jak 2 and SOLVES them. Rarely have I seen a sequel be THAT responsible in addressing all issues regarding a previous installment. The best, funniest, tightest and more entertaining Jak in the series.

Final Fantasy IV – CLASSIC RPG that truly made my day to joy. THAT was the throwback RPG I needed to play to get me in the mood of loving games again.

Currently on – Final Fantasy VI

Books read
8/20 – Read some random books, all over the place, but enjoying the reads.


2nd book of The Bartimeus Trilogy – The Golem’s Eye – Good continuation to the story but not as good as the first one.

3rd book of the Bartimeus Trilogy – Ptolemy’s Gate – A hell of an ending and the no holds barred installment of the story. Great character development, interesting twists and an ending that will have you nodding in approval, even if it is anything but Hollywood.

The Wind in the Willows – A book most people should read for the exercise of character development especially in the characters of Badger, Mole and of course, that crazy Toad. Not to forget the Water Rat, but the other characters were very complete and it was amazing to read since this is a kid’s story with all the limitations seen in most children’s book (mainly skipping months in three lines and not having a good grasp on timing).

Fahrenheit 451 – Scary how this reads like it was written yesterday. Brilliant book though the ending drags a bit. One of those books whose brilliance stems from the development much more than the ending.

Angels and Demons – Better movie than Da Vinci, but lesser a book. Some lines and scenes read like something a teenager would write to be honest. If you hate me for saying that, by all means defend the Helicopter jump scene or the last line of the book. I dare you.

Nightwatch – Excellent sci-fi fantasy read. Very different narrative and very fresh ideas from a brilliant mind from Russia.

Joker’s Asylum – Great compilation of tales of the Joker. More fuel to my crazed love for this delightful villain.

Hardy Boys – I needed to finally understand all the jokes I hear from the Hardy Boys. To put it lightly, these books are Scooby-Doo sans dog, munchie desiring hippie, hottie and lesbian. I swear I felt dumber once I read this train wreck.

Currently on – Thus Spake Zarathustra – Nietzche… yeah I’m weird like that. Going from a graphic novel, to Hardy Boys, to Nietzche. This book is brilliant by the way.



Playing guitar

Actually been playing guitar a lot more recently and I’m really happy about that.


ACQUISITIVE:


Get new computer

My comp is up and running, and I’m a cheery bugger. New antivirus and a cleanup means being connected to the world without a super inversion.


Net connection

Loving the DSL, it’s so fast, and sexy. I’d have its children.


Digital recorder

No news on this, might wait to buy a comp for that, but still on my mind. Let’s see what I do.

Digital Camera

Still haven’t bought a cam.. I suck…


MONETARY


Save Money

Baby stepping savings continues. Got some more cash flow and for next year, I’m going to need it.


Payments
Still everything’s on time, but working to further promote that.


Mom’s cakes
Officially need to reestablish my relationship with this project.



Donations
A few bucks here and there but no new contribution. Still up $200 and looking to offer some extra cash to another cause… will keep posted if there’s news on this.


KNOWLEDGE:

Learn / record songs
Have continued writing songs, but haven’t recorded anything… dang…


Learn Random Info
I’d forgotten about this and maybe I’ll use it to reach my quota. I’d said I’d look for random info and make random posts that probably no one will read, but will be a fun write for me.


Read the news
Still reading, learning, and living large.


Retake French
July ended and still no French book.. to be honest, this has definitely taken a back seat… let’s see if I can get my poo poo together.



Dance classes
Still haven’t look into that info… have to see what I do with this.



WRITING:


WAS posts
111 / 200 (as of august 30th)

Have 4 months to go, which averages to less than 25 posts a month, this is pretty much in the bag, but let’s not get too cocky.


Posts in other blogs
23 +9 / 100

Keeping quite busy in the blog writing sense of the word. This is one of three blogs, the others being Why Advertising Sucks and Laser Eater. I’m always writing on WAS but Laser Eater I have it a bit forgotten, have to change that ASAP but since I can’t write at work, then it becomes a bit harder because I don’t always get home with the urge to rant.

Finish book
Finished chapter 38. Very interesting the twists the book demands from my brain and how I just go along with it. Halfway through Chapter 39, let’s see if we can’t finish up that puppy this week. Having said that now, I probably jinxed myself.


Write short stories
0 / 10
Still at zero… have to switch tactics on myself… any suggestions… oh wait, I forgot that pretty much no one reads this blog lol. Oh well. I like being schizo like this.

Essay project
0 / 20
Zero for 20… nice… sometimes it’s impressive how much I suck.



Draft story arcs
0 / 3
I will quit dicking around with this and will organize myself during the month of August… that is an additional resolution.


Movie Script
Still pending
Let’s baby step this one ok? There’s just a lot of stuff I really have to focus on.

Progress reports
5/ 12
Because of connection and comp issues, I’ve lazed off quite a bit so I will have to make mid month reports just to be able to accomplish this goal.


Standup piece
N/A – Still haven’t found a place to put this in agenda. Actually want to re-read what I wrote and see if I can’t get inspired and rant a little more and finish the damn thing.


Be more positive
Glimpses of the old self have come around, but for the most part staying positive and making lemonade as often as possible. Some days it gets to be too much and my patience wears thin, but I guess that’s just me being intolerant to an otherwise kick-ass existence.



Forgive people
Actually got to speaking terms with one of the people that had won my scorn. Interesting interaction to be honest, let’s see how long it lasts.


Negative energy
Work has been kind of crazy and the corporate BS has gotten to me on more than one occasion, but with a change of outlook and a little prescription strength fukitol, anything is possible.


Loving my fiancée

I work hard to make her smile and enjoy life. She’s one of the greatest inspirations in my life and I can’t help but be thankful I’m marrying my muse. Love you darling.

Resolution Report! 4th installment

Number 4 in my resolution reports. Am I behind? You bet your ass, but these will come out as they have to come out. Period. It’s been a while and a lot of numbers have changed but cans till make further progress, let’s see if I can keep it up til year’s end. Will probably post midway through the month since it's my birth month and want to do this more than once.

PHYSICAL

Bicep Curls
2,010 / 5,000


Butterfly curls
2,010 / 5,000


Pushups
2,010 / 5,000


Sit-ups
4,400 / 10,000


Jumping Jacks
5,900 / 10,000


Squats
3,375 / 10,000


Miles run/walked
3 / 100

Ran two miles on Monday and basically passed out Tuesday night. Gonna try to run/walk again tomorrow. See if I can’t make a habit out of this.

Yoga classes
N/A


Meditation/Reflection/Goal setting hours
3 / 100

Incredible but true, but I’m only in my third hour of this. But will try and put some hours up for this month. Let’s see if I don’t forget as has happened in other occasions.

PROFESSIONAL


Freelance jobs
5 of 10. It’s been kind of slow to say the least. Kinda sucks for me because I could really use the extra cash, but hey, at least I’m getting time to do my own stuff right? Ummm… yeah… I didn’t think so.


Work proposals
2 of 10 approved

8 more in the pipeline

Small ideas approved, the other 8 I’d mentioned before are still in the pipeline.

Work on portfolio
N/A

Haven’t done anything particular for my portfolio and can’t say I’m yearning to do so either. If it happens, great. If not, no skin off my B-hind.

RECAP:
Freelance has been dead for three months, which sucks. Work proposals just aren’t going through because we’ve been so ridiculously swamped with work. Have to make the best out of the next couple that maybe aren’t as insane.


ACTIVITIES:


Surf Sessions
18 / 50

Had a decent surf Sunday, glad for it because I felt lost without a good session under my wing and the one before was pathetic at best.


Swim / bodysurf / water activities
3 / 10

Still at 3, but I can fix this with a couple of weekends of water activities, or that’s what I keep telling myself.

Local tourism
N/A

No plans yet, but actually have info to remedy this. Let’s see if I stop dicking around.

Concerts
0 / 5

Even if I only have one this year, it’s Pearl Jam, so I’m good. And I actually found about some other concerts I might be able to go if I’m lucky… let’s hope for the best.


Trips
0 / 2

Actually going to Philly to watch Pearl Jam… talk about killing two birds with one stone. Can’t waittttttttttt

Writing with Pen & Paper
The book is coming along and I’m penning countless other ideas on a small notebook so I’m doing pretty good on this front, but wish I were doing better, because that would mean my book would be near complete.


Movies
16 / 40


Paul Blart: Mall Cop – I thought this was going to be a gut busting good time. All that ended up getting busted was my wallet from this middle of the road ho hum movie.

Angels and Demons – I still have a review pending on this one on my other blog, I will sum it up by saying that if you’re looking for a faithful book adaptation, you’d be better off looking elsewhere.

The Wrestler – Aronofsky brilliance strikes again. He has a talent to leave your gut wrenched after the final scene of everyone of his movies, but great storytelling is something he’s REALLY strong at.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Just in case, THIS should have been the movie of the year at the Academy Awards. Yes I enjoyed Slumdog, but it’s no Ben Button. Sorry.

Coraline – One of the most gratifying cinematographic experiences in my life. Words can’t begin to describe how much I absolutely adored this movie and as an animation feature it stands tall and proud among the elite, often times surpassing movies that made five times as much money.

Slumdog Millionaire – Great movie. Predictable at times, but great. Good music (good not great). Interesting cinematography, feel good story. Bollywood has never had such a Hollywood ending or Hollywood has never had such a Bollywood feel. I’m still debating which way is right.

Watchmen – A big blue penis could not take away from the fabulous acting of some of the most memorable comic book characters never to have been to an mutant academy.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine – THE definition of a Popcorn movie. Fast pace, rushed storyline, great special effects, good fights, and some plot holes thrown in for good measure. All in all, a good two and half star movie.

Star Trek – holy mama… let’s just sum this up by asking why wasn’t JJ Abrams hired to film the Last 3 Star Wars.

Harry potter and the Half Blood Prince – Slow paced… visually amazing but much more than a movie, it’s a visual companion to the books. Fans will love, casual fans will be confused, haters will keep hating.

Transformers 2 – Rise of the Fallen: WOW… this movie was all over the place and I can’t help but think they wanted to condense three movies into one… and it didn’t work.

Public Enemies – My expectations were so ridiculously high that it’s natural that I felt the movie blew… It’s not a terrible flick… but it just didn’t click with me on any levels and by the end, I was thinking how to pull off a Dillinger Escape while maintaining my dignity intact.

The Hangover – Pure solid screwed up gold. I laughed from start to finish and loved every second of this new reason for not wanting a Bachelor Party.

The Proposal – I was actually surprised I laughed so much in this over par chick flick. Don’t let the nature of the movie fool you, it’s funny, interesting, random and actually quite a lot of fun.

Land of the Lost – Ok so I was the only one in the theater having a super blast… sue me, but I loved this flick for it’s B movie goodness.

Up – Just the movie I wanted to see… very fun, and very beautiful visually and let me soar up as high as five million helium balloons would allow.

Watch DVD’s I’ve bought

Lost Seasons 1-4 (Already on Season 5) – Deliciously addictive.

Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life – A true comedy classic showing just how smart stupid can be.

Twin Peaks series (both seasons+pilot) – Weird, campy, odd, interesting and definitely worth a second watch, if only to transcribe the log lady intros.

Pi – So real and weird it’s scary. Aronofsky in Black and white. Brilliant.

Escape from New York – Kurt Russell and John Carpenter can do no wrong… well in the 80’s at least.

Inland Empire – If you don’t like Lynch, there is nothing here for your enjoyment. Turn on the weird and tune out the world.

Growing Up – Concert by Peter Gabriel… simply amazing… as usual. Great music, hell of a stage, wonderful show. Nuff said.

Soda Stereo Unplugged – Hell of a concert movie… Two thumbs wayyyy up

Videogames finished
10 / 20


Zakk and Wikki – Quest for Barbaro’s Treasure – Wii – One of the most enjoyable videogaming experiences in my life. Odd, quirky and one of the games that best makes use of the Wiimote.

Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes – Game Cube – Great game, classic storyline, steep learning curve and just plain fun.

Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty – PS2 – Weirder storyline than the first game but better controls overall.

Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater – PS2 – Best MGS I’ve played and I one of my 3 favorite boss fights ever in gaming. Memorable characters, great score, revamped controls, added features and more MGS fun than you can shake your silenced stick at.

Kingdom Hearts – It took me two years to finally decide to finish this game. Not bad at all, but for some reason I just found it hard to even want to finish the damn thing.

Final Fantasy 1 – Throwback RPG that will try your patience regarding redundant battles and possibly the weakest game ending I’ve ever been exposed to.

Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy – Great platforming is not easy to do and standing out is even harder but Jak’s first installment made an excellent impression on me. Fun gameplay, great graphics and just fun to play through.

Jak 2 – huge world but lack of direction takes away from this title. Much more engrossing and much more serious storyline but still very solid. My main problem was the whole hovercraft torture of the game.

Jak 3 – Takes all the problems from Jak 2 and SOLVES them. Rarely have I seen a sequel be THAT responsible in addressing all issues regarding a previous installment. The best, funniest, tightest and more entertaining Jak in the series.

Final Fantasy IV – CLASSIC RPG that truly made my day to joy. THAT was the throwback RPG I needed to play to get me in the mood of loving games again.

Currently on – Final Fantasy VI

Books read
8/20 – Read some random books, all over the place, but enjoying the reads.


2nd book of The Bartimeus Trilogy – The Golem’s Eye – Good continuation to the story but not as good as the first one.

3rd book of the Bartimeus Trilogy – Ptolemy’s Gate – A hell of an ending and the no holds barred installment of the story. Great character development, interesting twists and an ending that will have you nodding in approval, even if it is anything but Hollywood.

The Wind in the Willows – A book most people should read for the exercise of character development especially in the characters of Badger, Mole and of course, that crazy Toad. Not to forget the Water Rat, but the other characters were very complete and it was amazing to read since this is a kid’s story with all the limitations seen in most children’s book (mainly skipping months in three lines and not having a good grasp on timing).

Fahrenheit 451 – Scary how this reads like it was written yesterday. Brilliant book though the ending drags a bit. One of those books whose brilliance stems from the development much more than the ending.

Angels and Demons – Better movie than Da Vinci, but lesser a book. Some lines and scenes read like something a teenager would write to be honest. If you hate me for saying that, by all means defend the Helicopter jump scene or the last line of the book. I dare you.

Nightwatch – Excellent sci-fi fantasy read. Very different narrative and very fresh ideas from a brilliant mind from Russia.

Joker’s Asylum – Great compilation of tales of the Joker. More fuel to my crazed love for this delightful villain.

Hardy Boys – I needed to finally understand all the jokes I hear from the Hardy Boys. To put it lightly, these books are Scooby-Doo sans dog, munchie desiring hippie, hottie and lesbian. I swear I felt dumber once I read this train wreck.

Currently on – Thus Spake Zarathustra – Nietzche… yeah I’m weird like that. Going from a graphic novel, to Hardy Boys, to Nietzche. This book is brilliant by the way.



Playing guitar

Actually been playing guitar a lot more recently and I’m really happy about that.


ACQUISITIVE:


Get new computer

My comp is up and running, and I’m a cheery bugger. New antivirus and a cleanup means being connected to the world without a super inversion.


Net connection

Loving the DSL, it’s so fast, and sexy. I’d have its children.


Digital recorder

No news on this, might wait to buy a comp for that, but still on my mind. Let’s see what I do.

Digital Camera

Still haven’t bought a cam.. I suck…


MONETARY


Save Money

On my way to my bank account to siphon money into my savings account. Baby steps… baby steps


Payments
Still everything’s on time, but working to further promote that.


Mom’s cakes
Officially need to reestablish my relationship with this project.



Donations
A few bucks here and there but no new contribution. Still up $200 and looking to offer some extra cash to another cause… will keep posted if there’s news on this.


KNOWLEDGE:

Learn / record songs
Have continued writing songs, but haven’t recorded anything… dang…


Learn Random Info
I’d forgotten about this and maybe I’ll use it to reach my quota. I’d said I’d look for random info and make random posts that probably no one will read, but will be a fun write for me.


Read the news
Still reading, learning, and living large.


Retake French
July ended and still no French book.. to be honest, this has definitely taken a back seat… let’s see if I can get my poo poo together.



Dance classes
Still haven’t look into that info… have to see what I do with this.



WRITING:


WAS posts
103 / 200

Past the 100 mark, which is a good sign even if there are only 5 months to go in the year. But hey, I’m sure I can pull it off.


Posts in other blogs
21 +8 / 100

Keeping quite busy in the blog writing sense of the word. This is one of three blogs, the others being Why Advertising Sucks and Laser Eater. I’m always writing on WAS but Laser Eater I have it a bit forgotten, have to change that ASAP but since I can’t write at work, then it becomes a bit harder because I don’t always get home with the urge to rant.

Finish book
Finished chapter 38. Very interesting the twists the book demands from my brain and how I just go along with it. Halfway through Chapter 39, let’s see if we can’t finish up that puppy this week. Having said that now, I probably jinxed myself.


Write short stories
0 / 10
Still at zero… have to switch tactics on myself… any suggestions… oh wait, I forgot that pretty much no one reads this blog lol. Oh well. I like being schizo like this.

Essay project
0 / 20
Zero for 20… nice… sometimes it’s impressive how much I suck.



Draft story arcs
0 / 3
I will quit dicking around with this and will organize myself during the month of August… that is an additional resolution.


WAS Movie
Still pending
Let’s baby step this one ok? There’s just a lot of stuff I really have to focus on.

Progress reports
4/ 12
Because of connection and comp issues, I’ve lazed off quite a bit so I will have to make mid month reports just to be able to accomplish this goal.


Standup piece
N/A – Still haven’t found a place to put this in agenda. Actually want to re-read what I wrote and see if I can’t get inspired and rant a little more and finish the damn thing.


Be more positive
Glimpses of the old self have come around, but for the most part staying positive and making lemonade as often as possible. Some days it gets to be too much and my patience wears thin, but I guess that’s just me being intolerant to an otherwise kick-ass existence.



Forgive people
Actually got to speaking terms with one of the people that had won my scorn. Interesting interaction to be honest, let’s see how long it lasts.


Negative energy
Work has been kind of crazy and the corporate BS has gotten to me on more than one occasion, but with a change of outlook and a little prescription strength fukitol, anything is possible.


Loving my fiancée

I work hard to make her smile and enjoy life. She’s one of the greatest inspirations in my life and I can’t help but be thankful I’m marrying my muse. Love you darling.

Resolution Report!

Ok so this isn’t a new series, but since these posts take up so much space, I had to change it from my other blog to this one. Just in case, I got a little lost to say the very least since I was supposed to make a progress report every month but have managed to have this be my third one only. ARGH. Anyways, now I’m back on track (don’t say Nordictrac please) and I’m updating my resolution progress. True, to make good on one of the resolutions I’m going to have to report twice a month for a couple of months, but hey, I suck for having a crappy computer that doesn’t want to cooperate with me, not to mention the super May writer’s block or my beautiful talent to procrastinate.

So let’s start with the physical aspect of the resolution report. I’ve made some progress but need to stay healthy to make good on my goals. I got a cold not too long ago (IT WASN’T SWINE FLU) and couldn’t do much of anything. Anyways, here’s what I got so far:


PHYSICAL

Bicep Curls
1,300 / 5,000


Butterfly curls
1,300 / 5,000


Pushups
1,300 / 5,000


Sit-ups
2,350 / 10,000


Jumping Jacks
3,850 / 10,000


Squats
2,300 / 10,000


Miles run/walked
1 / 100


Yoga classes
N/A


Meditation/Reflection/Goal setting hours
1 / 100


I finally bought me some real running shoes so I don’t mess up my legs with the crappy sneakers I have. I’m also more aware that I REALLY have to work on meditating but yoga might be a pursuit I either drop or do on my own sans classes because these aren’t the times to be spending money on yoga classes. A note though, it’s a lot harder to find time to meditate than I thought it would be, but finally started doing it. I actually changed it up a bit so I’m able to really make good on the 100 hours since I need more discipline to achieve a goal of pure meditation but instead of scrapping it, I added aspects of reflection and goal setting which I think could be very helpful.


PROFESSIONAL


Freelance jobs
4 of 10 (just finished one two weeks ago and almost snagged a good one but the guy was either flaky, a cheapskate or thinks I'm too much of a kid for his taste. Sincerely, I have better things to do than wait for a flip flopper.)


Work proposals
2 of 10 approved

8 more in the pipeline

The small ideas were adopted while the bigger ones were “left to discuss later”. So that means I have to touch base again to see if I can’t get my stuff done for a change.

Work on portfolio
N/A

Artist friends are too busy to work on their portfolio and I might be forced to do this on my own. Dang. Though to be honest, I’m more worried about my other projects than this particular one.

RECAP:
Almost half way there regarding freelance jobs so I’m happy with that but would definitely like to have a better success rate at proposals at work. Let’s see if I can give better news soon.


ACTIVITIES:


Surf Sessions
17 / 50

Conditions have been subpar and though I’ve had some great sessions this year, the last one I had was just pathetic to watch. Feeling the need to redeem myself next time out whenever Poseidon deems me worthy of good waves.


Swim / bodysurf / water activities
3 / 10

Went paddle boarding with my brother in a lagoon to get the feel of the board and have had two mini bodysurfing sessions. Pretty cool though I’ve yet to have a super bodysurf session, but fifteen waves is a good ballpark even if they are small waves. Want a juicy session to work on those skills though.

Local tourism
N/A

No plans yet. When I get my credit card all paid for I'll start doing a couple of fancy trips with ma Mrs. Who knows, summertime might just be THE time. We’ll see.

Concerts
0 / 5

Wow, no concerts and it’s June. So sad.


Trips
0 / 2

None yet, something about getting H1N1 that makes traveling questionable… though knowing me I might just keel in to the temptation of watching a good live concert and tempt fate.

Writing with Pen & Paper
Could write more but not completely negligent. Let’s see if I can keep working on the book and looking for an excuse to spurt some ink. :)



Movies
9 / 40


Paul Blart: Mall Cop – I thought this was going to be a gut busting good time. All that ended up getting busted was my wallet from this middle of the road ho hum movie.

Angels and Demons – I still have a review pending on this one on my other blog, I will sum it up by saying that if you’re looking for a faithful book adaptation, you’d be better off looking elsewhere.

The Wrestler – Aronofsky brilliance strikes again. He has a talent to leave your gut wrenched after the final scene of everyone of his movies, but great storytelling is something he’s REALLY strong at.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Just in case, THIS should have been the movie of the year at the Academy Awards. Yes I enjoyed Slumdog, but it’s no Ben Button. Sorry.

Coraline – One of the most gratifying cinematographic experiences in my life. Words can’t begin to describe how much I absolutely adored this movie and as an animation feature it stands tall and proud among the elite, often times surpassing movies that made five times as much money.

Slumdog Millionaire – Great movie. Predictable at times, but great. Good music (good not great). Interesting cinematography, feel good story. Bollywood has never had such a Hollywood ending or Hollywood has never had such a Bollywood feel. I’m still debating which way is right.

Watchmen – A big blue penis could not take away from the fabulous acting of some of the most memorable comic book characters never to have been to an mutant academy.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine – THE definition of a Popcorn movie. Fast pace, rushed storyline, great special effects, good fights, and some plot holes thrown in for good measure. All in all, a good two and half star movie.

Star Trek – holy mama… let’s just sum this up by asking why wasn’t JJ Abrams hired to film the Last 3 Star Wars.



Watch DVD’s I’ve bought

Lost Seasons 1-3 (Already on Season 4) – I got bit bad by the Lost bug… and it’s deliciously painful.

Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life – A true comedy classic showing just how smart stupid can be.

Twin Peaks series (both seasons+pilot) – Weird, campy, odd, interesting and definitely worth a second watch, if only to transcribe the log lady intros.

Pi – So real and weird it’s scary. Aronofsky in Black and white. Brilliant.

Escape from New York – Kurt Russell and John Carpenter can do no wrong… well in the 80’s at least.

Inland Empire – If you don’t like Lynch, there is nothing here for your enjoyment. Turn on the weird and tune out the world.

Videogames finished
9 / 20


Zakk and Wikki – Quest for Barbaro’s Treasure – Wii – One of the most enjoyable videogaming experiences in my life. Odd, quirky and one of the games that best makes use of the Wiimote.

Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes – Game Cube – Great game, classic storyline, steep learning curve and just plain fun.

Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty – PS2 – Weirder storyline than the first game but better controls overall.

Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater – PS2 – Best MGS I’ve played and I one of my 3 favorite boss fights ever in gaming. Memorable characters, great score, revamped controls, added features and more MGS fun than you can shake your silenced stick at.

Kingdom Hearts – It took me two years to finally decide to finish this game. Not bad at all, but for some reason I just found it hard to even want to finish the damn thing.

Final Fantasy 1 – Throwback RPG that will try your patience regarding redundant battles and possibly the weakest game ending I’ve ever been exposed to.

Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy – Great platforming is not easy to do and standing out is even harder but Jak’s first installment made an excellent impression on me. Fun gameplay, great graphics and just fun to play through.

Jak 2 – huge world but lack of direction takes away from this title. Much more engrossing and much more serious storyline but still very solid. My main problem was the whole hovercraft torture of the game.

Jak 3 – Takes all the problems from Jak 2 and SOLVES them. Rarely have I seen a sequel be THAT responsible in addressing all issues regarding a previous installment. The best, funniest, tightest and more entertaining Jak in the series.

About to start: Resident Evil 4

Books read
5/20 – I lowered the number to 20 to have a more realistic goal, though now that I’m off and running I might make better progress.


2nd book of The Bartimeus Trilogy – The Golem’s Eye – Good continuation to the story but not as good as the first one.

3rd book of the Bartimeus Trilogy – Ptolemy’s Gate – A hell of an ending and the no holds barred installment of the story. Great character development, interesting twists and an ending that will have you nodding in approval, even if it is anything but Hollywood.

The Wind in the Willows – A book most people should read for the exercise of character development especially in the characters of Badger, Mole and of course, that crazy Toad. Not to forget the Water Rat, but the other characters were very complete and it was amazing to read since this is a kid’s story with all the limitations seen in most children’s book (mainly skipping months in three lines and not having a good grasp on timing).

Fahrenheit 451 – Scary how this reads like it was written yesterday. Brilliant book though the ending drags a bit. One of those books whose brilliance stems from the development much more than the ending.

Angels and Demons – Better movie than Da Vinci, but lesser a book. Some lines and scenes read like something a teenager would write to be honest. If you hate me for saying that, by all means defend the Helicopter jump scene or the last line of the book. I dare you.

Currently on: Nightwatch – Excellent sci fi fantasy read.


Playing guitar

Not playing five times a week necessarily, but doing pretty good and sometimes playing more than an hour to make up for lost time. More than anything I just need to get in the groove but I do miss jamming with friends.


ACQUISITIVE:


Get new computer

Was getting to breaking point. Had a friend check it and after he laughed at my RAM, we sorted out to buy two RAM components for my comp and a new fan while deleting Norton CrappyVirus. Seems there is still salvation for the comp so will hold out until I get my own place.


Net connection

I finally have a real connection. Lord bless DSL and Death to dial up.


Digital recorder

No news on this, might wait to buy a comp for that, but still on my mind. Let’s see what I do.

Digital Camera

I’d made the transaction, I’d sent the money and the cam never arrived. Awesome work by the USPS on trying to rip me off but I got my money back. Now I just have to hope that the economy in turmoil has one upside in lower prices for capricious buys.


MONETARY


Save Money

Well, paying wedding stuff is not letting me save much money, but I do have some in the bank lol.


Payments
Everything’s on time and then some but this entry is a good reminder so I don’t screw up.


Mom’s cakes
Does buying materials and helping with deliveries count? Because though I want to help with some other type of promotion, a crapped up comp has been a pain in the bud to say the least.



Donations
Still up $200 but looking for something else I can donate to, might even donate time for a change since I finally have some to give.


KNOWLEDGE:

Learn / record songs
I remember saying I wouldn’t botch this resolution, working to accomplish just that but not so easy because I’m doing a great job at botching at the moment.


Learn Random Info
Still planning on writing a series about the random stuff I read on a regular basis.



Read the news
I’m up to date baby. Could also do some posts on random news, but prefer to read on Thinking in Vain.


Retake French
Still failing at starting up on this but hey, there are a lot of things on the agenda… wow I’ve started making excuses. Will buy a French book before June is over.



Dance classes
N/A Need to look into info pronto.



WRITING:


WAS posts
76 / 200

Thanks to Fortune Cookies, rants and overall lunacy, I’m able to break out of blocks. I’m pretty sure I can make the number easy. I’m super pacing myself but I’m way on my way to the goal.


Posts in other blogs
13 + 8 / 100

Keeping quite busy in the blog writing sense of the word. This is one of three blogs, the others being Why Advertising Sucks and Laser Eater.

Finish book
Finally finished chapter 37 am working on chapter 38. I’m pretty happy with how it’s coming along but wow it’s a weird process for me to say the least.


Write short stories
0 / 10
I read that zero and get angry at myself and my computer, though mostly at myself. Let’s hope I have better news to report soon.

Essay project
0 / 20
I’m lazing off on this. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH.



Draft story arcs
0 / 3
Haven’t had much time to work on this, but written down some ideas. Want to do it a bit more structured.


WAS Movie
Still pending
Still got good ideas but haven’t organized it all.


Progress reports
3/ 12
Because of connection and comp issues, I’ve lazed off quite a bit so I will have to make mid month reports just to be able to accomplish this goal.


Standup piece
N/A – Still haven’t found a place to put this in agenda.


Be more positive
Being positive and getting frustrated and angry apparently coexist in me. Have had a few days where I just want to send everything to hell, but regarding a lot of things, I’m working on staying as positive as possible.



Forgive people
I don’t have time to waste on being angry at people who did anything to me at any point. I forgave them and put them out of my mind.


Negative energy
Finding some things that get on my nerves from time to time and I’m trying to manage it better. Maybe tensions are building or maybe too many things to fix at the same time but working on working things out with a smile.


Loving my fiancée

Loving her is easy but working on us staying positive and focused on all the things we have pending is something of a challenge, but I know we can do anything if we just stay positive and focused. Love you baby.

Cheers