Resolutions 2024
I wrote out my resolutions for the year at the beginning of the week. I cooked on them a while, and I think I am satisfied with them. Some of which are things already in the works, which I know is "cheating" in a way. But, like I've always said, it's the small victories.
1. Write every day of the year.
I think in the end, in 2023, even though I didn't write every day I still made up for the missing days when I'd have multiple entries on various single days. I feel like this goal is more about establishing the routine. It is very easy for me to do so during the week when I am working, because I am at my desk anyway. On the weekends, it isn't necessarily difficult since I am often up early anyway. Though I do admit finding it harder to write when I am not alone in the house. However, I think I've barked enough at the Sparrow when he's been here and I am writing for him to know I need the solitude in order to finish the task.
2. Build Bosco a cat shelter.
This was something I wanted to do last year that never happened. I did look at shelters online, but they all look so flimsy and a bit too "Chinese" for my liking. The space the house is going in is a particular size and really needs to fit particular needs as he often likes sleeping on top of his current house during the day. I want him to have options and at least two doorways so he can escape if necessary. We have a lot of spare wood and plywood from when I floored the garage attic in my old house. Materials aren't the issue. Creativity and motivation are.
3. Read at least 5 books
I've spent a lifetime wishing I could read more, and have had periods where I did. I am not currently in one of those periods. We have this giant bookcase in the house, filled to every edge and on top with books. Many, many books I'd love to read and/or reread. I WANT knowledge. Again, the issue is motivation to DO it. Five doesn't seem like many, but I kept the number low so going over it would feel like a great achievement.
4. Pay for a stranger's meal.
We did this at a breakfast place we sometimes go to last month. It was a strange, exhilarating experience. He was just some older veteran guy at a table across from us. The waitress was very accommodating when I just randomly asked her how we could do it. It felt good doing something good. We got his check without him knowing and left without seeing what happened after. It wasn't about getting accolades for it. It was about doing something nice for someone. A subject that really dominated my thoughts last year and reappears on this list a few times.
5. Participate in Christmas cards for the military.
Last fall I started to do a lot of research about this kind of thing. Sending letters, cards etc to people in need, military personal. I just wanted to do something that involved writing letters or sending postcards (of which we have hundreds in surplus). I found a site where they accept cards for deployed troops across the world. It was far too late in October to undertake the task. But, I took advice from the site and when we've been out shopping post-Christmas I've found several discounted boxes of cards to use for the project. Not to mention a few boxes I've had for years that have sat unused.
I found another site where you actually put together whole gift boxes of materials, snacks, books etc which I was also very interested in. But, I'd prefer to take it one step at a time. This one falls under the same category as the last. An attempt to fulfill this need within myself to do *something*. Something outside myself. Something that will help someone else that isn't about making a big display of it or getting credit. You send the cards anonymously and that's that. I don't want penpals, but I do want to use my writing skill for something.
6. Get office painted and setup.
This will go a long way for my attitude and motivation. I am using an old table from three or four apartments ago as my computer desk. It's old, wobbly and slowly caving in in the middle. The bookcases we have in here I dislike greatly. The stuff on them is just sort of thrown there. The closet is full of lava lamps and disorganized bins. We picked out paint colors we liked a year ago. It won't be a difficult project, except for several areas of drywall that need to be patched. If we could just get this done I KNOW my attitude about accomplishing other projects around here will change.
7. Wire house/setup network shelf in basement.
This is a task that goes in tandem with the last one, but is far easier and should likely be done first. Two years ago I bought the cabling and wall jack covers and hookups to be able to run network cables throughout the house. Wireless is fine, it is not completely reliable here. Perhaps because of the brick. I also just don't like the idea of living in a place with all these wireless signals bouncing around. There've been plenty of studies to suggest it's no good for you, especially in the bedroom.
There are already coax wall jacks in every room. The only thing that needs to be done is for the network cables to be taped/attached to the coax and simply pulled through down in the basement. I already have a rack for holding the switches and the modem. It couldn't be easier. Though, if it's so easy, why isn't it already done?
8. Send letters/postcards to 'Bring Smiles To Seniors' site.
I emailed with these folks back in November and I have already written a few dozen postcards. I bought some regular cards as well I need to fill out. The guy said they'd be able to use postcards for direct mailing, but I just don't know how many they can use so I didn't want to fill out a ton without first having a supply to send where I can ask more detailed questions. This is one of those cheats, because I'd already started working on it, but I'd intended to not send my first batch off until after the holidays. The Sparrow is interested in participating in this too. It could become a regular thing depending on how it all works.
9. Increase extra monthly principal payments.
As of today we have already paid off 50% of our mortgage principal. I did the math this morning and in 2023 we paid down the mortgage by almost $48,000. If we simply maintained things as they are right now, by January of next year the loan will likely be under $95,000. But, that's not good enough for me. Since less and less is going to interest every month as it is, I feel like we may have a real shot of getting the loan below $85,000 by next January. It seems we are still on track for a payoff in August 2026, though I'd really love to reduce that somehow still. I suppose I should have added "do a budget" to my resolutions. I am guessing the Sparrow has that on his. He's been pushing forever, and I don't know why I am so resistant. I think it's just because I do most of the shopping and I just go when we need stuff. Having to do that within a certain dollar amount scares me.
10. Take more pictures of us.
We don't ever take pictures together. We did a few in Colorado. And of course, thanks to other folks, we have some from our wedding in New Orleans. But, we just never take pictures. I think part of it is the cringe factor with how awful everyone is today still taking selfies and plastering their sad lives all over social media. I am not even seeking to post these pictures online, I just think we need some more of us. The other issue though is that I just hate being photographed. I am never happy with how I look in pictures. I feel fat, old and gray. I miss my old hair. I miss my youth. But, I also know down the road I'll look back to now and realize I still wasn't as old as I thought I was.
11. Work on my cats and wrapping paper Christmas book.
I have a thing for Christmas wrapping paper. Have had it for years. And I've saved bits and scraps of papers I've really loved for a long time. But, I've never known how to properly display it or save it all. But, when Apollo got sick and I was looking through old pictures I had an idea of putting together a scrap book using all the wrapping paper I loved as a backdrop for Christmas pictures of the cats. It could be a book that just comes out and sits on the coffee table during the holidays. I have some ideas on the layout, but I figured I'd add it on here just as a "fun" project.
12. Donate monthly to a food pantry.
In my pursuit of being charitable I had a real struggle finding places where one could donate food. It seems churches are quick to have links on their sites so you can send them cash, but finding info on where to drop off food took some legwork. I do not trust donating money to any kind of charity. I absolutely believe barely any of the donations go to the cause. Most often I assume they line the pockets of the people running the show. Doesn't matter if it is for human beings or pet shelters. I just do not trust that what I might give would go to actually help.
I much prefer buying the food or supplies myself and giving them wherever I can. It was just tough finding locations that have drop-offs or Amazon lists. There are two of these walk-up type pantry things in our area. They're basically just wooden cabinets on posts where people can drop off food or pick it up if they are in need. I do have some issue with these type of things, as you can't trust a truly needy person is the one getting the food. I know our society is filled with asshole deadbeats who would use such things as their free grocery store. But, I've come to terms with the fact that such things are out of my control. The point should be in my act of giving, not in what the people after me choose to do. An argument I won't use against myself when it comes to donating cash though.
I actually find it quite fun to go shopping at say Menards or the grocery store and find these sales where you can pick up dozens of cans of food for 50 cents or at least under a dollar. The amount of food you can get is insane when you actually try to purchase things based on sales. We aren't rich, but we have money that we often waste on records or going out to eat. And as I've said, in the past year I just feel a need within myself to DO something more. I've struggled in life before. Maybe I wasn't homeless, but I had periods where I had nothing and couldn't even afford groceries (though I always managed to find money to drink). I've turned my life around, and feel now that I can do something to help someone else.
Whether that be food donations or writing letters or whatever. I remember years ago, back in the 2000s, I did research about the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and I wanted desperately to do an "adopt-a-family" thing and help some of the people there. I realized though that my own life was a mess, and it did no good to help someone else if my doing so maxed out my own credit cards or otherwise put be into financial instability. There are of course many cheap or free things one can do, but I was only just opening my eyes to such things back then.
Add to that the understanding I came to along the way, having looked into Pine Ridge but also having lived in the city and seen the homeless there. Really, as with so many lessons I learned back then, my education came from watching my many liberal friends who would jump on any cause outside of their own neighborhoods to virtue signal about. Starving kids in some foreign land, some poor migrants from some country down south. They always seemed to be SO concerned about people in need somewhere far off. Where they could either simply give lip service or just write a check and feel they'd done their "duty". All the while ignoring and stepping over actual people in need literally right outside their front doors.
And not to say I was any better way back when. Not doing anything is only slightly above not doing anything, but still clutching your pearls to virtue signal about it.
I don't even fully understand my motivation here. I don't think I want to do this to gain some points in some game of the afterlife. It's a feeling, a motivation more than anything that doesn't necessarily have words. A desire to act, just to act. Maybe I am seeking purpose.
We'll see how these resolutions pan out. I don't feel overwhelmed by any of them. Nor do any seem out of reach or outrageous. It's a good start. Now let's just see what the world throws at me to thwart any or all of them.
1. Write every day of the year.
I think in the end, in 2023, even though I didn't write every day I still made up for the missing days when I'd have multiple entries on various single days. I feel like this goal is more about establishing the routine. It is very easy for me to do so during the week when I am working, because I am at my desk anyway. On the weekends, it isn't necessarily difficult since I am often up early anyway. Though I do admit finding it harder to write when I am not alone in the house. However, I think I've barked enough at the Sparrow when he's been here and I am writing for him to know I need the solitude in order to finish the task.
2. Build Bosco a cat shelter.
This was something I wanted to do last year that never happened. I did look at shelters online, but they all look so flimsy and a bit too "Chinese" for my liking. The space the house is going in is a particular size and really needs to fit particular needs as he often likes sleeping on top of his current house during the day. I want him to have options and at least two doorways so he can escape if necessary. We have a lot of spare wood and plywood from when I floored the garage attic in my old house. Materials aren't the issue. Creativity and motivation are.
3. Read at least 5 books
I've spent a lifetime wishing I could read more, and have had periods where I did. I am not currently in one of those periods. We have this giant bookcase in the house, filled to every edge and on top with books. Many, many books I'd love to read and/or reread. I WANT knowledge. Again, the issue is motivation to DO it. Five doesn't seem like many, but I kept the number low so going over it would feel like a great achievement.
4. Pay for a stranger's meal.
We did this at a breakfast place we sometimes go to last month. It was a strange, exhilarating experience. He was just some older veteran guy at a table across from us. The waitress was very accommodating when I just randomly asked her how we could do it. It felt good doing something good. We got his check without him knowing and left without seeing what happened after. It wasn't about getting accolades for it. It was about doing something nice for someone. A subject that really dominated my thoughts last year and reappears on this list a few times.
5. Participate in Christmas cards for the military.
Last fall I started to do a lot of research about this kind of thing. Sending letters, cards etc to people in need, military personal. I just wanted to do something that involved writing letters or sending postcards (of which we have hundreds in surplus). I found a site where they accept cards for deployed troops across the world. It was far too late in October to undertake the task. But, I took advice from the site and when we've been out shopping post-Christmas I've found several discounted boxes of cards to use for the project. Not to mention a few boxes I've had for years that have sat unused.
I found another site where you actually put together whole gift boxes of materials, snacks, books etc which I was also very interested in. But, I'd prefer to take it one step at a time. This one falls under the same category as the last. An attempt to fulfill this need within myself to do *something*. Something outside myself. Something that will help someone else that isn't about making a big display of it or getting credit. You send the cards anonymously and that's that. I don't want penpals, but I do want to use my writing skill for something.
6. Get office painted and setup.
This will go a long way for my attitude and motivation. I am using an old table from three or four apartments ago as my computer desk. It's old, wobbly and slowly caving in in the middle. The bookcases we have in here I dislike greatly. The stuff on them is just sort of thrown there. The closet is full of lava lamps and disorganized bins. We picked out paint colors we liked a year ago. It won't be a difficult project, except for several areas of drywall that need to be patched. If we could just get this done I KNOW my attitude about accomplishing other projects around here will change.
7. Wire house/setup network shelf in basement.
This is a task that goes in tandem with the last one, but is far easier and should likely be done first. Two years ago I bought the cabling and wall jack covers and hookups to be able to run network cables throughout the house. Wireless is fine, it is not completely reliable here. Perhaps because of the brick. I also just don't like the idea of living in a place with all these wireless signals bouncing around. There've been plenty of studies to suggest it's no good for you, especially in the bedroom.
There are already coax wall jacks in every room. The only thing that needs to be done is for the network cables to be taped/attached to the coax and simply pulled through down in the basement. I already have a rack for holding the switches and the modem. It couldn't be easier. Though, if it's so easy, why isn't it already done?
8. Send letters/postcards to 'Bring Smiles To Seniors' site.
I emailed with these folks back in November and I have already written a few dozen postcards. I bought some regular cards as well I need to fill out. The guy said they'd be able to use postcards for direct mailing, but I just don't know how many they can use so I didn't want to fill out a ton without first having a supply to send where I can ask more detailed questions. This is one of those cheats, because I'd already started working on it, but I'd intended to not send my first batch off until after the holidays. The Sparrow is interested in participating in this too. It could become a regular thing depending on how it all works.
9. Increase extra monthly principal payments.
As of today we have already paid off 50% of our mortgage principal. I did the math this morning and in 2023 we paid down the mortgage by almost $48,000. If we simply maintained things as they are right now, by January of next year the loan will likely be under $95,000. But, that's not good enough for me. Since less and less is going to interest every month as it is, I feel like we may have a real shot of getting the loan below $85,000 by next January. It seems we are still on track for a payoff in August 2026, though I'd really love to reduce that somehow still. I suppose I should have added "do a budget" to my resolutions. I am guessing the Sparrow has that on his. He's been pushing forever, and I don't know why I am so resistant. I think it's just because I do most of the shopping and I just go when we need stuff. Having to do that within a certain dollar amount scares me.
10. Take more pictures of us.
We don't ever take pictures together. We did a few in Colorado. And of course, thanks to other folks, we have some from our wedding in New Orleans. But, we just never take pictures. I think part of it is the cringe factor with how awful everyone is today still taking selfies and plastering their sad lives all over social media. I am not even seeking to post these pictures online, I just think we need some more of us. The other issue though is that I just hate being photographed. I am never happy with how I look in pictures. I feel fat, old and gray. I miss my old hair. I miss my youth. But, I also know down the road I'll look back to now and realize I still wasn't as old as I thought I was.
11. Work on my cats and wrapping paper Christmas book.
I have a thing for Christmas wrapping paper. Have had it for years. And I've saved bits and scraps of papers I've really loved for a long time. But, I've never known how to properly display it or save it all. But, when Apollo got sick and I was looking through old pictures I had an idea of putting together a scrap book using all the wrapping paper I loved as a backdrop for Christmas pictures of the cats. It could be a book that just comes out and sits on the coffee table during the holidays. I have some ideas on the layout, but I figured I'd add it on here just as a "fun" project.
12. Donate monthly to a food pantry.
In my pursuit of being charitable I had a real struggle finding places where one could donate food. It seems churches are quick to have links on their sites so you can send them cash, but finding info on where to drop off food took some legwork. I do not trust donating money to any kind of charity. I absolutely believe barely any of the donations go to the cause. Most often I assume they line the pockets of the people running the show. Doesn't matter if it is for human beings or pet shelters. I just do not trust that what I might give would go to actually help.
I much prefer buying the food or supplies myself and giving them wherever I can. It was just tough finding locations that have drop-offs or Amazon lists. There are two of these walk-up type pantry things in our area. They're basically just wooden cabinets on posts where people can drop off food or pick it up if they are in need. I do have some issue with these type of things, as you can't trust a truly needy person is the one getting the food. I know our society is filled with asshole deadbeats who would use such things as their free grocery store. But, I've come to terms with the fact that such things are out of my control. The point should be in my act of giving, not in what the people after me choose to do. An argument I won't use against myself when it comes to donating cash though.
I actually find it quite fun to go shopping at say Menards or the grocery store and find these sales where you can pick up dozens of cans of food for 50 cents or at least under a dollar. The amount of food you can get is insane when you actually try to purchase things based on sales. We aren't rich, but we have money that we often waste on records or going out to eat. And as I've said, in the past year I just feel a need within myself to DO something more. I've struggled in life before. Maybe I wasn't homeless, but I had periods where I had nothing and couldn't even afford groceries (though I always managed to find money to drink). I've turned my life around, and feel now that I can do something to help someone else.
Whether that be food donations or writing letters or whatever. I remember years ago, back in the 2000s, I did research about the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and I wanted desperately to do an "adopt-a-family" thing and help some of the people there. I realized though that my own life was a mess, and it did no good to help someone else if my doing so maxed out my own credit cards or otherwise put be into financial instability. There are of course many cheap or free things one can do, but I was only just opening my eyes to such things back then.
Add to that the understanding I came to along the way, having looked into Pine Ridge but also having lived in the city and seen the homeless there. Really, as with so many lessons I learned back then, my education came from watching my many liberal friends who would jump on any cause outside of their own neighborhoods to virtue signal about. Starving kids in some foreign land, some poor migrants from some country down south. They always seemed to be SO concerned about people in need somewhere far off. Where they could either simply give lip service or just write a check and feel they'd done their "duty". All the while ignoring and stepping over actual people in need literally right outside their front doors.
And not to say I was any better way back when. Not doing anything is only slightly above not doing anything, but still clutching your pearls to virtue signal about it.
I don't even fully understand my motivation here. I don't think I want to do this to gain some points in some game of the afterlife. It's a feeling, a motivation more than anything that doesn't necessarily have words. A desire to act, just to act. Maybe I am seeking purpose.
We'll see how these resolutions pan out. I don't feel overwhelmed by any of them. Nor do any seem out of reach or outrageous. It's a good start. Now let's just see what the world throws at me to thwart any or all of them.