January 2010
a year in pictures.
A picture a day for all of 2009. Below is a collage of a project that took like a cumulative day or two. Worth it? Sure.
December 2009
don't fail me again... ADMIRAL piett.
It’s time to review my list of 100 Pledges for 2009. Truthfully, I actually gave myself until January 13 to complete all of these (rationalizing that my New Year really doesn’t start until my birthday) but because I have some time off, we’re going to reassess it now (and if I do accomplish that which remains undone before the 13th, then that’s a bonus). Let’s recap what did and did not happen.
1. Don’t wish anyone a Happy New Year…
Nailed it.
2. Travel to Canada
Didn’t even come close.
3. Lose 20 lbs. by the Final Four (early April).
I did. Actually, it was closer to 23. And since then, another few have been shed.
4. Get a new video camera.
Yerrrp. Done.
5. Get a new digital camera.
I did not because I don’t want to get another one until I have enough to spend on a DSLR. But, as you can see, I think my point-and-shoot worked out just fine, this year.
6. Take more pictures (at least one per day).
Donions. Again, look.
7. Make more videos.
Not really. I didn’t get the new video camera until this month and really haven’t gotten familiar enough with it (nor had any copious amounts of free time) to start cranking junk out. I did rattle off this Hot Fuzz/Iron Man mash-up one night… but that’s about it.
8. Decrease my list of “Number of States I’ve Visited”…
I really didn’t travel at all, this year, which is a shame on many levels (including failing this Pledge).
9. Train Riley to be inside as much as possible.
Yes indeed. He is now decidedly indoors about half the time (if someone is home).
10. Finish the two scripts I started in 2008.
Though I did make significant progress on one of them, I have not finished either so… failure.
11. Put at least $20 aside, per week.
Yes. If you averaged it out, actually, it was over $20 per week so… I now have a nice bit of money in the bank. Investments, here I come.
12. Get new glasses.
I did.
13. Ride my bike more.
I rode it more in 2009 than in 2008, so it’s technically a success but it was not as much as it should be nor as much as I’d like it to be, so… push, I guess.
14. Maintain (or increase) 1.3 Tumblr daily post average.
I crushed this one so badly it should make up for the entire list. 1335 total posts, which averages out to 3.65 per day.
15. Collect state quarters for Nanny.
Yes, several dozen were collected and delivered. I now have an updated list of the few remaining varieties she still needs and I hope to finish this odyssey for her by the summer.
16. Move at least one truckload of stuff out of the attic, per month.
I definitely unloaded several truckloads… but nowhere near 12. Oh well. 2010 is the year where I will absolutely deal with that wretched attic.
17. Overhaul, organize, and clean out the bathroom cabinets.
Yep. Done.
18. Go with the shirt-and-tie look more often.
Having several jobs really pushed this one up the charts but I did do it quite frequently, just for fun.
19. Play guitar more.
No, this was a failure. I couldn’t find a tuner and so then I resolved to go buy one and suddenly it wasn’t until Thanksgiving that I actually went and bought one and… yeah, bad job by me.
20. Finish my clonetrooper helmet project.
It is about 95% done. I did most of the work on it in the Spring and haven’t looked at it, since. But it is basically done.
21. Ask at least one question to a stranger, everyday.
I was pretty good about this for about a month. Then I just stopped. It’s kind of a tough thing to keep track of.
22. Ask more questions, in general.
I think I do.
23. Not-be in New York City on May 23.
I did not go. But the Cloverfield monster didn’t attack so… I don’t know if I can be all that pleased about the decision.
24. Do 25 pull-ups in one set.
I once did 13. I don’t know if I just need to train harder or if my body has a ceiling (it’s probably the former).
25. Do 100 push-ups in one set.
No. I can do many more than I once was able to (somewhere in the 60s without sacrificing form) but no, I did not hit triple digits.
26. Get better at cooking.
I did learn a lot, this year, but my “two real dishes per month” notion fell apart — it was about 8, total, for the year.
27. Buy more ODU paraphernalia.
Yes, I bought a hat and t-shirt. Spirit.
28. Drink 75 ounces of water everyday.
I definitely hit this mark about 70% of the time. Sometimes it’s just hard to get excited about drinking water, though.
29. Use the elliptical more.
Confirmed.
30. See how long I can go without eating candy or cookies.
I would routinely go a month or so without eating either but then would inadvertently consume some M&Ms within a bag of trail mix and reset the clock to zero. Regardless, I did some good things.
31. Learn to play Poker.
No. And this was kind of dumb, to begin with. I don’t gamble and poker seems like something that, even if I knew how to play, I would never play. So, it’s a failure but I’m totally fine with it.
32. Sit up on the roof more.
I didn’t. I don’t really have a reason, I just never really did it.
33. Take advantage of Planet Smoothie’s Happy Hour.
I didn’t. But then again, I have had like two Smoothies in the entire year so, it was just a bad idea to make this a pledge, to begin with (I know why I wrote it, though, because I was really big on Smoothies at the end of last year and it just became a good idea to save money).
34. Always get the smallest fountain drink available.
Usually, I would. But sometimes I was just thirsty and so, one thing led to another.
35. Decline paper or plastic bags at stores…
Yes. And any that I did get (it’s unavoidable in some situations) I promptly recycled. So it was a good year.
36. Eat while driving as little as possible.
Yes. I generally scaled it way back.
37. Eat while using the computer as little as possible.
Generally, yes, but there were plenty of times where I unconsciously violated my rule.
38. Go to at least one Braves game in DC.
Nope. And it was inexcusable.
39. Eat out less.
Confirmed. I definitely ate at home more than anywhere else, this year.
40. Tweak everything slightly.
I think I did a pretty good job of this.
41. Go to a batting cage.
I really regret not doing this one. Maybe for my birthday I’ll amend this one.
42. Chew more gum.
Yes. Trident Xtra Care was my wingman most of the time.
43. Finish all the books I own that I haven’t finished.
While I cannot claim “all”, I can say that I blew through about 80% of them.
44. Donate clothing when buying clothing.
I didn’t buy all that much this year but I definitely donated more than I bought.
45. Use more unique adjectives.
46. Do push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.
In total, I did way more pull-ups than anything else. Push-ups finishes second and sit-ups were last (though I did do them).
47. Get more into yoga.
No, I barely even thought about it. Big zero.
48. Get a new driver’s license.
I tried but my license doesn’t expire until 2011 and so, I am not even eligible to renew it with a new picture until mid-2010. This wasn’t my fault. I really tried.
49. Develop my graphic novel idea.
No. I mean, I thought about it and did some more drawings and whatnot but I know what I meant when I said “develop” and that is not what I did, this year (not enough, at least).
50. Read more books.
Yes, definitely.
51. Finish editing that thing.
Spoiler alert: I didn’t.
52. Wear socks to bed.
I put this one on the list because wearing socks to bed apparently helps you sleep but after a few months of trying, I didn’t notice them having any effect so I gave up. But I did try it.
53. Go the entire year without saying “amazing”.
Accomplished.
54. Take the trash out on Monday nights, not Tuesday mornings.
I batted around .750 on this one. Better, but not perfect.
55. Donate money to more than one charity.
Oof. Screwing this one up hurt more than just me and my list. Sorry, philanthropy.
56. Clean out upper shelves in my closet.
Done and done.
57. See if I can get down to a 32-inch waist.
58. Organize trading cards in storage closet.
No. And I’m quite upset about it.
59. Make dinner once per week.
Usually, I did.
60. Watch at least one movie I’ve never seen before, per week.
I cruised past the 52 mark (I nearly saw 52 movies in the theater).
61. Eat at/shop at places I’ve never been to, before.
I really didn’t embrace this as much as I probably imagined I would.
62. Learn how our washing machine and dryer work.
Yes.
63. Do laundry.
Yes, quite frequently.
64. Watch all six Star Wars films on May 25.
I failed. It was Memorial Day and there was a gathering I felt was necessary to attend (sorry, everybody).
65. Shoot hoops more.
I did for most of the spring but then just kind of fell off the horse.
66. Try Thai food.
Failing this one is especially bad, because there’s been a new Thai place near my house for about six months and I still haven’t ventured in there. Pathetic.
67. Get organizer for rolled up art/prints/posters.
Yep. Took a picture.
68. Make all the gifts that I give more personal.
I think I did a pretty good job of this.
69. Apply to more jobs.
Ho ho HO, did I ever. I worked in three different jobs, this year. So, there’s your answer.
70. Get a coffee table.
I did.
71. Go to more than one concert.
Yes.
72. Look people in the eyes more often.
Still developing this one but I did make some serious strides, I think.
73. Do more crossword puzzles.
Nope. I got a New York Times book of them and still didn’t do very many.
74. Finish my HD-DVD project.
I didn’t. I still want to do it, though.
75. Go unshaven for a while and see where it goes.
I tried it. That look is not for me.
76. Watch more basketball.
I really did step it back up to pre-2008 levels, this year. Good for me.
77. Start making models.
I did not.
78. Finish things faster.
I do believe I got a lot better at optimizing this workflow.
79. Look at it as “being responsible”, not as “being stressed”.
I do. Most of the time.
80. Use the hot tub more.
I definitely used it more.
81. Wash my hands more.
Yep. Sometimes without a reason.
82. Look awesome without a shirt on.
Not quite as awesome as “awesome” suggests. But definitely better than previous incarnations.
83. Learn another language.
Nope. I was about to buy Rosetta Stone for Spanish but didn’t and… yeah, now it’s New Year’s Eve.
84. Delete unnecessary Yahoo account once Fantasy season ends.
I was going to but I really can’t, for a variety of technical reasons. It’s unfortunate. But I’m all right with it. I tried.
85. Think of a more interesting way to greet people on the phone.
I tried “what it do” a few times but mainly just confused people. After that, I barely even thought about it.
86. Give more gifts without reason.
I don’t have the numbers in front of me but I do believe I did.
87. Figure out an awesome ruse.
I got nothing. I think society has figured all the good ones out, already.
88. Get dessert as a restaurant.
I frequently considered it but… no, never did. I’m just really bad at this.
89. Get more sleep.
Yes. Thanks to Melatonin, I now routinely sleep 6-8 hours per night. Wonderful.
90. Use stairs instead of elevators/escalators.
Yes.
91. Send out Valentines.
I totally did. Wall-E and Iron Man varieties.
92. Get a sweet watch.
I did. But then I never wore it. So I returned it. I have a cell phone, why do I need to have a watch?
93. Always pin socks together before throwing them in the wash.
Since I now do all my own laundry, this really became obsolete.
94. Eat more fiber.
I do.
95. Deal with Mom calling Darth Vader or Iron Man “robots”.
It took some work but I pushed through.
96. Take vitamins/minerals everyday.
Yes. I used to routinely forget for days at a time but this year, I maybe missed one day a month (usually not even that often) and I am quite decidedly more awesome for it.
97. Finish my “old cookbooks” project…
I didn’t even start. I still don’t know what this project will consist of.
98. Keep all movie ticket stubs.
Yes! Done.
99. Get a cool telescope for the roof.
Nope. It’s a good idea, though.
100. Think of 100 Pledges.
Clearly, a success.
——————————————————-
Final tally!
- Completed: 54
- Failed: 31
- Sort Of: 12
- Disqualified: 3
So, it would appear that I generally make some sort of progress 70% of the time. When you consider that several of my failures were one-time events that I easily could have done on a whole host of spare days… I have nobody to blame but myself. Oh well. There’s always next year.
