This will be a quick post as I am writing this on the go, but I wanted to revisit the resolutions I set for myself for 2008 to see how many I successfully accomplished. I also wanted to set some goals for the upcoming year. I’m not normally a resolution guy, but I found myself returning to my 2008 resolutions over and over again in my mind, determined to meet them. So, maybe resolutions aren’t completely a self-defeating thing. Determination.

First, 2008:
1) Be willing to let go of the things and people that are not meant to be in your life
Done (for the most part) There are some that are still in my life but are held at arm’s length until I can determine if/why I still need them in my life.

2) Don’t waste your time loving the wrong people. Sounds a lot like number one, but it isn’t.
I’ve spent the majority of 2008 loving myself and not wasting my affections on the wrong people. I can’t say I didn’t have a few slips during the year, but I did do much better than 2007.

3) Get your passport.
No dice. But…keep reading.

4) Use passport mentioned above to visit the places you promised yourself you would visit in 2008
While I didn’t get my passport, I was able to travel to a different country (sorta). I went to Vancouver in the fall of this year, and as I write this, I am sitting in a hotel room in Toronto. Not as exotic as I imagined, but still — I get some credit, right?

5) Finish the screenplay you’ve been promising yourself you would finish by May. (the first draft anyway)
Uh…I was well on my way to having this completed, but spilled Mountain Dew on my laptop a few months ago and it killed my momentum. Not a good excuse, I know. However, I am back on track.

6) Continue enjoying life. Don’t embrace pessimism.
I can say that, for the most part, I have done this. There have been periods of pessimism, but for the most part, I have tried to keep a stiff upper lip

7) Vote!!!
Done! And my candidate won! Now, let’s see if it was all for naught.

8 ) Seduce and wed Rev Run’s daughter Vanessa (it could happen!)
Who?? Sorry, but my affections have roamed elsewhere by now.

9) Get a friggin’ car alarm (more on that later)
Done! But…now I kinda need a new car :o(

10) Return to San Francisco (and if possible, find the crazy lady that verbally accosted me and kick her in the shin)
Done! Well, at least the returning to San Francisco part. Never found the lady, but that’s okay.

And although I didn’t get to roam to many places out of the U.S., I did travel a lot and caught quite a few major league baseball games — Cleveland, Milwaukee, Detroit, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco. Gotta say, San Francisco is still my favorite, but the Seattle and Cleveland ballparks were also quite impressive. Milwaukee impressed me the least. When the roof closed on that place, it completely killed its mojo.

It has been a good year for travel and seeing new things.

2009 Resolutions:

1) Get my passport!!! (for real this time)

2) Get the new project my good friend Emily and I are working on off the ground. More on that at a later date.

3) Do the east coast baseball ballpark tour. Yankees, Mets, Orioles, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Nationals

4) Visit the Badlands and Mount Rushmore

5) Finish that damn screenplay!

6) See a Cubs game.

7) Make an effort to be more involved in the work being done to treat and cure spasmodic dysphonia.

8 ) Get tickets to the Olympic Winter games in Vancouver for 2010.

Happy New Year!