The Closing of the Year

Wow, what a year 2007 has been. This year started out full of hope and promise, and then turned into reality. It didn't turn into a bad year, just didn't live up to the potential I had hoped. I would be remiss if I didn't even mention the lofty goals I had intended to be for this year, but I stopped tracking them around June-ish. Part of that was developing a new goal process, and part of that was knowing they were too lofty to be worthwhile. In any case, I didn't finish them for many reasons.

My job for the vast majority of the year was a good job for my skillset, and developed me in a good path for my career, but it was also insanely busy with constant multitasking, and I think it trained me to be mildly ADD. It also wore me out mentally, and made it very difficult to work on anything after work or on weekends. Now that job has ended (ah, the joy of being a contractor), and I'm looking for more.

We moved into the city in August, and also got rid of a car around that time. The move was huge, and it took months to clean the place up for Thanksgiving and our subsequent Christmas party. But now we live in a home, and a lovely home it is. Our office (third bedroom) is full of boxes that we need to take care of, but we have some time to do so; we can take care of one a weekend for the next several months, while still enjoying the home that we have.

Being a one-car family has its challenges, but it's a good transition for being in the city. Both of our jobs were close to public transportation, so Heidi could take the car or take the bus/train, depending on her mood that morning. I really couldn't take the car, as there's no way to cheaply park downtown. Parking in this neighborhood can be a challenge sometimes, but it's better than other places I've lived, and it's a lot better than trying to find space for two cars.

Our marriage hit a pretty rough spot this year, and I didn't write about that (not publicly, anyway), but we came through it and we're much stronger than we were before. I've had one friend say, "Marriage is the most difficult thing but the best thing that you can have." Although I think I would phrase it differently, I agree with it conceptually. In any case, that's a good thing. I've written about how we have grown stronger, and we keep going in that direction (admittedly, we're still kind of newlyweds). That fills me with hope for the future.

I didn't get much of a chance to see movies in the theatre this year, having had a gap between Stardust and National Treasure 2 (yes, I know... my brother wanted to see it). This has led me to be more of a gamer, and I've had a lot of that to keep me occupied. I've written about The Orange Box, which took up a large portion of my time, and I have yet to write about Mass Effect, which took up just as much time.

I got two voiceover gigs this year: one non-union and one union. I can see that being an actor is going to take a lot more work, and I've been doing a lot of work already. Sometimes, it's difficult to not get frustrated, but then I kind of put things in perspective: I'm making an adequate wage (at least I was), I have a good marriage, I have a lovely home, and I get to do what I love on the side (gaming, acting, whatever). Although I'd like to do what I love for a living, I'm pretty cool doing what works for right now.

I only brewed once this year. I'm disappointed with myself for that, but the beer turned out pretty well, and I've had a busy schedule, so I'm not going to kick myself too hard. For my birthday, Heidi got me two, count 'em, two kits. So that will change for next year.

So that be me. That be 2007. Bring on the new year!

2007 Goals, Update 4

So... it's been a slow month. I've been putting effort in some places, not so much in others. As it stands, I haven't progressed much, if at all, on any of my goals. It's frustrationg almost to the point of discouragement, but not quite there yet. Or rather, it was there, but I moved past the worst of the discouragement. It's partially lighting a fire under my butt, and partially just annoying the hell out of me.

1. Get at least 5 union voiceover gigs: I just finished up my first promotional mailing to ad agencies. Since I'm on a budget, I wasn't able to send out any CD's, but instead postcards that have my website on them. I have yet to get a single hit from an ad agency IP address. Hm.
2. Get one national gig: See #1.
3. Get at least three agents in the local market: I have one; no change from late last year. We'll start sending out mailings to talent agencies probably this weekend.
4. Get into both SAG and AFTRA: Heh.
5. Drop my bodyfat to 12%: After a lazy month (we did keep working out, just not as much), we've decided to hit the gym in the evenings when we can, and mornings when we can't. Still, I'm pretty much in the same shape I was at the beghinning of the year.
6. Travel at least four times: 1 down, 3 to go
7. Get my headshots done: I'm waiting to lose a bit of weight, as I tend to hold a lot of my weight in my face. Not entirely sure what good headshots will do me at present, as I need a flexible day job in order to do on-camera auditions. Perhaps that will be a next year goal.
8. Join the Fighting 501st: I'll start work on cleaning out the garage this weekend, or at least clean enough to set up a card table. I should start work on the suit this month.
9: Get out of debt: Slow going. We're trading out high interest for lower interest, and plugging along as best we can.
10. Brew at least four batches of beer: 1 down, 3 to go. I just got this month's Zymurgy (the magazine of the American Homebrewer's Association), and there's likely a recipe in there on which I can work. I haven't looked through it much, but will check it out. Otherwise, I'll just get another kit.
11. Read the Bible from beginning to end: I'm still a little behind, but moving along with this. So far, so good.

Plans for this month: Dunno. I'll keep reading and praying, probably work on the Stormtrooper outfit, send out some mailings to talent agents, but I'm frustrated right now. I kind of want to just spend my time playing whatever Gamefly sends me. I'll get over it, but it's a hassle.

2007 Goals, Update 3

As usual, I'm seeing how my goals for this year have progressed. Not a great deal that has changed tangibly, but there's stuff in the works.

1. Get at least 5 union voiceover gigs: I just sent out my first promotional mailing to ad agencies. That will likely pay off in the future, but it hasn't just yet.
2. Get one national gig: See #1.
3. Get at least three agents in the local market: I have one; no change from late last year.
4. Get into both SAG and AFTRA: Bupkus
5. Drop my bodyfat to 12%: We've been going to the Y every weekday at 5AM. Lat week was a low-motivation week, but we're plugging away. Still no actual number to hang onto yet.
6. Travel at least four times: 1 down, 3 to go
7. Get my headshots done: I'm waiting to lose a bit of weight, as I tend to hold a lot of my weight in my face. Still, it's a bupkus right now.
8. Join the Fighting 501st: I'm waiting till it's warmer before I can set up a card table in the garage and get to work.
9: Get out of debt: We just paid off one moderately sizeable bill (literally a couple minutes before I started this post). There's quite a bit left, but we're on our way.
10. Brew at least four batches of beer: 1 down, 3 to go. I'm not sure if I'm going to kit it this next time or follow a recipe.
11. Read the Bible from beginning to end: I'm a little behind, but moving along with this. So far, so good.

So, the year is 25% over, and I'm not quite 25% done with all my goals. Some of them, moving along pretty well; some, not so much. Plans for this month: Pray. Read. Travel. Work out. Eat smart. Do some cleaning in the garage so I have some space. Get more cards so I can finish the mailings (a complete mailing to ad agencies is a five-week process). Plan for the next brew. I might do a talent agency mailing, but we'll see how everything works out.

A change in goals

I've been thinking about my goals this year (a good thing to always keep them in mind), and I think I need to change one: Instead of enabling one of us to quit our day job, I'll change that to getting us out of debt. It doesn't mean we can't go back into debt (neither of our cars are very reliable these days, so we'll likely be buying before the year is out), but as long as there is a day during this year in which we have no debt, we're cool.

Here's my thinking:
1). Both Heidi and I have pretty good day jobs. The original concern was that Heidi's job was unsatisfying, but she has a new one which appears to be really good. Even if we could, she's not likely to leave this one for a couple years. Mine is a good gig now, but I have the potential for a better one in the relatively near future. Good plan to keep a steady income coming in.
2). Even if I make a heap of cash this year, my SAG benefits wouldn't kick in until next year (assuming I get into SAG and make enough to receive benefits). We need to keep ourselves healthy.
3). It's a lot more financially feasible. Even if I make a heap of cash, we're saving up for a house, and we'd really like to move to Evanston. Houses aren't cheap there. It's even worse in El Segundo, if that's where we land.
4). Debt sucks.

2007 Goals, Update 2

In keeping with the tradition, I'm posting my updates about my goals. Not a huge amount to report, but there are stirrings and echoes of various cool things coming together. In any case, seeing how little things have progressed is keeping me accountable to do some crap about it.

1. Get at least 5 union voiceover gigs: Not so much.
2. Get one national gig: Not so much.
3. Get at least three agents in the local market: I have one; no change from late last year.
4. Get into both SAG and AFTRA: Bupkus
5. Drop my bodyfat to 12%: We've been going to the Y every weekday at 5AM. It's just beginning to become less difficult, although we tend to be pretty wiped out during the week. My pants don't really feel any looser yet, but my shirts feel a little tighter, so it's a start.
6. Travel at least four times: 1 down, 3 to go
7. Get my headshots done: Bupkus
8. Join the Fighting 501st: I'm waiting till it's warmer before I can set up a card table in the garage and get to work.
9. Make enough with voiceover that one of us can quit our day job: Not so much. Heidi just got a really cool new job though, so this might not be as big a priority.
10. Brew at least four batches of beer: I've ordered a Hefeweisen kit (one of my favorite styles of beer), but I don't have a schedule for when I want to do it. This month is a pretty likely candidate.
11. Read the Bible from beginning to end: So far, I'm doing really well with this. I'm not using it for vocal warmups anymore, although I'd like that to change. But it's good to read and ponder on the train into the city.

So, plans for this month: Brew. Get a whole mess of postcards and start sending them out to the ad agencies here in the city. Keep working out. Keep reading and praying.

2007 Goals, Update 1

As usual, I'm updating everyone on the progress of my goals. Much like the original goal posting, the update is a little late, but I had pretty big news that I wanted to post on the first of the month. In any case, here's how we're doing with the goals.

1. Get at least 5 union voiceover gigs: Not even one yet, but I'm on may way.
2. Get one national gig: Not so much.
3. Get at least three agents in the local market: I have one; no change from late last year.
4. Get into both SAG and AFTRA: Bupkus
5. Drop my bodyfat to 12%: We joined the Y last week, and both have had our first meeting with one of the trainers. We're also eating healthier, so it's a start. Still don't know where I am as far as bodyfat, though.
6. Travel at least four times: 1 down, 3 to go
7. Get my headshots done: Bupkus
8. Join the Fighting 501st: I'm waiting till it's warmer before I can set up a card table in the garage and get to work.
9. Make enough with voiceover that one of us can quit our day job: Well, I at least made SOME money with voiceover. It's a start.
10. Brew at least four batches of beer: Bupkus
11. Read the Bible from beginning to end: So far, I'm doing really well with this. The one year Bible thing (where they group readings into 365 dated entries) helps a lot.

So, my plan for this month is to at least plan my first brew of the year, work out both my body and my voice regularly, and keep auditioning. I also want to do an agency mailing, but I'm not sure if that's going to be possible for this month. A lot of my goals are out of my direct circle of influence, so prayer is a large portion of my tasks for this month as well.

2007 Goals

It took a while, but I've determined my goals for this year. Yes, I know, the year is already 1/37 over, but I'll have to cope with the shortened timespan. So anyway, the reason for posting the goals is for accountability, and so I have a place where I can refer to them, should the need arise.

1. Get at least 5 union voiceover gigs: Yes, it's being optimistic, but I think I can do it.
2. Get one national gig: This will likely overlap with goal #1
3. Get at least three agents in the local market: The local market includes Milwaukee, and at present, I have one there. So getting two more shouldn't be that much of a hassle.
4. Get into both SAG and AFTRA: Getting to the point of being Taft/Hartleyed, but not actually "in" is sufficient, although with goal #1 being what it is, it'll be more likely that I'll have to be actually "in."
5. Drop my bodyfat to 12%: I don't know where I am right now, but I'd estimate around 24%. This is a more definable goal than saying "I'll get back in the gym," and it's less restrictive (if I'm working out by running or martial arts, I'm not really "In the gym").
6. Travel at least four times: I'm already 25% done with that.
7. Get my headshots done: I'm thinking this is a good goal for after I've trimmed down a bit.
8. Join the Fighting 501st: They're a group of Star Wars costume enthusiasts, primarily stormtroopers. I've had the stormtrooper outfit in a box for almost two years now, and the first part of joining is to build the suit.
9. Make enough with voiceover that one of us can quit our day job: It'll likely be Heidi, as my schedule isn't hindered by VO auditions, and she's likely to pick up a sizeable freelance income.
10. Brew at least four batches of beer: This is one of those goals I'll probably exceed, but I'm OK with that, too.
11. Read the Bible from beginning to end: So far, I'm doing really well with this. The previous disconnect was that I had a bad history with the version I was using (NKJV). Heidi got me an NIV Bible, and also suggested I do my VO warmups with it. Both really good choices.

So anyway, them's the goals. If you'll notice, there are two more than last year, and last year I didn't even finish half of them. Why do I think I can succeed with eleven when I didn't succeed with nine (or for that matter, five)? Because I know what held me back previously, and I'm willing to put up a fight to get them done.

Happy 2007!

So one year is over, another has begun. Last year was a good year; a lot got accomplished, much of which is completely life-changing. 2007 will be just as significant, I predict, but with different things going. Since I was so verbose about my goals last year, I'm going to continue the trend. However, I still need to recap my goals, to see how everything turned out. Hence, this post:

1. Get Married: Successful
2. Move to a new place: Successful
3. Get a different job: I got the new job I was looking for, then lost it, then got another new job, then lost that. I think next year I need to be a bit more specific. So I'll call this one unsuccessful.
4. Get back in the gym, and establish a regular routine: I started, and was doing pretty well with it, until my back gave out, and I completely dropped it. In retrospect, dropping it was a bad decision. We really haven't done anything since. Unsuccessful.
5. Get at least one Voice-over gig: I was really diligent to get things going, but didn't actually get a gig this year. Unsuccessful.
6. Brew at least three batches of beer: Successful.
7. Travel at least four times: Successful. I actually did five, but there's nothing wrong with exceeding your goals.
8. Write a script: Unsuccessful.
9. Read the Bible from beginning to end: Unsuccessful.

And now, the analysis:
I succeeded in 4 out of 9 goals. Not a bad average for batting, but I'm not much of a fan of baseball. Of the four successful, each of them relied entirely on me or me & Heidi (one all me, three both of us). Of the five unsuccessful, three were all me, and two were resulting from actions outside of my sphere of influence. The three that were all me could have been done had I been less lazy, but I was lazy. Of the other two, I worked my can off for those, and still wasn't successful. So, here's the track record:
Me & Heidi: 3/3
Me: 1/4
Me & some external influence: 0/2

This brings interesting things to light. If I involve Heidi in my goals, they're going to get done much better than if I just do them on my own; two is better than one. Relying on something external is perfect material to get me hosed; this is bad, because a lot of my life does revolve around other people than my wife playing along. So the trick is to figure out how to get those externals working better.

I haven't yet figured out my goals for this year... I'll post them when I have them in order.

Goal Update 10

Aaaaaaand the last goal update for this year (at the end of the month I'll do a goal recap... I'm hoping December will be a busy month).

1. Get Married: Done
2. Move to a new place: Done
3. Get a different job: I actually will need to quit this job on December 6th (more on that later). The new job is in the works, but it's been in the works since September. We're actually on the schedule I expected, so should see this one done before the end of the year.
4. Get back in the gym, and establish a regular routine: We'll get to a gym before the end of the year (or at least work out at home when the schedule is a little easier), but I won't be able to say that the regular routine has been established by the end of the year. Two weeks doesn't establish crap.
5. Get at least one Voice-over gig: I'm auditioning pretty regularly these days, but nothing happening legitimately. Such is the way of acting professionally. December is a slow month traditionally, but all hope is not lost.
6. Brew at least three batches of beer: Brew #2 is OK. I'm not incredibly thrilled with it, but I haven't gotten anybody else's opinion of it. Brew #3 (an attempt at what should be a Dwarven Ale) is scheduled for Christmas Day.
7. Travel at least four times: Done. I actually did five, but there's nothing wrong with exceeding your goals.
8. Write a script: No progress. This is no longer an active goal. There's no freakin' way.
9. Read the Bible from beginning to end: No significant progress. This is no longer an active goal for this year. There's no freakin' way(next year, however...).

Goal Update 9

Sorry, I realized that yesterday I should have posted about this, but I'm sure my readers will overcome their anxiety and grief over not knowing about how my goals have progressed. Not much progress in anything. But see for yourself:

1. Get Married: Done
2. Move to a new place: Done
3. Get a different job: Incredibly frustrated with the current one right now, but that's a temporary, today-sucks kind of thing. I have a good job, but this is still an active goal.
4. Get back in the gym, and establish a regular routine: No progress. Working on it.
5. Get at least one Voice-over gig: Had a couple more auditions, and I think I did pretty darn well with them. Still, working on it.
6. Brew at least three batches of beer: Brew #2 is almost done with the fermentation. Bottling will happen on Saturday, to be consumable just before Thanksgiving.
7. Travel at least four times: Done
8. Write a script: No progress.
9. Read the Bible from beginning to end: No significant progress. Jane gave me some good advice, which should make next year an easier time of it.

Goal Update 8

Continuing on with the goal postiness, I'm going to inform you of where I am with the goals.

1. Get Married: Done
2. Move to a new place: Done
3. Get a different job: Still an active goal, but doing OK with the job I currently have.
4. Get back in the gym, and establish a regular routine: We've determined that the Schaumburg Park District has a couple gyms that, while very reasonably priced, we really wouldn't continue working out at. Still working on it.
5. Get at least one Voice-over gig: Working on it.
6. Brew at least three batches of beer: Brew #1 worked out pretty well. Two more will happen shortly. There's a brewing store here in Schaumburg that I want to check out. Otherwise, there's always morebeer.com.
7. Travel at least four times: Done
8. Write a script: Nothing. This goal probably won't get done this year.
9. Read the Bible from beginning to end: I didn't develop the discipline like I should have. I've got way too much to read in the next few months. This goal probably won't get done, but the year ain't over yet.

Goal Update 7

Here's the goal update for this month. I don't have anything clever to say about it right now, as pretty much all my creativity is going into wedding stuff.

1. Get Married: Happening tomorrow. Bout damn time.
2. Move to a new place: Done
3. Get a different job: I have a job, but it's insufficient for my needs. Still an active goal.
4. Get back in the gym, and establish a regular routine: Haven't done anything with it. Right now, it's as much a time thing as laziness.
5. Get at least one Voice-over gig: I have one agent, I'd like to get more, but right now I don't really have time to think about it all.
6. Brew at least three batches of beer: Brew #1 worked out pretty well. Two more will happen after the wedding.
7. Travel at least four times: 3 down, 1 to go (and that fourth one will be a doozy)
8. Write a script: Thought about it.
9. Read the Bible from beginning to end: It's been kind of an odd month. In any case, I haven't been reading much. My prayer life has flourished, but mot so much with the reading.

Goal Update 6

Things have been moving along, sort of. I didn't post a goal update last month because I was pissy about being laid off, and didn't want to face it again. I'm still a little pissy about being laid off (the yes-man who made the decision to lay me off ended up moving on to another job, and the people who were in support of me staying moved up a notch... not sure why that couldn't have happened a month earlier). Anyway, here's the goals:

1. Get Married: 32 days is just too damn far away.
2. Move to a new place: Done
3. Get a different job: Suddenly much more important. There are stirrings and echoes, but nothing solid. Seems people aren't too keen on hiring someone who's committed to being unavailable for two-and-a-half weeks at the end of the month. I'm going to call the temp agencies today.
4. Get back in the gym, and establish a regular routine: Haven't done anything with it. Right now, it's as much a financial decision as laziness.
5. Get at least one Voice-over gig: Moving along as best it can. I have my demo, I have my website, I have my postcards and such, and right now is the best time to get an agent, so as long as I'm not working, I'll be heading downtown to pester some folks tomorrow.
6. Brew at least three batches of beer: Brew #1 worked out pretty well. Two more will happen after the wedding.
7. Travel at least four times: 3 down, 1 to go (and that fourth one will be a doozy)
8. Write a script: Thought about it.
9. Read the Bible from beginning to end: After a long stretch of nothing, I'm getting back into this. I have a long way to go to catch up, but I'm plugging along.

Goal Update 5

Since I posted my goals at the first of the year, I've been keeping folks apprised of how I'm doing with the whole goal business at the top of each month. In keeping with that tradition...

1. Get Married: Still coming along. We're really close to being done with the planning. We still have the last dregs of planning to deal with here and there, but we're almost ready to go. And we have to wait three more months. Oy. By the way, friends should expect to see their invitations late next week or early the following week.
2. Move to a new place: Found a gorgeous place in Schaumburg. Heidi's moving in on July 8th, I'm moving my stuff in in August, and we're paying three rents for both July and August, and then two rents in September (which helps to explain the tight financial thing).
3. Get a different job: Done
4. Get back in the gym, and establish a regular routine: Haven't returned to the gym since I tweaked my back. Part of that is because my temporary membership ended the day I quit the Body for Life Program, and I haven't bothered to renew. I need to do that.
5. Get at least one Voice-over gig: Demos are recorded and are being edited. I should hear something back shortly on that. Doesn't much matter. It doesn't look like I'm going to be able to duplicate them until late in the year anyway without some miracle.
6. Brew at least three batches of beer: Brew #1 is fermenting right now. 2 more will happen in the new place.
7. Travel at least four times: 2 down, 2 to go.
8. Write a script: Thought about it.
9. Read the Bible from beginning to end: It seems that when I get disappointed or pissed off, this is the first thing to go. In any case, it's been a rough month. I'll have a lot of reading to get done come the end of the year.

Goal Update 4

Since I posted my goals at the first of the year, I've been keeping folks apprised of how I'm doing with the whole goal business at the top of each month. In keeping with that tradition...

1. Get Married: We're now getting into the less-fun detail stage of wedding planning. Part of me is glad we have four months to flesh this out, part of me is thinking "we have to do all this in four months?", and part of me just wants the four months to be over now, so we can be in Italy and not have to say goodbye at night.
2. Move to a new place: We've been looking online at a few places. I'm a little concerned about living in the burbs, especially considering how hospitable Heidi is (we both feel that a home isn't a home unless there are people over, most of my friends are in the city, and city people generally fear coming out to the burbs for social occasions). Nevertheless, most of our searches end up being in Schaumburg or Arlington Heights or Rolling Meadows, or that area.
3. Get a different job: Done
4. Get back in the gym, and establish a regular routine: Still coming along, but I want to make sure I'm not going to drop it once this program is over before I can mark this as "Done."
5. Get at least one Voice-over gig: Finished recording the commercial demo, and the narrative demo is coming along pretty well. The demo should be produced in a month or so.
6. Brew at least three batches of beer: Brew #1 is scheduled for May 21st.
7. Travel at least four times: 2 down, 2 to go.
8. Write a script: No progress. Might not get this done. Might surprise myself.
9. Read the Bible from beginning to end: Doing a lot better. This month I've read more than the three previous months put together.

Goal Update 3

In keeping with the whole continued accountability thing, here's how I'm doing with the goals:

1. Get Married: Still happening. Yay!
2. Move to a new place: Today we're looking at a place that starts on August 1 in Skokie. We probably won't start looking seriously till June.
3. Get a different job: Done
4. Get back in the gym, and establish a regular routine: I'm back in the gym, but I want to wait a while before I can say I've "established a regular routine."
5. Get at least one Voice-over gig: Started recording my demo, and it's going pretty well. I'll likely continue with the recording for over a month.
6. Brew at least three batches of beer: I still need to get some decent shelving for the kitchen before I feel comfortable starting this out. That will happen in the next couple weeks.
7. Travel at least four times: 1 down, 3 to go.
8. Write a script: No progress. I have to seriously consider that if I don't do something soon, this might not get accomplished.
9. Read the Bible from beginning to end: Slow going.

Goal Update 2

In keeping with the continued accountability, I'm posting how I'm doing with the goals. I normally do this at the top of the month, but I didn't want to steal any thunder from Heidi's birthday post, and yesterday was a busy day.

1. Get Married: Heidi posted a good summary here. It hasn't changed much.
2. Move to a new place: We'll likely either move to Heidi's current place in Arlington Heights or a place she looked at in Palatine.
3. Get a different job: Done
4. Get back in the gym, and establish a regular routine: I've scouted out the gym I'm likely to use, and I'm going to start the Body for Life Challenge either next week or the week after.
5. Get at least one Voice-over gig: Making Progress.
6. Brew at least three batches of beer: Purchased brewing equipment from morebeer.com, still need to get some decent shelving for the kitchen and an extract kit. And yes, I have figured two ways to work this in with the Body for Life Challenge without cheating on the program.
7. Travel at least four times: 1 down, 3 to go.
8. Write a script: I've got some ideas percolating, but nothing solid.
9. Read the Bible from beginning to end: Plugging along.

Goal Update

Since I recently posted my goals online, I thought I'd maintain the accountability, and, on the first of the month, tell you how I'm doing:

1. Get Married: Moving along quite nicely, thank you.
2. Move to a new place: Not sure where yet, but it'll happen
3. Get a different job: Done
4. Get back in the gym, and establish a regular routine: Thought about it.
5. Get at least one Voice-over gig: My first coaching session is tomorrow, which will ultimately lead to a demo, which will ultimately lead to a gig.
6. Brew at least three batches of beer: Thought about it.
   
7. Travel at least four times: 1 down, 3 to go.
8. Write a script: Haven't even thought about it much.
9. Read the Bible from beginning to end: At this rate, I'll have a lot of reading to do come December.

I like the idea of having the goal update at the beginning of each month. I think I'll keep that up.

Happy New Year!

We stayed at Heidi's parents' last night, having spent most of the evening watching the first season of Lost (there had been different plans; they fell through). We got up ealry because I had to work at chuch this morning, and, as we were driving east at 7:00 am, we saw a gorgeous sunrise. This is how to start the New Year: watching a beautiful sunrise, with my finacee by my side, heading to serve God.

Anyway, I hate New Years resoultions, because they're meausred by how quickly you break them. I prefer goals, so you can look back at the year and see how successful you were. Here are some goals for the upcoming year:

1. Get Married (a no-brainer)
2. Move to a new place (also pretty much a no-brainer)
3. Get a different job
4. Get back in the gym, and establish a regular routine
5. Get at least one Voice-over gig
6. Brew at least three batches of beer
   
7. Travel at least four times (two of those are in the works now)
8. Write a script (doesn't have to be long, just has to be finished)
9. Read the Bible from beginning to end (pretty easy to do, just need to re-establish the routine).

Hopefully, having things online will establish some level of accountability. Here's looking forward to what promises to be a year of quite significant change. And in this case, change is good.

Goals for life...

When George Lucas received his lifetime acheivement award from AFI, William Shatner did a presentation, and was subsequently stolen from the stage by members of the Fighting 501st (this was all choreographed). I don't yet have the video of it, but I may very well find a way to download it. In any case, this is a goal of mine, soon to be realized. No, not to steal William Shatner. But to finish my trooper armor (which should be much easier now that I have a new place and the space in which to do it), and join this "prestigious" organization. Sunday will be a day in which I putter about the house, but I think Monday evening I'll get started on my stuff. All I need right now is spray paint, and that's really difficult to find in the city limits of Chicago. So, I just need to make my way up to Evanston to get things done. But I'll leave you with a little glimpse of some folks who will be buddies and cronies of mine in the near future: