Looking Forward

Well, now that the calendar has flipped forward, I guess it's as good a time as any to take stock and set goals. Better now than on my birthday, when I'll probably be too bummed out about changing decades.

At least in looking back at 2006, I think I pretty much did everything I resolved to do. Buy a house, start school, save more, advance at work - all pretty good or some measure of success.

So, what's good for 2007 to try to do?

• GET IN SHAPE. Yeah, I know. Everyone makes this one. Well, I haven't made it in about 6 years, when I vowed to get down to 200. I got there, and stayed there for a while, but for the last 3 years I haven't really given a damn about my weight or look. I stepped on a scale on New Year's Eve and came in at 236. I think it's time to trot out this resolution again and try to get back to 200 if possible. Since I'm starting to get lectures from doctors about getting in shape, being more active, and blah blah blah blah, it might be a good time to try it. Of course, 2 kids is a pretty good workout in itself - I have lost 10 pounds in the last 6 weeks just chasing them around or running errands everywhere.
• KEEP WORKING. Hopefully, when I go back in 3 weeks, I'll be able to step right back into things. From what I've been told, the office isn't functioning nearly as well without me there, so returning to clean it up should provide an immense return. Combined with exceeding all of my goals for 2006 with over a month left in 2006 and before I went on leave, I guess I'll be returning on a high note.
• GO TO SLEEP. No, really. I guess this goes along with getting in shape, but staying up until 2-3 AM each night probably isn't the healtheist thing for my body or my career. Even midnight would be a stark improvement, once I go back to work.
• KNOCK OUT THOSE DAMN CLASSES. Thanks to a curriculum change at Georgia State, I've now got 6 credits instead of 4.5 towards the 57 I need. By the end of the year, I'd like to get to at least 24 credits done. Ideally, it would be 30, but since I might have to sit out the Spring term due to the car failure and not getting a replacement too quickly, 24 is probably a more realistic goal. That would leave me with 33 credits for 2008-2009, which I could knock out in 4 more terms.
• TRIPLE 2006 POKER CASHES. Whether that means the number of live games or the dollar amount combined. Either way will work juuuuuust fine. Between live games, casino poker rooms, and online, 2006 was a very nice year. I've got New Orleans on the slate already for 2007 (May), and may add Tunica (January or April) and/or Atlantic City (March) to the list. If the first few months of the year go well enough, then I may just show up in Las Vegas in June to have a crack at a bracelet, but that's a really big if and means I've increased by a factor of 10, not 3. The scariest part of that is that I've already got time off from work reserved for going to New Orleans and Atlantic City for WSOP Circuit events with their fullknowledge and consent (which means that this is a job I should definitely stay in for a while, if they are willing to negotiate poker and fraternity travel just to keep me!) of course, if I surpassing trebling 2006, I'll take it, of course.
• ENJOY MY VACATION TIME. Some of it was put to good use - trips to New Orleans and Key West were quite refreshing. A lot of it was spent on sick time, errands, etc. I'd like to try to do more with my vacation this year. DC in February is already on the list (hope the drive isn't too bad) but I'd like to go somewhere else I haven't been before either, or at least somewhere the kids haven't gone. And no, Tunica does not count. Perhaps another trip to Austin and San Antonio? I don't know if the kids would like the long car ride, though. It's a bear - at least it was rough when I was 25. I don't know how well I'd handle it at 30. I do know whether it's here or on the road, we always seem to have a good time - eternal optimism of an almost-three-year old is one of the best things around.
• DON'T BORROW ANY MORE. When we bought the house, I took advantage of the one-time allowace to borrow against retirement because it was to facilitate a home purchase. Even with that, ROI was still at 17% in 2006. Hopefully, there will be no reason to take out any such loan for 2007 - because if I do, it means someone's in the hospital or the roof fell in or some other really, really bad scenario. (Too bad I couldn't get the 17% on what was taken out!) Anyway, no more loans, no cards, nothing. No new debt, and kill as much old debt as I can.
• WIN A GODDAMN FANTASY LEAGUE. Because I managed to place second...again.....for the third time in my fantasy football league in 7 tries. I don't like alway being the bridesmaid and I would rather not turn into a fantasy-league version of the Buffalo Bills.

Well, that's about it. I think it's a pretty good list myself. For now. It's a start.