This year has been pretty good to me. I’ve stumbled across some things that have made my life quite a bit easier and I have gotten myself into a position to do what I’ve been wanting to do for a long long time, stop working retail… I’ve made more money this year than ever before and I got another 14+% return on my 401k this year, pretty cool.
I’ve never been a big fan of new year’s resolutions but for perhaps the first time in my life I’ve accomplished something that I’ve really had to work had for. I told myself that to make this trip to Egypt work, I would have to have at least 10 grand in the bank by feb. I hit 12,000 this month. I’ve come around to the whole setting goals thing, so here’s some resolutions for the new year:
1) Go to Egypt for a year. This is what is driving me, it is why I am doing what I’m doing at work, I will make this trip happen.
2) Lose 15 pounds by March 1. I’ve lost 12 just by cutting back on the crap I eat, no reason that I can’t lose more if I actually exercise and eat decently. I’m going to have to concentrate to make this happen, but I’ll do it.
3) Exercise at least 3 times a week. I know, I know, exercise resolutions are the most common and the least attained, but I was actually doing this for 4 or 5 months this year. I gave up during november and december, but I’m going to get back to it, I feel pretty weak right now…
4) Build at least one stereo amplifier. Yeah, the preamp is still sitting there, lacking only a few capacitors and resistors, but amps have always been my focus. I’ll put the order in for the parts at the end of january. Not sure if I want a triode push pull or a single ended ultralinear pentode for my first effort, any suggestions?
5) Get through all of the guitar lessons that I have right now and half of my next book by august 20th. I have let my practicing stop during december but I really want to learn more. I’m doing this primarily for learning more about music but I understand that learning music can also open up other pathways in the brain. That makes it easier to learn things, that’s useful for…
6) Learn everything in the Arabic books/cds I own. I would like to have some rudimentary grasp on the basics before I go over. I’d be happy if I could greet people, say thank you, and tell the cabbie to take me to the campus. I don’t have any doubts that I can learn the language, especially since I’ll have to learn to function over there:-)
So that’s my list. It’s front weighted towards the beginning of this year since I’m not sure what is going to happen once I get over there. So I guess I better get cracking!:-) Happy New Year!!!
Isaac