And with that we bid a fond farewell to 2010. A new decade begins. It hardly seems like a decade could have passed since the big Year 2000 panic. It has been quite the decade of growth in my personal and professional life. I continue to grow in my interests and passions, which is something I am very thankful for and take for granted far too often.
In past New Year’s Day posts I have discussed the phenomenon of an arbitrary day, a marking on a calendar, and how it can have such a profound affect on us, if we allow it to. What is really and truly just another passing day comes with its very own built in excuse to do a little self-examination, a little-reflection, and a little planning for what might lie ahead.
I am not a big goal setter by nature. I have made “resolutions” in past years and had great success in fulfilling some of them, no success in fulfilling others, and other times I have resolved nothing in particular…and I have been 100% successful in accomplishing that! 😉 So I enter 2011 with the knowledge that, at age 42, I am not yet an old dog (though I sometimes feel like one) who cannot teach himself new tricks. I know from personal experience and the study of others that there is great value in setting goals, but only for things a person truly wants to accomplish. While these need not be set in stone, subject to extreme self-loathing if they are not accomplished, they can be made firm enough to give a foundation and some accountability.
To that end I am going to resolve a few things for 2011.
READING GOALS:
1. Read What I’ve Got
I am joining Little Red Reviewer in her New Year’s Resolution to “read what I’ve got.”
If you read my 2010 Year in Review post you know that I read 90 books last year. Of those:
34 were checked out from the library
12 were previously owned before the year began
8 were borrowed from friends
7 were gifts given/review copies received during the year
That means roughly 34% of what I read were books I purchased new this year. At first glance that looks pretty good. And it is good. Looking behind the curtain reveals that I read just slightly under 50% of the new and used books I purchased last year. That is not so good, especially given the fact that I have been very diligently paying off debt over the past two years.
Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t see anything wrong with buying books, new or used. I believe very strongly in supporting authors and doing my part to help slow the tide of the demise of the book in printed format. However, I also believe I should be doing a better job of actually reading what I purchase. To that end my objectives under this goal are:
a.) Read 75% of the books I purchase new or used between January 1, 2011 and November 30th, 2011 by the end of the year.
b.) Have 80% of my total books read be either from my collection of books already owned, from the library, from review copies, gifts, or borrowed from friends.
I realize that these objectives have the potential of canceling each other out, for instance I could read 90% of the books I buy this year, buy a lot of new and used books, and not reach the threshold set in objective b. I would be alright with that.
2. Read at least one short story online per week.
I recently joined a Classic Science Fiction Book Club online and in addition to having the opportunity to read one classic and one contemporary science fiction novel each month (not a requirement, just an opportunity), we can also do a group read of a chosen short story each week and discuss it online. As a big fan of the short fiction format I find that I have really enjoyed this aspect of the book club over the past month and I want to set a goal to make sure to either read the chosen story or visit one of the many good short story review sites, like Rusty’s Best Science Fiction Stories, and read one story per week. I enjoy the discussion aspect that I don’t get when I am simply lost in an anthology or short story collection on my own.
3. Build more bookshelves.
This may not fit precisely under the heading of “reading” goals, but it is a must for me if I am going to try to better read what I own. My downstairs shelves are packed and I have a number of newer books that, quite honestly, I don’t want to have stored in my basement where I rarely see them. I want a library and I don’t want to wait until I’m old to get it.
Sooo…(dad, are you listening in?), I am strongly considering using some bonus money to build a few longer, two shelf high bookshelves to place along the walls back in our back sunroom, the place were the Xbox 360 and computer is used and where my wife often reads. It is the room most suited to being a reading room anyway and I am thinking of taking some of the larger furnishings out and making these shelves and buying a couple of inexpensive, comfortable, smaller chairs to place in either corner to create reading nooks for my wife and me. I’m going to do some drawings/planning over the weekend and put some measurements together so that I can price the wood to see if this is doable right now. I am also strongly considering distressing them like my dad did with the chests he built us for Christmas. It may be a lofty goal, but now that I have that image stuck in my head I am pretty determined to try to make this a reality.
For those who need a visual, here are a couple of pics I took a few years back after a bit of redecorating:
OTHER MISCELLANEOUS GOALS:
1. Improved Health
Is there anything more cliched than to commit to healthy lifestyle goals at the start of a new year? 🙂 Perhaps not, but at age 42 time is passing me by and there is no sense in being stubborn about setting a few realistic lifestyle improvement goals, especially given the fact that I know these are successful weight loss/energy improvement methods because I did them a few years ago and lost a great deal of weight, almost all of which I have kept off. That being said, I still have some weight that could be shaved off, but more importantly I need to get my cholesterol down. I’ve been taken off cholesterol medications and I took myself off of my high blood pressure meds (low dose) about 8 months back, mostly because I didn’t like taking them and I knew all my issues were work related. I’ve learned to manage work stress better and my blood pressure has been great without the meds. Anyway, a couple of objectives under this goal:
a.) Reduce soda consumption: Beginning Monday January 3rd I will be limiting my pop intake to weekends only. This is what I did previously and I felt so much better when doing it. I’ve slacked off over the last year and it is time to take control of this again. At some point I will need to re-examine this and will need to work on cutting back the amount on weekends.
b.) Walk Charlie (my dog) at least 3 times per week during winter months, increasing gradually as spring arrives. This, along with the soda control, were the two things I did a couple of years ago and rather quickly lost 20 pounds and maintained that loss. More importantly, I was much more energetic and felt so much better.
c.) Go to bed before midnight at least 3 days per week, gradually increasing as I engage a more healthy but realistic schedule. I’m a night person. I hate to go to bed before midnight, even when I feel tired and know it would be the best thing for me. I don’t plan on trying to radically alter who I am in one go, but I do want to make some slight adjustments and build from there.
2. Maintain progress towards financial goals and look for opportunities to increase income towards debt removal.
This is another of those goals that almost feels like cheating, because for over a year and a half my wife and I have followed a detailed monthly budget, one that gives us money to spend on whims and allows for some expense for entertainment and vacation savings, but one that also involves a significant amount of extra money going to pay our final credit card off. Rather than cruising in idle mode, I’d like to crank up the heat a bit and see what else we could do. A couple of objectives under this goal are:
a.) Increase sales on Half.com. I have already pinpointed a few more items in my collection that I can do without to sell and will be culling the stacks during the month of January.
b.) Review budget mid-month for potential readjustments. We do this semi-regularly but I want to actually schedule it from now on and be more faithful to doing it every month.
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Those are my “resolutions”, the things I felt like it was important to put down in print. Additionally I have specific books that I want to try to read, some long overdue re-reads that I want to make an effort to get to, specific artists I want to interview either for my site or for SF Signal, some partially completed art projects I want to finish and a living room repaint and redecorate plan that has been stewing in my head for months that I want to make a reality.
More important than all of these, I want to improve the quality of the time I spend with my family and friends, want to do a better job keeping up with those of you who I used to keep up with more frequently, and want to make sure that I visit you good folks over on your sites, and not just over here.
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I wish each and every one of you a 2011 that is lit by the fire of creativity and passion for the things that make you a unique and wonderful individual. I wish you a year that sees you rise above whatever circumstances life may throw at you so that you may have peace and hope and love ever present in your lives. And finally I wish to meet you all again at this same time next year to celebrate a year that defied expectations.
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(Cygnus, image by Les Edwards)
Before I let you go, I wanted to give you a little something to remind you that the Sci Fi Experience 2011 is set to begin. Official word will out either Sunday or Monday. Stay tuned!
I can’t wait for the new Sci Fi Experience to begin. This is always a great opportunity to start the new year right. Thank you for all of the wonderful hours of reading you have given me.
Hey, its my pleasure Jim. Great to hear from you! Happy New Year to you!
Happy New Year Carl!
I have to say, the moment I clicked to read more I burst out laughing! (“read what I’ve got”).. yup I keep trying and yet the tbr continues to grow . (re: http://fantasybookwyrm.blogspot.com/)
I truly do not make new years resolutions but I try to fix what’s broke and not complain about what ain’t broke! (that doesn’t always happen either!)
anyway.. Have a safe, happy and healthy new year!!!!
Deslily: You have a wonderful new year as well! I’ll keep trying to read what I have as well knowing that my pile will grow too. 🙂
Happy New Year Carl and good luck with all your resolutions!
love the “read what I’ve got” idea. I’ve been trying to buy less and convince my daughter to buy less, but every time we go to the 2ndhand; we both still kind of treat it like a free-for-all shopping spree.
Happy New Year Carl. Hope 2011 is a great one. I love your chest in that photo.
Happy New Year, Carl. Thanks for sharing those lofty goals – you are an inspiration. I gave up new year day goals long ago for the very reasons you mention. I tend to make goals on a regular basis…. we won’t talk about how many I meet! Some are met, however. Goal setting is important for change.
I really like the redecorating idea with new bookshelves. I had to box a lot of books and put them in the basement because the house was overflowing! There has to be another solution.
I especially wish you luck with your healthy plans. You will feel sooooo much better ten years from now if you follow through, believe me!!!
Thanks for all of your writings (I am reading even though I don’t always comment), thanks for being so supportive of my writing. You are much appreciated.
Best wishes to you and your family!
Qugrainne: Happy New Year to your and your wonderful family as well. Did you recognize those pics? That’s from back when you inspired me to do my first basement remodel that resulted in the “library” down there, which also involved a big clean up in the computer room area.
Fence: Happy New Year to you as well. That chest belonged to Mary’s grandmother, or perhaps great grandmother. We have her old sewing machine as well. Both are very special just because of that connection. I had to laugh at the worry that popped into my head when I read “I love your chest in that photo”, Ha! I wondered exactly what pictures I put in the post!!!
Twyla: It is easy to do, books are precious and just plain fun to buy. You get that initial joy out of the purchase and then the later joy of taking whatever adventure the book takes you on.
Amanda: Happy New Year to you as well and thanks!
Ha! I never thought of it that way
Nice post. I too find myself out agreeing with many of your goals as one’s I need to work on this year as well.
1. I also need to cut down on my soda consumption and eat healthier. At this point I just need to cut down to one soda a day then I can start taking off some days.
2. Your book shelf idea for the sun room is GREAT. I love all the book shelves I introduced into our home a year ago or so. It was just such a relief to get them up and out of boxes. I often enjoy just looking at the ones in my living room. They often inspire me.
3. Improve our budget and cash flow. I’m working hard on finding more items as well to sell on half.com and ebay. I also am working on 3 items to help our cash flow as well. Refing our home, cutting out cable and reviewing our cell phone plan. If all goes well hopefully I can replace my car this year.
4. Read what I’ve got. I started working on that last year and made a much greater dent in that category. I reduced purchases, used the library more than ever before and started selling books I knew I had purchased yet lost that desire to read over time. Reducing the amount of books I own actually has allowed me to read more since it’s made me focus on what I really want to read.
5. Lastly spend more time with family and friends. Last year was too busy with work on other activities. I vow to find ways to spend more time with the people who mean the most to me. Plus my wife and I are getting to set make an effort to have a date night atleast once a month this year and not let work and our kids consuem all our time.
Great way to start the new year.
PS: I can’t wait for the Scifi experience. I have already set aside multiple SciFi books and short stories to read PLUS I added about 6 SF movies to my Netflix instant catalog. I even watched one last night ” Babylon 5 – The Lost Tales “. I added Pandorum, Supernova, The Man Who Fell From Earth, Outland, Species IV, Dreamscape, and The original The Day the Earth Stood Still. I intend to find some more SF to watch as well. Oh yeah and Eureka Season 3.
You have some awesome goals listed up there! I’ve been quite the slacker this year and haven’t set any complex (or overly important) goals yet. I have a few swarming the brain, but I’ve been procrastinating on writing them down; it feels so official then.
Trisha: These were pretty easy to set because I’ve been thinking about them quite a bit. Now keeping accomplishing them…that won’t be so easy. But then I guess changes that come easy don’t always take.
Jeff: I’m looking forward to the Sci Fi Experience as well, even though I’ve been reading a lot of science fiction for the past month already. As always it is a conundrum to try to figure out what to read first as I have so many books I want to read. I have this idea in my head…we’ll see if it comes to pass…to do a better job mixing some fantasy and other non-sf/f reading in with the first couple months (maybe Feb) so that I can do a better job keeping up with my fantasy and sf reading over the course of the year rather than going in these big waves. We’ll see.
One soda a day would probably be a good goal for me as well!
I hated how a big chunk of summer and fall seemed to disappear without the gang around here getting together more often. We need to do more things like the day we all took the kids out to the nature park, things that cost nothing but the time to do them.
I’m going to sell some books myself soon. I have a mess of a week next week so I’ll probably wait to list some of them, but we’ll see. They aren’t making me any money just sitting around here.
Fence: Yea, it just struck me as very comical.
You know darn well I’m with you on the bookcase thing! Now that the house is sold and the dough is in hand it can go forward. I really like the “read what you have” one too, and I’ll make it a goal as well, though not implemented the same way: at a minimum, 3 out of every 4 books I read will be from my own shelves as of this date, January 1, 2011,/em>.
As for soda, I drink diet, no-caff Dr. Pepper, and I only have a couple a week, so I can’t imagine how that would make a bit of difference. Getting out and walking, however, WILL make a difference, and I’m going to try to do that at least 4 days a week.
Otherwise, I’ll just try to be more kind, rant less and enjoy life more. Easy to say, less easy to do!
Happy New Year! I’m also in the ‘read what I got’ club for the next 6 months. Thanks for joining in on the Mind Voyages challenge in 2010. You read some great books and your reviews added to my wishlist. 🙂 The voyage continues on my 52 books reading challenge blog if you are interested. Look forward to the sci fi reading experience 2011. Cheers to healthy, happy, fun filled, reading new year.
Robin: Welcome to the club! 🙂 The Mind Voyages Challenge was great fun, thanks for hosting it. I’ll check out the blog link.
Happy new year to you as well.
Richard: I can’t wait to see what all of your bookshelves look like once they are made and installed.
I like your version of tracking the “read what you have” goal. I’ll keep that in mind as I go forward. I’m also in with you on the be kind, less ranting and enjoying life more!
I do remember the big clean-up Carl; “cluttered desk, cluttered mind!!”
Now I want to see those new shelves – you can inspire me. Goes around comes around, as my kids would say. 🙂
Qugrainne: Whenever we can get it done I’ll certainly be putting up pictures.
Happy New Year Carl and with the SciFi experience upon us once more that gives me an excuse to dust off the Heinlein I have waiting for me in a box in the garage! Have a good one and good luck with shooting for those goals. I’m with you on the getting healthy and losing weight. To that end I will be taking a picture of myself every first of the month to have a visual record of how I’m doing!
Love your blog. Good luck with your resolutions!
Happy New Year Carl! You’ve got some great goals. I love the read a short story a week one. I don’t know why I don’t read more short stories. I guess the novels just win every time with me.
I’m also going to try and read more from my stacks. I have got to make a dent in those books 🙂
Hope you read a lot of terrific books this year!
happy new year, Carl! wish you the best in your “resolutions”.. will have to check out the “read what you have” challenge as i was placing that on my own list..those “been meaning to’s” that get pushed aside too frequently.
~L
L: I have a lot of ‘been meaning to’s’ as well and that theoretical pile keeps amazing more members as well. 🙂
Iliana: The same to you, I hope your year is wonderful and prosperous. A dent would be progress, wouldn’t it> 🙂
eljy: Thank you so much!
Good luck with your resolutions, Carl. I need to check out the Sci Fi Experience!
Hey Gavin, it has been far too long! Great to hear from you. I hope you have a wonderful new year and please do join us for the Sci Fi Experience.
You probably already know about this short story per week e-letter, but just in case…http://storyoftheweek.loa.org/
Enjoy!
Thanks Tammy, that is great!
Happy New Year, Carl! I adore that graphic at the top…beautiful!
I got it from some free wallpaper website, Janet. Not sure where now. Happy New Year to you.
I’m so jealous of those Absolute Sandman volumes you’ve got there. Hopefully I’ll get one this year, if the fates allow…
Happy New Year, Carl–HUGE resolutions you’ve got posted here. I wish you nothing but the best of luck that you achieve all you set out to this year.
I think my new year’s resolve came down to this simple line:
Love the ones you’re with….
Whether it’s online or in person, cherish the friendships established, old or new.
We’ve been online friends for some time now, and I regret not keeping up with you last year. I appreciate you and your words, and I look forward to corresponding with you more via blogs and comments in the days and months to come.
Thanks for all you continue to do for so many, Carl. We appreciate you greatly!
rusvw: That is a perfect “simple” line for a resolution, and I couldn’t agree more. I have the same regrets and need to try to get over to your site more often. It is always and interesting read.
Logan: Jealousy is a sin! 🙂