2011 - year in review
The year in review
I wanted to sit and review 2011. Just getting it on paper (or electrons).
At the end of 2009, I decided, once and for all, that I would start putting a serious effort in changing my life for the good.
I did not expect it to take 2 years, but somehow, I managed to stay on track and I've been doing it.
2011
I started with 2011, with a set of goals: But early in, I reliezed that I had all this side-work that had to be cleaned off. That took nearly a /year./ but I made a goal to get it all done before the end of 2011, and I DID IT
I thought 2011, was going to be a repeat of the horrendous years of 2001 - 2006. Thankfully it didn't. But I lost two friends one after the other. A WWII vet who I met about 15 years ago. He passed away at 87, from complications due to the medication he was on.
The 2nd friend; Findra. We was getting to know each other. When I heard felder alerted me to their passing. That was a turning point for me. I thought that I spent most of 2011 getting things off my back, and in doing so, I let a budding friendship pass me by. That was a painful lesson.
Some of the goals I wanted:
I wanted to do the things that I liked to do as a kid. By gods I HAVE done that! I made my aquarium finally, and not only made it, but stocked it with animals, and just sat and watched them and learned. 3 wild fish, 2 wild crayfish, 2 species of snails, and tadpoles. The tadpoles are back where they started, one crayfish died of old age, the snails; well at least one is one of the originals, another I'm not really sure. But they're alive and well.
I got back into scale-model building, and even spray-painted, and solved one key problem that eluded me for years. I have a "Chevy Titan 90" model, that I'm working on. It's all painted, but the weather turned too nasty to finish it. So it's in the garage until it warms enough that I can do it outside. If I had a window fan, I could suck the stink out the window. But I don't have one yet.
I also managed to go hiking again. I only got one day. Weather, and various other things stopped me from doing it again. But it was /fun/
In Oct I found there was a writing guild starting in my home town. Within a month of joining, I get 3 stories in mind. Also in that month, we learned of a sister guild that had been available for the past 6 months. So we all joined it as well. With that, I now have about 2 /dozen/ story projects I'm working on. All short stories now, but this has started me on my writing career. (see below)
Two major fails for me in 2011:
The web site. I worked my ass off, trying to figure out what to do with it, how to make it. I didn't finish it by the end of the year. So by Dec 31, I decided; Wiping it, go with one of those pre-made systems, get it going with Google ads, and add what I can do now.
Web site work is for the young, who has the money, time and energy to do so. Now, like linux was in 2008, I just want a nice looking site, that does it's job. I no longer have the energy, and really no longer the desire to be on the computer for long periods. Just get the dammed stuff done, and over.
Sadly, my book sales has dropped to just one buyer now. But he is a loyal customer, and says repeatedly, that this is his lifeline. So I can depend on him for at least another year, unless something in his bank tells him to stop using me, he passes on, or some such.
2011 is a bit sparse but it was a good year.
So for 2012:
Now that I have some traction in getting where I want to go, I have shifted my attention a bit. For 2012, I have just a few, but quarterly goals. The main goal; to make money to push myself toward the main goal; "Project Pandora"
Annual goal:
Getting a car. Even a used, cheap one will get me around the counties I will do for my appraisal work. I don't plan on traveling cross-country with it. Maybe in 2013 or so.
Details:
I'm putting a major effort into getting my two licenses ASAP. These hold the key to get out of the financial, and life quagmire, I'm in now. Once I get the licenses, I /might/ go for a bank loan to pay them back and set up the medical fund. But until I get those licenses, I cannot even consider that. It's an idea, not a goal.
I just /barely/ have enough to get my RESPL license, and pay for the classes coming up in March. I may need help for the appraisal classes, but we'll see. I'm thinking that it will be probably the start of the 3rd quarter of 2012 before I have my REAL, but I cannot be sure until I actually research this. I may get lucky and get it sooner. We'll just have to wait and see.
Once I have my two licenses, the next stage happens.
Minor goals:
Now a few things:
In 2011, I had to take a hard look at my life, and just admit a few things.
ART:
I managed to get pretty far in 10 years but I never really had the desire to learn a new type of art; living. I want to be a Dark Natasha, or EC Major, but the desire is lacking to learn how. So /I'm not abandoning art/, but merely going back to my roots. I've always been an architectural artist. So I'm thinking I'll go back to that type of art. It's relaxing, and I can do it, when I want to do it. I'm not super critical on myself too. I've been doing that since I was a kid. I'll just use my new-found wealth to commission great artists to do my visions :)
WRITING:
Writing however turned out to be my creative outlet. I've been writing /all my life/ either just blogs, or journals, or things to people. So all I needed was to learn the tools to write fiction, and non-fiction, and suddenly things are appearing! I finished my first story already. Friends will get the URL to my writing blog(s) (I have a non-anthropic only blog, and a purely anthropomorphic (IE: furry) blog). One day, I could sell somethings to my favorite magazines. That is possible, not sure WHEN I'll attempt such but it's a distant possible goal.
COMPUTER:
Over the 2011 working-my-ass-off phase. I had to let a LOT of things go to the wayside, including MU* appearances. For over 13 years I've been just a social fixture on FurryMUCK, barely going past the west corner of the park.
I let a lot of alts go, but one: About 2 or 3 years ago, I can't remember exactly how long ago. I thought I would like to start Role-playing (RP) again. At first it didn't quite take off, but now in the last year it's worked out by itself. This alt of mine (the only alt I now have), started to show their true colors, in that it's showed me how much fun it is to role-play (RP) once again. I'm now seeing I've put in a lot more effort, and back-story into this new alt, to the point now, that they're on 95% of the time, and Shado is almost non-existent. The alt started on FurryMUCK, but I moved them to another MU* (which is their home now), and also brought them to Winter's Oasis.
Shadowwalker helped another MU* (Winter's Oasis) start up, and did a lot of work. But during 2011, and part of 2010, I had to let Winter's Oasis go; I just didn't have the time, OR energy anymore to just be a 'work' or social creature, and try to get my life straighten up. After all, Shado is nearly 20 YEARS OLD. WO has two good wizards, and a good staff. I could never get caught back up too. So I've decided to retire Shadowwalker on Winter's Oasis this year, and turn in my wizard bit for good. I'll still be there, but now he, and my alt are on it for just one thing; role-play, and enjoyment. (I have thought of joining the Help staff of WO, which wouldn't be too hard to play, and do that at the same time.) Shado will also remain on FurryMUCK, just as he is now. I'll have to alert ones in his wf list of what's happened with me, and see what happens.
Now, if my health will just hold and nothing bad happens, I should start 2013 on a far better footing.
I wanted to sit and review 2011. Just getting it on paper (or electrons).
At the end of 2009, I decided, once and for all, that I would start putting a serious effort in changing my life for the good.
I did not expect it to take 2 years, but somehow, I managed to stay on track and I've been doing it.
2011
I started with 2011, with a set of goals: But early in, I reliezed that I had all this side-work that had to be cleaned off. That took nearly a /year./ but I made a goal to get it all done before the end of 2011, and I DID IT
I thought 2011, was going to be a repeat of the horrendous years of 2001 - 2006. Thankfully it didn't. But I lost two friends one after the other. A WWII vet who I met about 15 years ago. He passed away at 87, from complications due to the medication he was on.
The 2nd friend; Findra. We was getting to know each other. When I heard felder alerted me to their passing. That was a turning point for me. I thought that I spent most of 2011 getting things off my back, and in doing so, I let a budding friendship pass me by. That was a painful lesson.
Some of the goals I wanted:
I wanted to do the things that I liked to do as a kid. By gods I HAVE done that! I made my aquarium finally, and not only made it, but stocked it with animals, and just sat and watched them and learned. 3 wild fish, 2 wild crayfish, 2 species of snails, and tadpoles. The tadpoles are back where they started, one crayfish died of old age, the snails; well at least one is one of the originals, another I'm not really sure. But they're alive and well.
I got back into scale-model building, and even spray-painted, and solved one key problem that eluded me for years. I have a "Chevy Titan 90" model, that I'm working on. It's all painted, but the weather turned too nasty to finish it. So it's in the garage until it warms enough that I can do it outside. If I had a window fan, I could suck the stink out the window. But I don't have one yet.
I also managed to go hiking again. I only got one day. Weather, and various other things stopped me from doing it again. But it was /fun/
In Oct I found there was a writing guild starting in my home town. Within a month of joining, I get 3 stories in mind. Also in that month, we learned of a sister guild that had been available for the past 6 months. So we all joined it as well. With that, I now have about 2 /dozen/ story projects I'm working on. All short stories now, but this has started me on my writing career. (see below)
Two major fails for me in 2011:
The web site. I worked my ass off, trying to figure out what to do with it, how to make it. I didn't finish it by the end of the year. So by Dec 31, I decided; Wiping it, go with one of those pre-made systems, get it going with Google ads, and add what I can do now.
Web site work is for the young, who has the money, time and energy to do so. Now, like linux was in 2008, I just want a nice looking site, that does it's job. I no longer have the energy, and really no longer the desire to be on the computer for long periods. Just get the dammed stuff done, and over.
Sadly, my book sales has dropped to just one buyer now. But he is a loyal customer, and says repeatedly, that this is his lifeline. So I can depend on him for at least another year, unless something in his bank tells him to stop using me, he passes on, or some such.
2011 is a bit sparse but it was a good year.
So for 2012:
Now that I have some traction in getting where I want to go, I have shifted my attention a bit. For 2012, I have just a few, but quarterly goals. The main goal; to make money to push myself toward the main goal; "Project Pandora"
Annual goal:
- Learn python; My main goal? cross-platform shareware. I have two main programs in mind; a /real file manager/ that puts in features that does it's job the /correct way/, and a text editor as power as BOXER, but cross platform, it's like a word-processor for just text files.
- Writing; although this isn't used to sell, ultimately it /could/. (see below)
- Get my real-estate salesperson's license (RESPL)
- Get my real-estate appraisal license (REAL)
- Getting a $5,000 medical fund set up to protect me from major medical.
- Pay back my folks for their help in this major effort to change my life, in the last two years. I have about $2,000 to pay back.
Getting a car. Even a used, cheap one will get me around the counties I will do for my appraisal work. I don't plan on traveling cross-country with it. Maybe in 2013 or so.
Details:
I'm putting a major effort into getting my two licenses ASAP. These hold the key to get out of the financial, and life quagmire, I'm in now. Once I get the licenses, I /might/ go for a bank loan to pay them back and set up the medical fund. But until I get those licenses, I cannot even consider that. It's an idea, not a goal.
I just /barely/ have enough to get my RESPL license, and pay for the classes coming up in March. I may need help for the appraisal classes, but we'll see. I'm thinking that it will be probably the start of the 3rd quarter of 2012 before I have my REAL, but I cannot be sure until I actually research this. I may get lucky and get it sooner. We'll just have to wait and see.
Once I have my two licenses, the next stage happens.
- I need to make a $5,000 medical fund that I can put away, incase I have a major medical bill.
- Pay back my parents for the help in the last two years. I have racked up a bill of about $2,000. This is not frivolous stuff, this was legitimate help.
- A longer-termed goal is getting even a cheap used car. I won't commit to that, yet. The medical fund, and payback is my 2 main goals now.
Minor goals:
- Around March or so, I plan on hike at /least/ once a month, the ultimate desire. Once a week. I want to see Blue Licks State Park again, go to Sioto state park, over to 3 islands in the Ohio River as well.
- I will get my 8" telescope and start using it. That is one of my "kid enjoyments"
- Get a microscope.
- Continue with my aquarium; I want a 20g one this time, and I want it before April. The cost will be the challenge, so I'll have to be careful. But I'll get it. The tank is the greatest expense, and I'll check for cheap ones, or even yard-sale/flea-market ones too
Now a few things:
In 2011, I had to take a hard look at my life, and just admit a few things.
ART:
I managed to get pretty far in 10 years but I never really had the desire to learn a new type of art; living. I want to be a Dark Natasha, or EC Major, but the desire is lacking to learn how. So /I'm not abandoning art/, but merely going back to my roots. I've always been an architectural artist. So I'm thinking I'll go back to that type of art. It's relaxing, and I can do it, when I want to do it. I'm not super critical on myself too. I've been doing that since I was a kid. I'll just use my new-found wealth to commission great artists to do my visions :)
WRITING:
Writing however turned out to be my creative outlet. I've been writing /all my life/ either just blogs, or journals, or things to people. So all I needed was to learn the tools to write fiction, and non-fiction, and suddenly things are appearing! I finished my first story already. Friends will get the URL to my writing blog(s) (I have a non-anthropic only blog, and a purely anthropomorphic (IE: furry) blog). One day, I could sell somethings to my favorite magazines. That is possible, not sure WHEN I'll attempt such but it's a distant possible goal.
COMPUTER:
Over the 2011 working-my-ass-off phase. I had to let a LOT of things go to the wayside, including MU* appearances. For over 13 years I've been just a social fixture on FurryMUCK, barely going past the west corner of the park.
I let a lot of alts go, but one: About 2 or 3 years ago, I can't remember exactly how long ago. I thought I would like to start Role-playing (RP) again. At first it didn't quite take off, but now in the last year it's worked out by itself. This alt of mine (the only alt I now have), started to show their true colors, in that it's showed me how much fun it is to role-play (RP) once again. I'm now seeing I've put in a lot more effort, and back-story into this new alt, to the point now, that they're on 95% of the time, and Shado is almost non-existent. The alt started on FurryMUCK, but I moved them to another MU* (which is their home now), and also brought them to Winter's Oasis.
Shadowwalker helped another MU* (Winter's Oasis) start up, and did a lot of work. But during 2011, and part of 2010, I had to let Winter's Oasis go; I just didn't have the time, OR energy anymore to just be a 'work' or social creature, and try to get my life straighten up. After all, Shado is nearly 20 YEARS OLD. WO has two good wizards, and a good staff. I could never get caught back up too. So I've decided to retire Shadowwalker on Winter's Oasis this year, and turn in my wizard bit for good. I'll still be there, but now he, and my alt are on it for just one thing; role-play, and enjoyment. (I have thought of joining the Help staff of WO, which wouldn't be too hard to play, and do that at the same time.) Shado will also remain on FurryMUCK, just as he is now. I'll have to alert ones in his wf list of what's happened with me, and see what happens.
Now, if my health will just hold and nothing bad happens, I should start 2013 on a far better footing.