Returning the Favor and other Slices of Life

Returning the Favor
Returning the Favor
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Saturday, December 29, 2007

Resolutions

And not for the new TV I plan to buy this year (although I think I've decided on a 42" 720p HD flat screen. Still debating Plasma v. LCD, so I welcome input re:video games on different platforms, things like that). There are things I need to focus on this year to make myself happier and healthier, and hopefully putting them out there for the world to see will help me stick to them.

1) Get my weight down to my goal weight of 190 lbs. I put on some weight after Vegas, so I tipped the scales today at 220lbs. Still a helluva year health-wise, and I did manage to get my ass off the couch and do a quick 5-mile ride around the neighborhood, but I've gotta get back into the habit of paying attention to what I eat and exercising religiously.

2) Ride a metric century. A 100kM ride isn't out of the question for me, and hopefully I can manage on before mid-year.

3) Ride a total of 1,000 miles on the road. Miles on the exercise bike don't count, so I'm going to have to hammer a little bit to make this one, but it's worth it. Riding again today reminded me how free I feel when I'm on the bike, and how truly zen riding can be. God, what a hippie.

4) Be a profitable poker player. 2007 will go down as my first losing year, and it was ugly. A horrible run this summer decimated my bankroll, and it was only by the graces of PokerWorks and PokerNews that I was able to play at all the latter half of the year, much less go to Vegas. I finished out the year with a small win at last night's home game, and I'll be returning to the scene of my first going broke of 2007 early next week, so hopefully I can leave BadBlood's house with money this time, instead of giving it all to Otis and The Mark. Note to self - if you are out of position against both of them, having position on G-Rob doesn't help.

5) Take more trips with my wife. We had a bet on who would lose the most weight in 2007, and whoever won got to pick all our 2008 vacations. I won by a 3:1 margin, and decided that instead of a big vacation we'll be taking lots of short trips. Our trip to Kentucky for her high school reunion was really neat, and I love taking her new places. So keep an eye peeled for the Falstaff family in a location near you! Our only currently booked travels together are Vegas in December and Boston the weekend of May 18th, for my niece's graduate school commencement. Then there's Merlefest in April, which certain among you must sack up and join us for! It's the best boogie east of the Rockies, and if you can't get to Telluride, you have to come to Merlefest.

6) Write more real stories. Folks like Pauly, Otis and Mrs. Otis are constant inspirations in their writing. They put fingers to keyboards in ways that continue to amaze me. I have put out some decent prose from time to time, but I want to focus on writing more real stories, rather than just my normal banality. Rooster left me a really great compliment on a recent post about my family, and I want to share more of their stories. It's going to require focus, which is something I'm trying to acquire.

7) Beat Guitar Hero on Hard. I'm almost through the game on Medium, and it's tough, so I kinda dread stepping up to the next level, but it's fun to have a challenging game again.

Seven's a good number. If I come up with more things I want to accomplish this year, I'll put them down. Hope all of you find as much success in 2008 as you can ever dream of!

Thanks for stopping by. I don't say that often enough, but it means a lot to me that people actually swing through my little corner of the world and read my drivel. So thanks.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey J -

Give me a shout before you come to Boston. Let me know if there is something/someplace you really would like to do and I will try my best to make it happen.

At the very least I'd like to have you over to my place for dinner (we are a scant 9 miles as the googlemap flies) from Boston downtown.

Student of Life said...

Thank you for the writing compliment. Most days I turn out nothing but useless drivel. Good luck on your resolutions. I share many of the same goals for 2008. Go kick some butt.

BamBam said...

I don't think you need to be so hard on yourself Falstaff!

I think it's some of the best drivel going !
(as far as drivel goes that is)

;o}

Astin said...

Head to Toronto in February. Be a man and take the cold! Or don't... whatever.

Personally, I've always been more of an LCD fan myself. Ghosting and timing issues have been handled well in recent years, and they have a longer shelf-life than plasma. My mentality is that there's a reason plasma is cheaper.

Of course, I have a high-def CRT TV, but they don't come bigger than 36 or 37", and weigh 180lbs.

Totally hear you on riding being zen. It's a big regret of mine moving downtown, because I hate riding on busy roads.

Guitar Hero - finish medium, go back and try to 5-star everything. By the time you try hard, it will seem challenging, but not impossible. Medium will be boring by then.

Anonymous said...

Good luck with Guitar Hero on hard! My advice; if you find tricky parts you cant get through inside, say, three goes, then take it to the Practice room. Playing the same tricky part 5 times in practice makes it a lot easier!

Good luck with your other resolutions, especially the return to profitability!