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Wednesday, December 31, 2008

So long and thanks for all the fish!!!

Obviously I'm a fan of the Hitchhiker's Guide series.

I'm not actually blogging today about these wonderful books, but merely here to give a final farewell to 2008.

What a year a it's been. Between having two vehicles needing major work (and one needs to be redone because the dealership *cough cough CARTER SUBARU cough cough* really screwed up the car and won't do anything about it) and seeing the value of our condo drop significantly (fortunately it's still worth more than our loan but not by much) and the remodel work we have done to our condo and various trips to the middle of the state (which is not any better than being left in the middle of the desert) to see my dad and other family, it's been an expensive year for us.

The additional strain to our debt has done little for the moral at casa de kilted one, but we have trudged through and made the best of it. We have a plan in place for the new year and our debt reduction and lifestyle changes as well.

Those changes are more excercise. Not just with home programs either, but getting out on our bikes more and more time walking with the dog and being outside. More trips to REI to climb the pinacle.

Definately healthier eating. We have been better about what we eat, but like everyone we do have our lapses. Just love going to Dick's Drive In for two Deluxe, fries and a shake. I certainly don't hide the fact that I love meat.

I do like seafood. I think I will make a habit of making more seafood dishes. I especially love shellfish but that can get a bit costly.

I have had some inspiration for some other things that I would like to accomplish this next year. In 2007 the Paisley wife and I worked on an indie film named The Book of Zombie. Shortly after wrapping on the principal production I had this very vivid dream ( a feat amazing in itself since I NEVER remember my dreams) and started working on some character developement and a treatement for a short story that could hopefully be turned into a short film. I would actually like to finish that treatment and get it to a friend of ours for review and some polishing. I value his opinion as someone who works in the media and as someone that would like to see his own short stories turned into an indie film or better. He also worked on the movie with us.

At the same time the idea of this treatment has given me ideas for a childrens book. Don't ask how the two relate to each other (since they don't) but I really want to make that work. I must also give some credit to Militant Ginger and his leap into a writers career for some subliminal pushes on making this happen. Although I think he has more experiance. Still, if I try and fail then I've still succeeded.

Declutter. That is so high on the list. I really need to just start getting rid of the things in my home and my life that take up space and have no use. It's hard sometimes though when it has a personal meaning. It's good to have an objective look (wife) at things to help me get rid of this clutter that doesn't benefit my life in the here and now. Family. Obviously this is pretty important. Continue with my kids and their interests. Unlike most divorced parents, my kids are with us every Friday to Monday and at thier mom's place Tuesday to Thursday and one weekend a month.

My daughter really surprised my wife and I this year by signing up for a Japanese class. That is a pretty difficult language. I played it safe and took 6 years of French. Of course there are really no French people in the Northwest that I know of so my language skills have greatly diminished. I can still make some basic converstational talk (minimally though) and insult you and ask for sex. The things people retain.

The daughter (with the introverted personality) also ended up in an acting class. Who knew? She says it was a mistake and that she ended up there becuase what she really wanted was gone. She really likes it though and I think she's gotten a lot out of it.

The son continues to be ......... well it's hard to describe him. He's pretty smart, but most of the advanced placement classes are still too easy for him. He continues with his guitar. Self taught and doing very well. Although his guitar has been a royal pain in his arse. It was a hand me down from his aunt and needed fixing or repairing more often than not. Well he has saved his money since October and I took him out to the music store yesterday where he purched (with his own cash, thank you very much) his first NEW Ibanez RG series guitar. He really wanted to put more money in savings and spend less on a guitar since he has decided he wants to attend and arts college of some kind. This really was a minimal expenditure in his future even if he did only have $5 left after buying his guitar. He's young and has plenty of time to save for an education at Cornish. No joke. He really wants to get in there. Do they take grunge/emo kids?

This next year I'd like to make sure that I'm involved again in the non profit organisations through my office again. I did that this past fall and really enjoyed it. Now that I've done it once I think I could be of more use the second time around.
Work. This is a tough one. I really like what I do. I help make sure that the disabled have the appropriate accomodations and needs met on our cruise ships. I like doing that. The pay is shit. Do I continue to help these folks or take the capitalist way out and look for something with more money? I'm morally torn. I like money and it's a necessary evil, but it's not what drives me.

Work Pt II. Having worked on that indie film has made me want to go back to school and get minimally an AA in communications so that I can get a job in the media industry. I don't really care if it's with a small production company or a big studio. My goal this year is to find some weekend work (paid preferred) with a local production company doing anything that will get me some experiance in the industry.

Of course more involvment with the local BMWCCA chapter is something that I'd like to do. Participate in some of the weekend drives or the workshops. Get back to the annual picnic this year.

I'm sure that there's more I'd like to achieve this next year, but I don't want to be overly ambitious, so that will bring me to a closing point.

I'd like to thank everyone that read my pointless ramblings throughout the year and hopefully I can be more attentive to it in the new year and that it will help me become the better writer that I need to be in order to achieve two of my goals.

Have a safe and prosperous new year everyone. Peace and good kharma to all in 2009.



The Kilted one.

1 comment:

Dave2 said...

Dicks! That brings back memories! Alas, I've been Dickless since I became a vegetarian in 1986.

Ummm... wait a second...

Happy New Year!