2009 - My Best Year Yet!

The past two years have been pretty big years for me. I've gotten over my shyness, moved to a new city, enrolled in grad school, and many other things. However, I have big plans for 2009. Here are the goals I'm working on this year:

1. Finish School. I have one semester to go and I'll have a freshly-minted masters degree and they'll turn me and all my crazy ideas loose onto the world! The only problem: I have to do my thesis this semester...

2. Move out of Phoenix. I'm sure Phoenix is a great place for some people, with it's abundant seven-lane roads, Circle K stores, and heat that literally makes you fear being outside... it just isn't for me. This year, I'm going to move to a new city. One that fits my personality better.

3. Get a Job. In order to obtain a professional license in my career, I'll need to work for a few years and "pay my dues."

4. Get in Shape. I'm tired of being a wimpy, scrawny guy that gets winded every time he runs up a flight of stairs. I know I'll be busy with school this year, but I'm going to make time to get in shape.

5. Learn Japanese. I've always wanted to learn Japanese, and a trip to Tokyo last year has really inspired me. For now, I have one of those page-a-day calendars to help me practice the kanji characters, but once I'm done with school, I would like to take some Japanese classes.

6. Play the Guitar. I've wanted to do this for awhile too. I probably won't have much time while I'm in school, but I'm going to start learning this year.

7. Get in Touch with Relatives. I have a lot of relatives that I don't really know at all. I'd like to change this this year. I'm going to send letters to some addresses that I swiped out of my mom's address book and see if I can get some new pen pals.

8. Get My Art Displayed. I need to find an artistic "muse" and produce some sort of coherent series of paintings that I can get displayed somewhere.

So, those are my goals for 2009. I'm going to start small by building some daily habits (see below). And we'll see how far I can get. I think this year is going to be pretty fun!