2009 Goals Update

As you may be aware, I wrestled with "New Year's Resolutions" but set some goals for 2009, all of which would be marked improvement (at least in quantity) over 2008. http://listimosa.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-years-resolutions.html

In short, my goals were as follows:

• 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.

Work has been very busy in 2009, so my time has been limited. I think more regular hours may be coming soon. I still have some work to do but am pleased with the results on these so far. Some things fell to the side though -- we still have not mailed our holiday letter.

I watched two (2) films to give us Saturday night plans, which we almost never had during our marathon training. Having watched Slumdog Millionaire in 2008, we have two (2) more Best Picture nominees to see. When I was much younger, I would watch four (4) or all five (5) nominees almost every year.

I have read nothing of leisure so far. This one might be the most difficult for me to accomplish, especially since I got out of the habit, having read zero (0) books cover-to-cover in 2008. I think David Sedaris's most recent book will be my first try. I've been saving it. I'll be able to read it quickly but I won't want to finish it.

I have shot more than two hundred (200) exposures already and think that this one will be easy. A recent trip to D.C. and some photography assignments that have spurred further creativity have helped.

Keeping up with the running since our marathon, we have had a long run every Sunday along the lakefront despite the temperatures. With a second run most weeks, I have covered seventy-seven (77) miles as of today, with the longest run so far being fourteen (14) miles. I'll need to pick it up and run more than twice per week to hit my goal, but I think that the the effort has been pretty good given my schedule and the weather.

I have not written any articles but I have actively been trying to come up with a topic for the first one. I will be giving a presentation for work later this year and might develop an article topic out of that.

I met the savings goal for January, but our property tax will be due soon (and we do not escrow), and I suspect that we will owe some federal taxes in April.

I hope your resolutions and goals are going even better.

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