Continued
I told you I had more to post about.
Well the New Year is in full swing now. It's just over a week in and I already feel comfortable with the idea that 2008 is "now" and 2007 is long past. The present moves so quickly now! Or is that just me?
So everyone knows the that New Year is all about resolutions. Now, I know that many people have "given up" resolutions because they "don't work". I used to feel that way too. Actually, I still sort of do, but there are a couple changes I would like to make and the new year gives me a good excuse to make them. Also, writing about them and putting them in public gives me some accountability to actually reach them.
The changes I wanted to make were along the lines of "I want to be healthier" and "I want to save more money so that
anailia and I can buy a house". However, it's resolutions like these that normally fail. They're not specific enough, so they're too easy to give up! Instead, I'm taking a page from productivity and self-help gurus who have developed the "SMART" goal technique. Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic and Timely. Yeah that sounds dumb but I think it could work. At least the specific, measurable, and timely aspects of it, which are what is ignored in my wishes enumerated above. So without further ado, here they are:
1. Wish: Be healthier.
Solution:
I was going to solve this by putting "go to the gym 3 times a week", but I know there are weeks where that just isn't possible, and so that wouldn't be realistic. My next formulation was going to be "lose xx pounds", but weight watchers annoy me. So instead I'm going to couch this goal as Reduce my BMI to 24.9 (the top of the 'healthy range' for BMI). Yeah, it's the same thing as "lose xx pounds" (unless I somehow get taller), but it makes me feel better psychologically.
2. Wish: Improve our finances
Solution:
Well anailia and I have been incredibly lucky and have I think exceptionally good finances for people our age. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't make them better! Here's my plan: Increase our non-retirement savings by 15% from what we have now (January 8 2008). That is, all savings not in one of our 401(k)s or in an IRA should we open one for retirement purposes. Every personal finance advisor will tell you that, after tackling high-interest consumer debt (of which we have none) and saving away for retirement, you should save up to 3-6 months of expenses in an "emergency fund". Even beyond that, we want to save up for a house. We think we have the 3-6 months of expenses saved up (up to negotiating what exactly is an "expense"), so it's on to the house downpayment for us. I think that by increasing our non-retirement savings by 15%, we'll have close 5% of a "typical" house in our area, which is when realtors and lenders actually start to take you seriously. And if we find a bargain, and housing prices continue to slip, and we juggle our budget a bit, then we'll perhaps be even better positioned. Which is a place I would like to be.
3. Wish: Become more well-rounded
Solution:
These are three things I wanted to tackle that I decided to put under one wish. They are:
a - Learn a new programming language. At the end of 2007, I had pretty much settled on learning Haskell, an ML descendant that's all the rage in current academic functional programming circles. However, when I discussed with anailia that I wanted to learn a new programming language, she expressed a desire to learn one too, with me. After her experience with Lisp back in AI class in college, I knew that an ivory tower functional language wasn't for her. So we decided instead to learn Python, another language I've been meaning to learn, and one that is probably more palatable to the more pragmatic and level-headed anailia. Besides, it also has the recommendation of Randall Monroe of xkcd fame, so it's gotta be good!
I struggled up until this minute to find a way to make this goal measurable, when I remembered reading on reddit about a site called "Project Euler". So my goal is to solve one Project Euler problem a month using Python.
b - Write three blog posts a month. Basically, I want to improve my essay writing chops, and connect better with people online. I'm horrible at in person and over the phone correspondence, and my email and IM correspondence can be sporadic (though with GMail's integration with AIM, I can be found on IM more often now - even at work!). But yeah I hope to have more posts up here for you guys to read. Addendum: Beyond the three posts per month, I will have one post near the beginning of the month detailing my progress on these goals. Yay accountability!
c - Along the lines of correspondence, I want to write one physical letter per month. This also will help with my writing chops. Who will I write? I don't know. Maybe my grandfather, who has a lot of experience and knowledge that I admire. Or my grandmother, who has recently moved into an assisted living home because she is suffering from an Alzheimer's-like condition. Or maybe one of my elected representatives, or a celebrity or businessperson who has done something I think deserves recognition. I might also write a letter to my future self, just for kicks. Who knows? Maybe you will get a letter from me this year.
4. Wish: Live life to the fullest
Solution
These are another few things I wanted to lump together under one wish:
a - Visit six cultural institutions this year. That can include museums, theaters, concerts, and such. Living in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, there are probably literally hundreds if not thousands of opportunities to do this, and I just really haven't much. Six visits is one every two months, which I think is attainable. If people want to come with me, so much the better!
b - Go on three outdoors-y trips this year. In Boy Scouts I would do about one a month. God, I miss that. It's really rejuvenating to go out away from cities for a weekend. I missed an awesome opportunity a couple months ago to go hiking with
magus341, for which I'm sorry. Maybe sometime this year? Here are my current thoughts, but these might change:
Ski trip this winter (maybe not truly outdoors-y but close enough for me)
Canoe and/or kayak trip this summer
Backpacking trip this fall
For these I definitely would like others to come with me. so let me know your interests and availability!
c - Attend one fantasy/sci-fi/gaming convention this year. We almost went to Gen Con this last year but plans fell through. Let's try again this year. Either Gen Con, Dragon Con, or Origins are the "big ones" that I would like to attend. Comic Con would be awesome, too, though less focused on the gaming. Who's with me?
d - Have one weekend a month where I make no plans. This is mostly for anailia, who has lamented that our weekends quickly fill up and leaves no time for ourselves. Last weekend might have accidentally counted since we had plans to have dinner with my parents but had to cancel because anailia was sick all weekend, so we ended up with an event-less weekend. If that doesn't count, then the last weekend in January I shall make no plans.
Okay, so this was a long post meant mostly for me. If you read it, though, I would love your support, encouragement, and (*gulp*) even criticism. Thanks a bunch!
Well the New Year is in full swing now. It's just over a week in and I already feel comfortable with the idea that 2008 is "now" and 2007 is long past. The present moves so quickly now! Or is that just me?
So everyone knows the that New Year is all about resolutions. Now, I know that many people have "given up" resolutions because they "don't work". I used to feel that way too. Actually, I still sort of do, but there are a couple changes I would like to make and the new year gives me a good excuse to make them. Also, writing about them and putting them in public gives me some accountability to actually reach them.
The changes I wanted to make were along the lines of "I want to be healthier" and "I want to save more money so that
anailia and I can buy a house". However, it's resolutions like these that normally fail. They're not specific enough, so they're too easy to give up! Instead, I'm taking a page from productivity and self-help gurus who have developed the "SMART" goal technique. Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic and Timely. Yeah that sounds dumb but I think it could work. At least the specific, measurable, and timely aspects of it, which are what is ignored in my wishes enumerated above. So without further ado, here they are:
1. Wish: Be healthier.
Solution:
I was going to solve this by putting "go to the gym 3 times a week", but I know there are weeks where that just isn't possible, and so that wouldn't be realistic. My next formulation was going to be "lose xx pounds", but weight watchers annoy me. So instead I'm going to couch this goal as Reduce my BMI to 24.9 (the top of the 'healthy range' for BMI). Yeah, it's the same thing as "lose xx pounds" (unless I somehow get taller), but it makes me feel better psychologically.
2. Wish: Improve our finances
Solution:
Well anailia and I have been incredibly lucky and have I think exceptionally good finances for people our age. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't make them better! Here's my plan: Increase our non-retirement savings by 15% from what we have now (January 8 2008). That is, all savings not in one of our 401(k)s or in an IRA should we open one for retirement purposes. Every personal finance advisor will tell you that, after tackling high-interest consumer debt (of which we have none) and saving away for retirement, you should save up to 3-6 months of expenses in an "emergency fund". Even beyond that, we want to save up for a house. We think we have the 3-6 months of expenses saved up (up to negotiating what exactly is an "expense"), so it's on to the house downpayment for us. I think that by increasing our non-retirement savings by 15%, we'll have close 5% of a "typical" house in our area, which is when realtors and lenders actually start to take you seriously. And if we find a bargain, and housing prices continue to slip, and we juggle our budget a bit, then we'll perhaps be even better positioned. Which is a place I would like to be.
3. Wish: Become more well-rounded
Solution:
These are three things I wanted to tackle that I decided to put under one wish. They are:
a - Learn a new programming language. At the end of 2007, I had pretty much settled on learning Haskell, an ML descendant that's all the rage in current academic functional programming circles. However, when I discussed with anailia that I wanted to learn a new programming language, she expressed a desire to learn one too, with me. After her experience with Lisp back in AI class in college, I knew that an ivory tower functional language wasn't for her. So we decided instead to learn Python, another language I've been meaning to learn, and one that is probably more palatable to the more pragmatic and level-headed anailia. Besides, it also has the recommendation of Randall Monroe of xkcd fame, so it's gotta be good!
I struggled up until this minute to find a way to make this goal measurable, when I remembered reading on reddit about a site called "Project Euler". So my goal is to solve one Project Euler problem a month using Python.
b - Write three blog posts a month. Basically, I want to improve my essay writing chops, and connect better with people online. I'm horrible at in person and over the phone correspondence, and my email and IM correspondence can be sporadic (though with GMail's integration with AIM, I can be found on IM more often now - even at work!). But yeah I hope to have more posts up here for you guys to read. Addendum: Beyond the three posts per month, I will have one post near the beginning of the month detailing my progress on these goals. Yay accountability!
c - Along the lines of correspondence, I want to write one physical letter per month. This also will help with my writing chops. Who will I write? I don't know. Maybe my grandfather, who has a lot of experience and knowledge that I admire. Or my grandmother, who has recently moved into an assisted living home because she is suffering from an Alzheimer's-like condition. Or maybe one of my elected representatives, or a celebrity or businessperson who has done something I think deserves recognition. I might also write a letter to my future self, just for kicks. Who knows? Maybe you will get a letter from me this year.
4. Wish: Live life to the fullest
Solution
These are another few things I wanted to lump together under one wish:
a - Visit six cultural institutions this year. That can include museums, theaters, concerts, and such. Living in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, there are probably literally hundreds if not thousands of opportunities to do this, and I just really haven't much. Six visits is one every two months, which I think is attainable. If people want to come with me, so much the better!
b - Go on three outdoors-y trips this year. In Boy Scouts I would do about one a month. God, I miss that. It's really rejuvenating to go out away from cities for a weekend. I missed an awesome opportunity a couple months ago to go hiking with
magus341, for which I'm sorry. Maybe sometime this year? Here are my current thoughts, but these might change:
Ski trip this winter (maybe not truly outdoors-y but close enough for me)
Canoe and/or kayak trip this summer
Backpacking trip this fall
For these I definitely would like others to come with me. so let me know your interests and availability!
c - Attend one fantasy/sci-fi/gaming convention this year. We almost went to Gen Con this last year but plans fell through. Let's try again this year. Either Gen Con, Dragon Con, or Origins are the "big ones" that I would like to attend. Comic Con would be awesome, too, though less focused on the gaming. Who's with me?
d - Have one weekend a month where I make no plans. This is mostly for anailia, who has lamented that our weekends quickly fill up and leaves no time for ourselves. Last weekend might have accidentally counted since we had plans to have dinner with my parents but had to cancel because anailia was sick all weekend, so we ended up with an event-less weekend. If that doesn't count, then the last weekend in January I shall make no plans.
Okay, so this was a long post meant mostly for me. If you read it, though, I would love your support, encouragement, and (*gulp*) even criticism. Thanks a bunch!