I've been in a bit of an introspective mood over the past week, thinking about how I haven't been able to exercise much creativity lately, and also about some resolutions I made for this year, among other things.

I thought I'd revisit them today and see where things stand, and where I would like them to be come December 31st this year. So here I go...

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My goals / resolutions for 2004

1. Get a decent job - as I suspected last year, the economy picked up steam this year, even if things are still on the slow side. It was a real struggle finding a job, to the point where I was planning on starting my own copywriting business if things didn't pan out. I really wanted to get another tech job though, and thankfully I did back in late June. So far things are going very well at work, and the job is both interesting and challenging. Can't ask for more than that :)

2. Do plenty of travelling with my wife - things have been pretty good on the travel front this year. We've made some small weekend trips to places like Bishop Hill, Illinois, and Madison, Wisconsin for Wiscon 2004 (SF convention), as well as the usual trips to Michigan to visit family and see the sights. Coming up in November we've got a week long trip to New Orleans planned to coincide with our wedding anniversary, and we're really looking forward to this one :) That's one place we've both wanted to go for quite some time (along with umpteen other destinations). We haven't made it to Canada thus far, but maybe next year? We also really want to have a holiday back in Australia sometime in the next couple of years...

3. Keep up my fiction writing efforts and stay motivated - after a New Year's burst of motivation and joining a wonderful critique group, things began to peter out near the end of May. Although I've managed to write a critique or two every week since joining the crit group, I haven't finished any new stories recently. Apparently having a day job impacted my writing more than I expected; then again, it shouldn't have been a surprise considering the fatigue I get from driving at least 3 hours every weekday in addition to working full-time!

My goal was for at least 12 new stories written this year, and so far I'm two-thirds of the way there with 8. As expected, I haven't done a thing on the novel! That thing is on permanent hold while I work on improving my writing chops :)

Hopefully all will go well with the closing for the house on Monday--living in the northwest suburbs of Chicago will cut my travel time down to a mere 20-30 minutes each way. I'm hoping that having an extra 10 hours free per week and not being so fatigued will translate into more writing and more stories. I intend to give it a damn good try, anyhow :)

4. Have some guitar lessons! - man, I still haven't gotten around to this! Ever since that Metallica/Godsmack concert the other week, I've been itching to get back into the guitar. Bands like this are the whole reason I've wanted to play the electric guitar since about the age of 15, but I didn't take the plunge and get one until mid-2002!

Motivation isn't so much the problem, so much as finding the time to practice. I need to get myself a guitar stand (so I don't leave the thing in its heavy-duty flight case all the time) and get practicing! Assuming I can find enough time, I should be able to go for lessons before 2004 draws to a close... Can anyone recommend a good electric guitar teacher in the northwest suburbs of Illinois?

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So there we have it! I don't seem to be doing too badly with my resolutions, but there is still more to be done.

Incidentally, this journal turns 1 year old a week from today! It seems like only yesterday I hoped to amuse and entertain, or at least not bore people to tears with my ramblings. Have I succeeded? You be the judge ;)

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I'll close this entry by saying my thoughts today are very much on that terrible day three years ago, when the world as we know it changed forever. My prayers go out to all the families and friends of the victims, and to those brave troops in Iraq (and elsewhere) and their families back home.

Lest we forget