Realize parenting potential
I want to be a great father, the kind of dad I always wish I'd been born to. My ultimate goal is to raise my daughter to be an independent critical thinker and the type of creative person who can become anything she wants to be.
As my Aunt Althea told me before my daughter was born, "there are a million ways to raise a child - none of them are wrong". I hope to find the way that's best for Edie through a combination of research and experimentation in the laboratory of life.
Actualize projects
I have a boatload of projects on the horizon at work, at home, and on the side that need very special attention this year. I need to utilize my full organizational workflow skills to realize, manage, and optimize them all.
Photo 365
Take at least one photo and post it each day.
Build a creative hive at home
Our house is a handcrafted 1930s gem. We're using it at about 60% of capacity right now and that needs to change. Specifically I want to 1) get the lawn & gardens into top shape, 2) reorganize the office / guest room, 3) build out my downstairs atelier, and 4) organize the garage workspace.
Lift heavy things, ride bikes, run
I've been trying to become a fit person for over 5 years, after years of abuse and neglect of my physical body. I have a pattern where I start strong, create healthy habits, work up to a good place with my fitness and then abruptly backslide into a sedentary lifestyle. The past year has been particularly hard on my body. I went from being in good conditioning in mid-2009 to almost 40 lbs heavier today.
I desperately need to get my fitness regimen going again. This year I'm taking a multi-pronged approach involving strength training, cycling, walking and running. The only rule is that I can't go more than one day without a training session.
Construct a personal cuisine
Over the years I've become adept in a number of kitchen techniques and cooking styles. This year I want to start focusing on building a cuisine of my own. My goal is to use elements of my personal and family histories, along with the abundance of amazing seasonal ingredients New Orleans has to offer to create a delicious and healthy cuisine.
Emphasize the real, minimize the virtual
This year I took a social media fast in the month of October and it produced one of the most creative periods I've ever experienced. The big lesson learned is that our lives are out of balance due to the social mediation that is filling our time. I aim to turn the tide on this one in a big way in 2011. First I'm giving up personal Social Media again, this time for lent. Secondly I'm going to tightly control my surfing and online habits. Which leads me to...
Watch more films, read better books, attend more exhibits, listen to great music
This one is simple; I need to make more time for culture and the arts. I'm a better person when I surround myself with great works. The web doesn't cut it on this one.
Kill this blog
I've been writing things here for almost six years now. It's been one of the most productive & turbulent times of my life and I'm so glad to have it as a document. Something feels out of whack here though, and I'm still not quite sure what it is. Maybe it's the fact that I rarely do long form writing here or my overall dispassion with the web has carried over to blogs in general. Either way I'm ready to move on. It's been a long time coming.