- Conversational fluency in Spanish. I have a tutor for this and so far I'm headed in the right direction.
- Huge progress made. I'm by no means a native speaker, but I'm getting a lot better in my Spanish every month.
- Working fewer nights and weekends. This must happen.
- This was accomplished in a big way as well; maybe too much so. More on that later...
- More regular reading of the Bible. 2008 definitely saw a dip in my time in the Word and memorization of scriptures. I need to change that trend this year.
- Very little progress made. This goal extends into 2011 for sure.
- In 2007 I made it to Vail for some lift-assisted downhill riding one day. In 2008 I logged zero days. In 2009 I want to increase that number... if I could also get a few days in around Crested Butte that would just be the cat's freaking meow.
- No progress made, although I did make huge strides in cycling. I might have to tweak this goal a bit.
- Avalanche certification and snow climb classes leading to couloir climbs and backcountry skiing (in the Indian Peaks in particular). No questions or excuses. This must happen. Specific objectives include Skywalker Couloir, Quandary Couloir, Mt. Toll and the Brainard Lakes area. This should plant the seed to set Mt. Rainier as an objective in years to come. [30th birthday? It does me no good to have named my cat after a mountain without having climbed it, right?]
- Some progress made. Hopefully this will continue into 2011.
- More 14er ascents. We'll inevitably explore new ranges this year, which I'm looking forward to. I'd like to start the season early this year and extend it as late as we did this year. Hopefully without sounding like a snob, I'd like to take the most pleasing (and attainable) line to the top and not just the standard route if the standard route would be considered less interesting. I want each ascent to be as inspiring as Huron was for me, and more about the experience in the mountains than just ticking a peak off a list.
- Progress made.... I'm 1/3 finished with the 54 14ers. Hopefully there will be more outings to write about next year.
- Phish is back on the road. I will attend at least 1 show!
- Cross this one off the list. I saw 2 shows this year and couldn't have been happier with both. I've now seen them 8 times. If I can see more, great.
The 2011 version of the list is basically:
- Spanish
- I'm probably heading to Peru in May, so Spanish improvement will need to continue. Having specific dates and trips has helped me in the past, so it should this year too.
- Excel at work
- The work goal is a bit of a weird one for me right now. 2010 on the job was good for me, with a project that effectively lasted the entire year. I think, however, it was a bit vague and at times I lost focus. I found myself floundering. I found myself in a major lull towards the middle/end of the year and actually questioned how much longer I would be a software developer. I'm really not sure what to think about that, but I hope whatever direction this year takes me, I aspire with vigor in that direction. I know that I am a project person; I am at my best and most passionate at work when I am working on a project I don't necessarily know how to complete when I start but am curious about how to complete. Maybe I need a new problem to solve. I really like who I work with and what I do, so who knows what this means. Time will tell.
- Time in The Bible
- Improve my running, cycling/riding, climbing, and skiing
- I want to be better at climbing hills on my bike. Here are two ride goals: Jamestown/Ward and Copper Triangle.
- I want to run a half marathon or at least a couple 10k's, and improve my 5k time of 25:04 from last summer.
- I want to ski expert runs on my tele's and have 2 great days at Silverton before the end of the season.
- I want to climb outside more than 2010, which is to say, zero days...
- maintain zero credit card debt
- I will be at 3 years in the condo as of March 9, 2012, so if I want to either sell the condo or move to a different place with the condo as a secondary property I will need to be in a good spot financially early in 2012.
- bonus: keep a better bedtime/wake-up schedule
- bonus: go extended periods of time without eating meat or drinking alcohol
- bonus: see Ohio State football in person again
This list probably seems ridiculous, because it essentially asks me to simultaneously work on physical and spiritual health, as well as do my best on the job and my primary hobbies while managing my finances. That is nearly everyone's ultimate goal, and attained by almost nobody. Eliminating distractions and staying focused will be key.
