It's a Brand New Me, I've Got No Remorse
So, last year, I made some pretty interesting changes, right? I ate healthier, lost weight, gained confidence and ran a fucking marathon. But, in spite of it all, I still feel kind of unfulfilled. So, I have decided that I shall dedicate this year to improving myself mentally as well as physically. Here is a list of some things that I am currently planning for this year.
#1: Learning a second language to the point of fluency. Candidates include Spanish, French, Japanese and German.
#2: Write at least three short stories, or a novel, one.
#3: Learn to swim, to the point where I can do a triathlon.
#4: Begin donating money to a charity. Charities which I am considering include Doctors Without Borders, The ARC, Amnesty International, St. Jude's...
#5: Begin donating time to a charity. ...Southern Pines Animal Shelter...
#6: Find a cause on kiva and donate.
#7: Visit at least one foreign country. Since I'm not exactly rolling in dough at the moment, one that is on our border, such as Canada, is a strong possibility.
#8: Perform stand-up comedy in at least 10 different venues. Thus far, I have 1 venue under my belt, the Martini Spot. Other potentials include the Thirsty Hippo, the La Nuit Theatre in New Orleans, probably a few open mics in Jackson, too.
#9: Run 2 marathons this year. Try to find one in either April or May.
#10: Visit at least 2 states I have never visited in the past. Potentials include Massachusetts... well, that's basically it. Maybe a road trip will be in order, once I fix my car up enough to drive it for a long distance.
#11: Read more on politics, specifically on state politics. FInd at least one candidate for which I can campaign in the upcoming elections. Preferably, find a third party candidate. See if any Green party candidates will be running, or if there is a Green party with which I could volunteer in Mississippi.
#12: Read at least one fiction book, excluding graphic novels, I have not read before each month. Of these books, try to ensure that at least half of them are considered "classics."
#13: Read at least one non-fiction book, excluding graphic novels, I have not read each month. Topics to review include scientific discovery, Socialist history, economics, philosophy and religion and history of some foreign country.
#14: Familiarize myself with all the countries of the world, including their leading government officials, capitals, languages and general location on the map.
#15: Beat the twitch somehow. See a neurologist, or perhaps a psychologist, to determine what is causing my twitch.
#16: Find a new place to live. Some suggestions include California, DC, Chicago and Orlando.
#17: Improve my diet. Suggestions include the following, but are not limited to them. Learn to cook. Be vegetarian for at least a month. Eat nothing but organic food for at least a week. Drink nothing but water for two weeks. Don't eat out for a week. Eat vegan for a week.
#18: Get into at least one relationship this year.
#19: Rely less on the car. Ride the bike when possible.
#20: Make at least one physical, artistic structure.
#21: Get rid of possessions. Some will be donated to charity, some will be donated to roommates, some will be recycled, some will simply be thrown away. I want to have at least 30 percent less crap to lug around by June. A list of things to be given away include clothes, old movies, possibly old video games, vinyl records, books, magazin from s...
#22: Cease purchasing any new entertainment until the current entertainment is finished. Absolutely no games are to be purchased until I have finished the following games: Final Fantasy XII, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Rogue Galaxy, Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime II, Super Mario Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Bully, Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbados' Treasure, Ys Book I and II... I'm almost certain that I'm missing more. Movies I haven't watched include There Will be Blood, Roger and Me, Good Night and Good Luck, Everyone is Kung-Fu Fighting I and II, American Splendor, Thelma and Louise... I am almost certainly missing more. Book-wise, I still have to finish everything I've bought from Hudson's EVER. I will make some concessions for books, though, because I do not have many "classics", per se, and very few non-fiction books outside of improv.
#23: Begin listening to educational and news-related podcasts. This American Life seems like a good start.
#24: Read the news rather than watching the news. Read from multiple sources.
#25: Spend a sizable amount of time boning up on the following areas in which I am weak: Science, particularly biological sciences and medicine, economics, contemporary history, presidential history, non-Christian religions...
26: Maybe attend a few meetings for religious organizations? Considering my only such meetings were of the Bapticostal persuasion, I think I could benefit from more experience.
...Any other suggestions?
#1: Learning a second language to the point of fluency. Candidates include Spanish, French, Japanese and German.
#2: Write at least three short stories, or a novel, one.
#3: Learn to swim, to the point where I can do a triathlon.
#4: Begin donating money to a charity. Charities which I am considering include Doctors Without Borders, The ARC, Amnesty International, St. Jude's...
#5: Begin donating time to a charity. ...Southern Pines Animal Shelter...
#6: Find a cause on kiva and donate.
#7: Visit at least one foreign country. Since I'm not exactly rolling in dough at the moment, one that is on our border, such as Canada, is a strong possibility.
#8: Perform stand-up comedy in at least 10 different venues. Thus far, I have 1 venue under my belt, the Martini Spot. Other potentials include the Thirsty Hippo, the La Nuit Theatre in New Orleans, probably a few open mics in Jackson, too.
#9: Run 2 marathons this year. Try to find one in either April or May.
#10: Visit at least 2 states I have never visited in the past. Potentials include Massachusetts... well, that's basically it. Maybe a road trip will be in order, once I fix my car up enough to drive it for a long distance.
#11: Read more on politics, specifically on state politics. FInd at least one candidate for which I can campaign in the upcoming elections. Preferably, find a third party candidate. See if any Green party candidates will be running, or if there is a Green party with which I could volunteer in Mississippi.
#12: Read at least one fiction book, excluding graphic novels, I have not read before each month. Of these books, try to ensure that at least half of them are considered "classics."
#13: Read at least one non-fiction book, excluding graphic novels, I have not read each month. Topics to review include scientific discovery, Socialist history, economics, philosophy and religion and history of some foreign country.
#14: Familiarize myself with all the countries of the world, including their leading government officials, capitals, languages and general location on the map.
#15: Beat the twitch somehow. See a neurologist, or perhaps a psychologist, to determine what is causing my twitch.
#16: Find a new place to live. Some suggestions include California, DC, Chicago and Orlando.
#17: Improve my diet. Suggestions include the following, but are not limited to them. Learn to cook. Be vegetarian for at least a month. Eat nothing but organic food for at least a week. Drink nothing but water for two weeks. Don't eat out for a week. Eat vegan for a week.
#18: Get into at least one relationship this year.
#19: Rely less on the car. Ride the bike when possible.
#20: Make at least one physical, artistic structure.
#21: Get rid of possessions. Some will be donated to charity, some will be donated to roommates, some will be recycled, some will simply be thrown away. I want to have at least 30 percent less crap to lug around by June. A list of things to be given away include clothes, old movies, possibly old video games, vinyl records, books, magazin from s...
#22: Cease purchasing any new entertainment until the current entertainment is finished. Absolutely no games are to be purchased until I have finished the following games: Final Fantasy XII, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Rogue Galaxy, Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime II, Super Mario Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Bully, Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbados' Treasure, Ys Book I and II... I'm almost certain that I'm missing more. Movies I haven't watched include There Will be Blood, Roger and Me, Good Night and Good Luck, Everyone is Kung-Fu Fighting I and II, American Splendor, Thelma and Louise... I am almost certainly missing more. Book-wise, I still have to finish everything I've bought from Hudson's EVER. I will make some concessions for books, though, because I do not have many "classics", per se, and very few non-fiction books outside of improv.
#23: Begin listening to educational and news-related podcasts. This American Life seems like a good start.
#24: Read the news rather than watching the news. Read from multiple sources.
#25: Spend a sizable amount of time boning up on the following areas in which I am weak: Science, particularly biological sciences and medicine, economics, contemporary history, presidential history, non-Christian religions...
26: Maybe attend a few meetings for religious organizations? Considering my only such meetings were of the Bapticostal persuasion, I think I could benefit from more experience.
...Any other suggestions?