New Year's Resolutions

I used to make New Year's resolutions when I was younger, but I almost always failed, eventually paralyzed by disappointment in past failings. It was at around the time that I stopped making resolutions that I had the resolve to "make things happen." The last few years have been good ones and I have gotten a lot accomplished except on the housework front. Nonetheless, as New Year's Rick-rolled around, I heard people around me discuss their goals for 2009, which I found remarkable enough to list here and to inspire me to try again.

(1) My brother advised that he wants to read 15,000 pages and to run 750 miles. (Without a specific goal, he read more than 17,000 pages and ran approximately 400 miles.)

(2) Some friends at work and I have begun to enjoy fine whiskeys together on a regular basis after work. While we enjoyed 16 year-old The Glenlivet Nàdurra (57.2%), Frank, the host this round, mentioned a goal -- to try every Scotch whiskey served at the Duke of Perth. The list of those spirits with their respective ages follows below.

(3) I have learned from history to some degree. However, as I consider making goals -- not resolutions -- for 2009, I wonder if the syntactical variance (goal vs. resolution) is enough to provide a tactical advantage so as to evade the doom of repeating my history of failed resolutions. It will be an interesting experiment at the very least. So here are my goals for 2009 to improve on 2008. Now that I've made them concrete, there's no backing down.

My Goals
To watch five (5) films in the movie theater.
To read six (6) books.
To shoot 1,000 exposures of photography for artistic purposes (excepting snapshots).
To run 750 miles.
To publish two (2) articles.
To double my per-month savings as compared to 2008.

Duke of Perth's Malt List
Highland
Balblair 16
Clynelish 14
Dalmore 12
Dalmore 21
Dalmore "Stillman's Dram" 28
Dalwhinnie 15
Edradour 10
GlenDronach "Original" 12
GlenGarioch 15
Glengoyne 10
Glengoyne 12
Glengoyne 17
Glenmorangie 10
Glenmorangie "Burgundy" 12
Glenmorangie "Madeira" 12
Glenmorangie "Port" 12
Glenmorangie "Sherry" 12
Glenmorangie 18

Island
Ardbeg (Islay) 10
Ardbeg "Uigeadail"
Bowmore (Islay) 12
Bowmore 17
Bowmore cask strength
Bowmore Darkest Sherry cask
Bruichladdich (Islay) 10
Bruichladdich "Links" 14
Bruichladdich 15
Bruichhabhain (Islay) 12
Carol Ila (Islay) 12
Caol Ila 18
Highland Park (Orkney) 12
Highland Park 18
Isle of Jura 10
Isle of Jura 16
Lagavulin 16
Laphroaig (Islay) 10
Laphroaig Orig. Cask Strength 10
Laphroaig 15
Talisker (Skye) 10
Talisker (Skye) 18
Tobermory 10
Scapa 14
Springbank 10
Springbank "100" 10
Springbank 15

Lowland
Auchentoshan 10
Auchentoshan "Three Woods"
Auchentoshan 21
Glenkinchie 10

Speyside
Aberlour 10
Aberlour 15
Aberlour a 'bunadh
Balvenie (Founders Reserve) 10
Balvenie (Doublewood) 12
Balvenie (Single Barrel) 15
Balvenie (Portwood) 21
BenRiach "Curiositas" 10
BenRiach 12
Benromach
Cragganmore 12
Cragganmore 16
Glenfiddich 12
Glenfiddich 18
The Glenlivet 12
The Glenlivet 18
Glenrothes "1992" 12
Macallan 12
Macallan "Cask Strength"
Macallan 18
Macallan 25
Macallan "Fine Oak" 10
Macallan "Fine Oak" 15
Oban 14
Strathisla 36
Tamdhu
Tomintoul 16

Vatted
Famous Grouse 18