Revenge of the Gamer

My last entry went over the goals and highlights of 2009.   Now that I’ve spent time reflecting on past accomplishments its time to put together new goals.  Last year I accomplished a lot, and 2010 will be even better.  So without further ado here’s the list:

2010 Goals

• Lose 50 pounds
• Get in good enough shape to do rock climbing
• Get back into paintball
• Finish and submit The Bond of Jhordil
• Finish and submit 12 original short stories
• Learn how to use my expensive new camera
• Visit Yosemite
• Find a Gamer Chica who makes my blood boil and my heart sing
• Add $200 a month to my savings
• Pay my car loan down to $3000
• Be nicer to myself

 

Goal #1- Lose 50 lbs

This one doesn’t need much explanation.  I need to drop fifty pounds and I plan to do it in 2010.  I’ve created a page on this site to track my progress, complete with monthly pictures and weekly updates. 

To accomplish my goal I’ll be going to the gym seven days a week.  As of this writing I’ve been every day since January 1st.  I’ve also signed up for Weight Watchers online, which has worked well for me in the past.  Hopefully between the two I’ll see the results I’m looking for.

 

Goal #2- Get in good enough shape to go rock climbing 

When I was a kid I lived in Scottsdale, Arizona for a few years.  My father took my brother and I out to climb the rocks up to the caves that Navajo ancestors used to use.  I was fascinated by them, and ever since I’ve wanted to take a trip to see the Anasazi caves in the southwest.  For those not familiar Anasazi means ‘Ancient Enemy’ in Navajo.  You can imagine how that fired my imagination as a kid. 

Fat people and rock climbing do not mix, so in addition to losing the weight I need to pack on the muscle.  To do this I’ve decided to hire a personal trainer to kick my ass three times a week.  By this summer I want to be able to scale the massive rocks like this one, at a place called Goat Rock on the northern California coast.

 

Goal #3- Get back into paintball

I love paintball.  LOVE it.  It’s the only sport I’ve ever excelled at, and when I was playing it gave me motivation to stay in shape.  Every weekend I’d come home covered in purple and yellow bruises, but I wore them like badges of honor.  Every one of them was hard earned, and I gave far better than I got. 

I still remember the game when Trevor and I drove up  the field gunning down opponents.  We snagged the flag and brought it back while still under fire.  Effectively we won the game with just the two of us.  It was a hell of a day.

I have all the gear to get back into the game.  All I need to do is lose some weight, so if I hit goal number one and two this should be a snap.

 

Goal #4- Finish and submit The Bond of Jhordil

I’ve been working on my first wholly original novel since October.  I completed the first draft in November, and am 45% through the second draft.  I want to finish the 2nd draft by the end of February, and the third by the end of July. 

After that I’ll shelve it for three months so its not as fresh in my mind, and then I’ll give it one final revision.  By November I want to submit it to Tor Books. 

Of my goals this is the single most important, and also the one I am most sure I will definitely accomplish.  Writing has become a daily task over the last ten months, and now I don’t even think about it.  I just do it.  Now if I can just get Tor to publish the thing…

 

Goal #5- Write and submit 12 short stories

Finishing the novel is a must, but I also want to get my name out there and the best way to do that is with short stories.  I have a billion and five ideas rolling around in my head, so this goal should be easy to meet as well.  I just need to take breaks from the novel, and use that time to finish stories.

The added bonus is that every short story that’s accepted pays me at least $60.  Some sell for as much as $200.  Every time I get a check for my writing it fills me with pride, and motivates me to keep trying.  All the more reason to submit as many as possible!

 

Goal #6- Learn how to use my expensive new camera

Last Sunday I went to the coast to do some hiking, and much to my surprise I saw an eagle.  I named my new eagle buddy Fred, which has no bearing on this goal but hopefully made you snicker.  Anyway Fred flew low over my head, and passed within about twenty feet of me.  It was surreal and I desperately tried to snatch a picture of him.  Unfortunately my iPhone just isn’t fast enough, and all I got was a black blur.

I decided right then that I never wanted to lose an opporunity like that again, so when I got home I started camera shopping.  Amazon was having a special on the Cannon Digital Rebel, which is a beautiful entry level professional camera.  I have no idea how to use it, but this year I want to start exploring photography and see if I can learn to take some amazing pictures.  

Being that I run a blog and live in one of the most beautiful areas of the world I figured it would be pretty handy!  From Yosemite to Armstrong woods to the California coast to Lake Tahoe we have it all.  I want to capture some of that beauty, and I finally have a camera that can do it.  

 

Goal #7- Visit Yosemite  

I haven’t been back to Yosemite since I was married, which was nearly ten years ago.  I have some very fond memories of the trip.  Half Dome, El Capitan and the sprawling forests are amazing.  Now that I have my shiny new camera, I want to use it to capture that magnificence, and I want to do it from the top of El Capitan which I’ve never been brave enough to climb before.  

 

Goal #8- Find a gamer chica who makes my heart sing  

What I’m looking for is as rare as a unicorn and as ephemeral as a rainbow.  I want a pretty gamer chick, who lives in Northern California and isn’t batshit insane.  I’ve met many pretty gamer chicks over the years, but most suffer from one of three problems.  They don’t live anywhere near me, they’re crazy and have a vortex of drama spinning around them or they’re already taken.  

I’m not really sure where to look, but I gather they’ve come out with Gamer Geek dating websites so that’s probably a good place to start.  I should get set up on Yahoo Personals, and post a good picture of me.  The ones I have now don’t show me in the best light, that’s for sure.  Of course getting in shape will help, so if I can accomplish that it will provide a better picture automatically!  

I also have a ton of friends that are pestering me to go on blind dates.  I suppose I could try that as well, the thing is I’m really picky.  I want someone who understands me, and that’s not a common thing.  I’m not looking for a mainstream chick who spends her time shopping for shoes and watching Grey’s Anatomy.  I want one who’s impressed by my arena rating in WoW, and who’d be excited to play in my Exalted campaign.  

 

Goal #9- Add $200 a month to my savings  

My savings took a massive hit over the last three years.  The good news is that I bought everything from a new 42″ TV to a top of the line computer I custom built, complete with a gorgeous 26″ monitor.  I flew up to Oregon to see Megan, and she showed me around Portland which was an absolute blast (thanks Megan!).  There was the move into the new place, a new laptop, a trip to Atlanta and a billion other things I’m probably forgetting.  

The long and short of things is that this year I need to start adding to my savings again.  I’ve recently gotten a raise at work, and since I’m dieting am spending a ton less on food.  That gives me about $300 exta each month so I figured I’d put $200 into savings, and the other $100 into paying down my car which leads me to…  

 

Goal #10- Pay my car under $3000 this year  

When I first got my car in 2005 it was at a 23.9% rate of interest.  The payment was around $400 and very little of that was paying down the principle.  That was just over four years ago, and while I was able to get the interest rate down to 4.99% I’m mightily tired of having a car payment.  

This year I’m throwing every spare penny at the loan.  I owe about $6500 on the car, and I want to get it under $3000 this year.  That would allow me to pay it off in 2011, and as the car only has 30,000 miles on it I’ll have a nice car that I actually OWN.   

The car is my only form of debt, so paying it off means that I am completely debt free.  I’ve got a blog entry queued on the evils of debt slavery, but I’ll give it the short version here.  The real measure of wealth is interest.  If you are paying interest you are poor.  If you are making interest off of your investments you are rich.  The first step to becoming rich is paying off all your debt.   

By 2011 I’ll have done that!  Add in the money I’ve got saved and I’m doing pretty well.  As of this year I finally have a positive net worth, and it will only grow from here on out!  

 

Goal #11- Be nicer to myself  

Being a perfectionist has its upsides.  I can accomplish things that many people would deem impossible, which feels really good when I pull it off.  But it also has a serious downside.  I’m never happy with my own accomplishments, and tend to shrug them off right after I finish them.  

To give an example of what I mean, last year I wrote Yuri Silvertongue & the Violet Spire.  It’s a good novel.  The dialogue is witty and it has a lot of high adventure.  Yet I bag on it constantly.  To me it just isn’t good enough, even though its my first novel and was written before I really understood how to tell a good story.  I hold myself to such a high standard that I expected it to be perfect, and because it wasn’t I’m disappointed.  

If you rewound time to a year ago and told me I’d complete a novel in 2009 I would have been ecstatic at the idea!  Yet now that I’ve done it my response is, “Meh, it could be better.”  I wish I knew why I was that way.  It is a major accomplishment, so why can’t I accept that?  Why do I need to critisize myself over my first attempt at a novel?  Shouldn’t the fact that I finished an entire novel, polished it and submitted it be a massive feather in my cap?  

It should.  I know it should.  My Zen practice teaches me that self-deprication is not only pointless, but damaging.  It’s ok to set high standards for myself, but I need to learn to give myself props for my accomplishments.  I’m holding yet another contract from Palladium Books for one of my stories.  I just cashed a $200 check for a story.  

That’s a hell of an accomplishment.  People are paying me money for my work.  So, Chris, bask in that for a little while.  Stop fretting over the next goal, and take a minute to celebrate your victories!  

Well, that sums up my goals for 2010.  It should be interesting to check my progress in twelve months time!