My Goals for 2008

This is going to be a boring post, at least by my standards, but I'm posting it anyway. Today begins the 365 days of blogging project so I'm obligated to put up a valid post. It'd be totally lame if I posted a big FAIL on the first day.

5. Keep up my return to literacy. For some reason reading Internet news, magazines, and other people's blogs don't make me feel like I'm actually reading. I know it's dumb, but that's just the way I feel. It's just that if what I'm reading doesn't come bound in a book of over 200 pages I don't feel like it counts. I just got back into reading again on a regular basis (although I have taken a brief break to make room for college football bowl season. After I finish Michael Crichton's Prey, I'll be moving on to Jared Diamond's Collapse, another book I started last year before quitting after only a couple of dozen pages. After that I've got a wide variety from which to choose. Check my What I'm Reading section of the sidebar to the right to see what comes up next in this area. Speaking of Prey, was Michael Crichton always this bad of an author? I really remember liking a lot of his other books, but this one just seems like he's phoning it in.

4. Keep up with the writing. Obviously, I've already made an active commitment to this one, but I really think it's good for me. It exercises a part of my brain that I let go dormant after college. Plus, what's the better way to waste your free time: Watching TV or writing pointless blog posts on these here Internets.

3. Settle out my finances. I won't go into specifics on this because frankly it's none of your business, except for K and she never comments on the posts here anyway. I'm not struggling in any way. I've never come close to not making payments on any bills or loans on time in my life. I'm not getting as much in savings as I'd like, however, despite moving down here to do just that. I am going to spend the next three months refusing to buy anything new except for the necessities of food and toiletries. Luckily, I've just gone through Christmas so I've got plenty of clothes to get me through this period. This also includes self-imposed bans on beer purchases and eating out at restaurants. Luckily, there are no real temptations in the local area for either of those. I am going to really need to restrict my travel, though. Gas isn't a huge expense for me given my car of choice, but it does lead to eating out and the chance to be tempted by new beers. In other words, if you live in Atlanta or anywhere else not within 30 miles of my house, you won't be seeing me until after March unless you come to me (which some of you may.)

2. Start losing weight again. I know this is the same goal I've had for myself since high school, but obviously I've not be very successful. I don't expect to be successful this year either, but I'm not ready to abandon it as a goal yet. I have had periods of success. I lost about 20 lbs by jogging three miles a day on a treadmill while watching The Simpsons reruns every day during the summer of 2001. Somewhere around 2003 I lost nearly 40 lbs by Weight Watchers and some working out at the gym in Calhoun and all of this without reducing my beer consumption. Unfortunately, my gluttony and sloth got the better of my and I'm back to where I was before losing that weight. K and I have a good quality elliptical machine and it's in our living room where I can watch a movie or TV while exercising, but I've seriously got no energy left when I get home from school every day. Back at the paper and during college, my stress level was near nil and I was able to work out before work. When I worked at The Wow Factory for that brief 6 months, I was able to get my butt out of bed early enough and go to the gym with a friend who helped keep my resolve up. Having to be at work at 9 instead of 7:30 a.m. helped too. Even if I overslept that morning, I was still energetic enough after work to get a good workout in, but teaching has ruined me as a person.

1. Start working on changing my career. This isn't as easy as it sounds. Because of where I live I can't just go get a job in the corporate world where I'd sacrifice vacation time for lowering my stress level and raising my happiness level. To do that would require moving and K's not willing to do that yet. Plus, I'd have to give up the sweet retirement paycheck that comes from working in public schools. I'm really not keen on having to depend on my own ability at saving and the whims of the stock market to finance my hopefully lengthy period of do-nothingness beginning in the year I turn 54 (when I turn eligible for full retirement at my current career trajectory). Instead, my best bet is to get a masters that makes me eligible for being a school counselor. I'd be out of the classroom, would deal with students in ways that I don't mind (small numbers and not having to control their behavior in a classroom environment). It would increase my paperwork load, but that's really not something I mind. I've never minded paperwork and seemingly pointless tasks. I'm perfectly happy sitting at a desk and working through mundane tasks. I'm not expecting a job to fulfil me. I think people who have that expectation are sad, personally. I just want something to make ends meet, and I'm really having problems with the idea of giving up my summers and the four years toward retirement that I've already earned. This is actually a much more attainable goal than getting my PhD. in something that I actually want to study and moving into teaching at a college. I can get the degree needed for turning counselor at schools within temporary commuting distance from my house and school and these programs are often customized for students with full-time jobs already. After that I can think about using my summers to work toward a degree in something I'm more interested in.

I'm not sure how that top goal fits in with the saving money goal though. I'm still waiting for God to come through on that lottery win promise.

Who knows, I might even decide to start reading my posts over before clicking the "Publish Post" button this year. I doubt it, though.