I’ve done a lot of thinking (mostly due to The Walking Dead series) and if a zombie apocalypse occurs I call on you to gather all your guns, food, water, and supplies and meet me at that Ashley furniture place in Plover next to the Wal-Mart. We’ll board it up, use the tower as a snipers nest, steal our food from Wal-Mart, grab any needed hardware from Lowes, clothes from Kohl’s, and keep the cats and dogs fed with Petco supplies. Throw in some solar energy panels and I think it might just work!
That was my biggest daydream in the cold turd soup that was 2011. But it's a Moo point now... as some would say... a cow's opinion, because it’s 2012 now bitches! The end is here!!!!! The zombies are on their way, Wall Street and Main Street are on fire, the Moon is on a collision course with Earth, and little green men just shoved a probe up your!!!... but more importantly, since we’re all doomed to hell on earth, remember to cherish your friends and family just a little bit more this year. Shit, and I was going to build a fallout shelter last summer...
You’d think since I only completed 4 of last year’s resolutions (and half completed another 4), that I might make a shorter list this year. Well fuck that! I’m a go-getter, driven and confident and such, like you read about. No seriously! I am... for today at least. And this year I don’t have the albatross of a cell phone company ruining my life. Still, I’m happy with the accomplishments I reached in 2011, even if most of them were not on my list. Here’s a rundown of last year:
2011 New Year’s Resolution List:
1. Movie Script: I didn’t complete one like I was supposed to, but I did add about 6 pages to a started script, and started a third script.
2. Perform a Marriage Ceremony: Check bitches! What I meant to say was… yes I performed an elegant ceremony for Steven and Kristin Stilp at Olbrich Gardens in Madison. It was a very nice event, and I was happy to be a part of it. I don’t know two better people than Steven and Kristin…
(check bitches)
3. Replace Basement Pipes: I replaced about 45 ft of pipes in the basement, this is well over half of the pipes down there, and takes care of 4 major leaks. Sadly, it caused another major leak due to poor pipe construction by the previous owner. I will end up fixing this issue in 2012 but did not add it to the resolution list.
4. Blog at least twice a month: I only blogged about 6 times in 2012, but I really want to blog more often. I will add it to the 2012 list.
5. Complete Pregnant Hillbillies: Well I did zero work on PH this year, and Tracy has been incredible in getting me all of the drawings! I’ll kick this one forward to 2012.
6. Gardening: Farmville scmarmville, check this one off the list! The tomato crop was wonderful this year, and I am hoping the strawberry patch takes off in 2012. I will certainly garden in 2012, but no need to throw it on the new list.
7. Brew 20 gallons of beer: I brewed about 10 gallons on my own, and helped in the bottling and brewing process with batches at Matt’s and Jerome’s which accounted for another 20 gallons. I’m calling it a victory!
8. Lose 35 lbs: Well I was down about 15 lbs after a good start in January, but all was gained back. I will revamp this plan and add it to 2012.
9. Build a Cat/Tree House: Nope… not even close. This doesn’t make it onto the 2012 list, but I really do want to build one someday.
10. Cover Art for Globe Comic: I will do you one better, Roger found an awesome artist named Mick, and Mick has already inked several pages. He should have the cover done shortly, and the full book done by August. You will see Globe make an appearance on the 2012 list as well.
11. Spend 3 nights in a row not at home: Such a weird item to have on my list, but if you know me, you know I hate sleeping in any bed that isn't mine. I didn’t complete this one, however I did spend 2 consecutive nights out of town, and several single nights out, I just never fit in a 3 night stay. It will happen in 2012 though!
12. Read 3 books: This was the least likely to be completed… and of course I failed. I did start one book, I think I’m on page 14 of Andre Agassi’s biography. Sadness washed over the Dude…
Not on the 2011 List:
1. I disc golfed over 800 holes in 2011 including a 100 hole day with Rod and Terry.
2. I found a new job at Delta Dental slashing my daily commute in half, reducing my work hours by 16 a month, cutting work related stress down to nearly zero, adding health insurance, dental insurance, and a pension, and after all of that I’ll still be pulling in more money than I made at Solarus.
3. I got my bro out of town for a night, to a Matt Kenseth signing, out discing once, out to a few movies, helped facilitate him having Justin up for a weekend, got him out to a Brewers Game, had two movie nights in his new basement living room, completed most work on his basement pad, and might have gotten him hooked on some gaming.
4. We had a very successful year of Trivia, as a team we took 25th place (our first top 30 finish) and personally, my Stone Team was the first car to collect at every stone (no other cars were even in sight when we collected our stamps, we were just that good).
5. I took 2 trips to Goodwill, 4 trips to cardboard recycling, and 1 trip to the dump to get rid of crap from the house.
6. Dan and I added a 30 ft planter box to the side of the garage.
7. I helped Rod build a grooming area for Lora in their basement and distributed some of her business cards.
8. I helped Mandy build two walls and hang two doors in her basement to create a living space for her roommate.
9. I helped my mother begin work on their main bathroom remodel.
10. I created an entirely new card game called Bring Out Your Dead that I am really excited about, all the rules and cards are written, just need to get the artwork done.
11. I built a cat bathroom in my basement to help contain their stank.
12. I wrote Episode 2 of Globe with Roger and had a Skype meeting with Mick.
13. I took batting practice at Witter Field with Derrick, Mark, Nick, Terrance, and Carrie. Easily one of the biggest highlights of the year.
14. I wired new electrical outlets throughout the basement to relieve some circuit issues.
15. I wrote a kick ass personals ad receiving hundreds of responses.
16. I’m probably forgetting several other decent things, but my Yes to No ratio was easily 5 to 1, and I am very proud of that.
And finally, the 12 things I expect to do this year...
New Year’s Resolution 2012:
1. Write at least 1 blog post every month. Yes this is one less per month than last year’s goal, but it only doubles what I’ve done already, so it feels like the right number. Eventually I would like to blog weekly.
2. Join a fitness club and go no less than twice a week, also go vegetarian for 2 full weeks. I really like the idea of going vegetarian for a few weeks (this one is inspired by Derrick and Sherre, and I may need some help with it). I think it will challenge me as a chef, and teach me a few new healthy meals. Also I need to put fitness in the forefront of my life, so instead of setting arbitrary weight loss goals, let’s just work out.
3. Three Home Projects, Basement Paint, Basement Floor, Bathroom Counter. Home projects are game changers! Completing another basement room means I have more storage to reduce clutter, and a nicer basement to attract new roommates. A new bathroom counter is the start of redoing a bathroom that thoroughly needs it, and I’d like to create my own tile bathroom counter, so it will challenge me artistically as well.
4. Get 4 massages and take 4 car loads of stuff to Goodwill. I needed a few softballs in my lineup, and this is a split. Four massages seems easy, but it will improve my overall state of relaxation, and I think that is very important. Four carloads of stuff to Goodwill is much tougher, but the reduced clutter will help create a better home life.
5. Use 5000 lights for Christmas decorating. Softball? Maybe… but 5000 lights is double my best Christmas lighting year at the house and this year I only used about 1000 lights. This should give me an attainable creative goal in the early winter months. Also, my house has the saddest Christmas lights on my street... time to show them who's Tony.
6. Get 6 members of the family to stay overnight in Point. This goal isn’t easy. My family is fucked up beyond repair, but it would be great to have some family members up, and have a nice old fashioned family vacation style night with the cousins and aunts and uncles…
7. Spend 7 nights out of town, represent The Globe at Comicon, and spend nights at both Kristeve’s house and Roger’s house. So Comicon is the big one, that’s 3 nights out of town minimum, but I haven’t stayed over much at Kristin and Steve’s, and still haven’t seen Roger’s house or kiddo. Now, with that said, I haven’t seen Katharine and Drew in ages, or Laura, or Derrick’s new baby boy, or the Felder’s house… that list could go on for a while. Let’s start with these and see if we can get further.
8. Finish 8 things I’ve started, including Pregnant Hillbillies and Bring Out Your Dead. I am a brilliant idea man, but I rarely finish anything. It’s time to start.
9. Go on 9 dates and stop being overly cautious with my dating choices. Well it’s true, I am way too cautious… it’s time to open up a bit, see what the world brings me.
10. Throw 1000 holes of Disc Golf in at least 10 months of the year. I was so very close this year, and now with more vacation and less overtime I think I can achieve this goal.
11. Save $1100 from intuitive cost changes. This one is right in my wheelhouse, and I will report my savings to you and maybe inspire you to do the same. I will be starting with my homeowner’s insurance, assholes jacked up my rates for next year by 200 bucks!
12. Do 12 major things with my bro. I enjoy spending time with my bro, so this one would probably happen even if it weren’t on my New Year’s Resolution list… but I want to get him out to a few major events if we can find the right timing.
So there it is… a list including 9 areas of wellness meant to keep me active in all four seasons. She’s gonna be a tough one, but I’ve got a few more months before the world ends. And hey, if you want to help out with anything on this list, I would love to have you… and if you need help with yours, just ask.
