Wanted to see if loyal wanted to post this (since he has the last few), but dunno if he'll be on anytime soon, soo.

List your Top Plans/Goals for 2009. Hopefully some of us accomplish shit this new year.

No more cigarettes.

20in biceps.

Learn how to box.

And I'm going to learn how to cook, but my "thing" will be that I only cook game like pheasant or venison. So you might get a pheasant korma or a woodpigeon caesar salad (I don't if either of those things would work, but you get the gist). Or maybe venison and oyster pie.

no more straight boys

Get married.
Get a raise/promotion.
Go to an NFL game.
Gain 10-15 pounds.

Save money
Travel
Save money
Travel
Save money
MOVE

And these will happen.

Save money
Go to the gym more frequently
Get a new job once I finish my undergrad

Oh har, that's been my number one goal and number one failed goal every year.

Ah well, lets try again!

1. Quit smoking (except rare occassions)
2. Start exercising a little bit (another multiple failed annual goal)
3. Learn Spanish and strengthen my Italian.
4. Survive last semester of classwork and orals, find an advisor, and figure out my dissertation topic.
5. Learn to enjoy small things and become a little less of a high maintenance personality.

Even accomplishing 1 out of 5 of these would be hot, and I'm leaning towards number 4 (seeing as how it is less or a goal and more of a dire necessity)

Here's hoping, good luck y'all.

Wow... I hate new year's resolutions, because I almost always don't accomplish any goal I set. But here is my list for this year.

1. Save money and hope the recession allows me to buy a place.
2. Go to Portugal this Summer and hopefully visit Barcelona while i'm near.
3. Be less self-righteous
4. I'll steal this one from Galia and strengthen my very weak French.
5. Read 1 novel a month that is not related to school!

Out of these 5 i'm very sure i'll accomplish 2; i haven't visited my family in ages.

My little nephew got me interested in learning French. So that's one of my goals.

1. Actually go to the gym (lol)... I think this was my last year goal as well but I only stepped foot in a gym maybe once a month.
2. Learn French.
3. Not to smoke when stressed out. I actually had 5 sticks in 2008 (all from November). I'm bad.
4. Travel.
5. I need to be more of an asshole... again I think this was another one of my 2008 goals. I still have a bad habit of not speaking up when provoked and, taking it all in, and then lashing out at some poor unfortunate soul.
6. Be more active with my investments and side-jobs.

I never pictured you ever smoking Christian, even in times of stress. How odd.



That was...random.

What's with learning french this year? i know it's a sexy language but... i'll add my own variant:

1 - Continue to learn spanish and try to find someone to practise conversation
2 - Make going back to University a success
3 - Spend... no... make more time for friends and family and see more of the people i love (Carried over from last year)
4 - Explore New York City
5 - Do something totally wild before my 30th

1. Get an agent
2. Get my second novel published with a bigger publisher (http://www.michaelaventrella.com)
3. Increase my income with my law practice (http://www.mikeventrella.com)
4. Increase my medieval town business (http://www.faireplay.org)
5. Increase my LARP business and get the new Rule Book distributed (http://www.alliancelarp.com)

and maybe -- for some reason, the hardest one --

6. Make nice with my brother, who I haven't spoken to in months (because of his Yoko-like wife)

(The links are there in case someone says "WTF? LARP business?" and wants to check it out. Hey, all publicity is good.)

That bit in brackets is always the killer, isn't it? The only time I ever managed to give up (and it lasted for a good few years) was when I got so sick of smoking that I just wasn't interested in cigarettes anymore. On the other (failed) attempts, the problem was I just couldn't shake off the idea that smoking is nice (the "special treat" fallacy). I either failed completely or else got too lax about what constitutes a special occasion.

As an on again, off again smoker, this is something I've thought about. Giving up smoking the first time was easy for me. There were two milestones. First was waking up, having a smoke-free day, and then managing to sleep at the end of it. Second was a night on the booze without a smoke. Once I'd done those two things, I felt like I'd beaten the addiction and would never need (or want) to smoke again. So starting again was the second stupidest thing I've ever done (for what it's worth, the number one most stupid thing was the time when, as a small child, I invented a fairly useless device out of string and a coathanger that could lock the toilet door from outside the toilet... as soon as I waggled my coathanger and heard the lock slide into place, the pride I felt at my achievement was replaced by the realisation that I hadn't invented anything to unlock it again, nor had I positioned anyone inside the toilet to unlock the door manually, meaning that my dad had to smash the door down).

Anyway, now that I've been on and off the wagon a few times, it's dawned on me that I'll always enjoy a cigarette regardless of whether I'm addicted or not, so milestones become irrelevent... it's become more like trying to abstain from fatty food or chocolate, because it's something that I'll always enjoy, no matter how long I survive without it. Bummer

Ah, I forgot... publish a novel. I'm adding that. But I'm going to publish it myself, because everything I hear about trying to get a book published makes me think it won't be worth the bother or heartache.

Eeep. Yeah, dirty little secret. Though that 5 from November makes up a grand total of 8 so far... haha the three were from when I was 15.

2009 is a year in which I plan to not take on many new projects, but continue to refine and excel at old ones.

2008 was a year of adventure for me, 2009 is a year for maintenance.

I'm still open to "new" things, but I plan on making no major lateral moves if I can avoid it.

It is terrible. Writing a good book isn't enough; you have to make connections and sell it to an agent or a publisher.

If you self-publish, though, realize this: If you ever want to move up and be really published some day, you will have a hell of a time trying to convince anyone to look at your work. They will assume that because you self-published, it must have been a terrible book that no one wanted to publish. This isn't necessarily true, of course, but you'll have a huge uphill battle.

Yup, there's a still a huge stigma. The thing is, I enjoy graphic design and playing around with fonts as much as I enjoy writing, so I think I'd find designing the whole package (doing the cover myself, typesetting it, etc.) really satisfying. In fact, I probably spend more time making covers than I do writing at the minute. It'd be more a personal, all-round creative "project" than a proper attempt to be An Author.

Plus, I'd do it under a pen name, and I can always invent another one or revert to my real name (which is Goktor Who) if I decide I want to be a legitimate auteur in future.

finish making and be satisfied with my movie.

Well my biggest thing this year is going to India for two months in the fall.

Also going to learn violin/Start writing music. I can sing/come up with melodies pretty easily now, I've just been lazy when it comes to writing down the words and making a 'whole'. In summer I plan to record an album on my computer and then sell it on the street, then give it all to charity (thinking African schooling)

Start writing a screenplay/play/musical/etc. Start painting (been drawing for a while, next step). Try practicing acting. Cook more.

Speak more clearly, walk more poised. Kind of a clutz. Hoping to fix that.

Get laid. Almost did last month. Was kissing some girl and was about 10 minutes away then I drank one cup too many and I only remember puking in the bathroom after that. WE CAN BUILD ON THIS!!! In general get more comfortable with people/women/etc.

Better marks, harder work in my 2nd semester. This also goes with one of my bigger goals this year: Better work ethic. I want to get to a point where if I can make myself do anything and not get distracted.

In general though I hope for a year where I learn a lot and generally really enjoy and am happy with all the decisions I make

WE CAN BUILD ON THIS!!!!!

Shack le Artiste.

snack I do not adore your snobbery in the Forrest Gump thread but I adore your signature

I tried this approach once. I found myself smoking after such amazingly special occasions like eating, watching a movie, watching TV, listening to a really good song, showering, using the restroom, masturbating, getting depressed, hearing a great joke, getting excited for the day, driving in a car, walking around town, and having a conversation. Great success!

Anyways, 2009 goals:

Continue to lose weight
Do well at school
Move out on my own
Meet a nice lady friend
Smoke less (or quit entirely)
Make progress towards making movies
See more movies