10 For 2025: 2nd Quarter Update

 1. Look, I've been saying it for years now, but this has to be the year of Book 4. It's grinding away, little by little but at minimum, I'm going to get this damn thing into a workable draft format this year. If I'm very lucky and write very well, I might be into revisions by the end of the year and beating into shape for a final draft and a release. I have no idea why this is taking so long. I have no excuses to offer. I just really, really want to get this- at a minimum- closer to the finish line this year. 

I sat on Book 4 for the majority of the first quarter and I'm breaking back into it now. I think I have a better handle on where I'd like to take it, but it remains a work in progress!

2. Let's Get Some Vinyl: I finally got another tattoo and will probably get another at some point this year, but I really want this year to be the year I expand and actually use/listen to our vinyl collection more. We need more storage for it and I'd like to make purchases from our local store and find some place other than Amazon to snag more records for our collection.

I'm going to call this one completed. I ordered a Joy Division album off Amazon, and there was either something wrong with my needle or something wrong with my album and I got immediately annoyed, returned it immediately, and snuck down to the local record shop to get a replacement (and a sneaky bonus album). So I'm calling this one done!

3. Social Connection: I want to work on being more present when I'm not at work (which has been a lot lately) and start reconnecting with old friends and making new ones with the Missus. I'm going to pull the more noxious social media off my phone so it's not constantly in my pocket. We've also got a 13 year old now, so it'd be nice if the Missus and I can sneak out to eat at some of the places around town we've often wanted to check out. 

We have been outside more. The Missus and I had an actual date night (bribing the Eldest Spawn with some babysitting money). We are out and about more. Less connection with my phone is a work in progress. New friends are always welcome and I do need to make an effort to stay connected with old ones. Work in progress here, but I think I'm inclined to give myself partial credit at this point.

4. Semi-Professional Development: Some of this will just happen through the course of things at work, but I want to be more intentional and active about it. (2-3 classes/trainings) but what I really want to do this year is get into AI and more importantly, understand how to use it properly- so far, I've only nibbled around the edges of it and I have a feeling it's going to be increasingly important going forward on a variety of fronts.

2-day class in July got bumped thanks to our biennial staffing crisis at work (really hoping this time we can make it an Albertville/Lillehammer deal and turn it into a quadrennial staffing crisis, lol), but the one for October is still pencilled in. I have been thinking a lot about possibilities outside of my current position, and at the very least, if no moves are made, I am at least heartened by the possibility that there are moves to be made at all! Seriously: I have felt, now and again over the years, very trapped and stuck, and going and looking and finding the possibilities out there has changed my mindset in many different ways. I don't know if a career move is imminent or not, but I like knowing that if I wanted to, I could.

More classes and trainings are always a possibility-- Chat GPT has sort of become my new Google (whether that's the best use for it, I don't know.) But I would say I've made moves on this front. Partial credit for sure!

5. Financial Health: A month or two ago, we sketched out a rough financial road map for 2025. I want to stick to it as much as possible, work on finding the best budgetary practices for ourselves, and keep our communication active and frequent with it comes to the budget. (TL;DR: previously how we handled our finances could be charitably described as 'a bit slapdash'. I'm hoping planning and structure will help change that somewhat.)

Still a work in progress-- I did a little retrenchment with the start of the new fiscal year, but I think open communication and sticking to meal planning will help move the needle here. It's the little things that have been tripping me up-- things like vet visits for pets-- the things you've got to do but tend to forget about until it's time to schedule. So I want to work on planning and communication and see how we do. I think this is one of those things that if we keep chipping away at it, we can get to a better place. 

6. Health: Get back on the Intermittent Fasting and stick with it, treadmill for at least 30 minutes three times a week, kettlebell/Bowflex at least two times a week, find a Yoga routine to unlock my hips and do that daily, if possible, once a week at minimum. 

Need to find a groove to get on a treadmill on a more regular basis and start eating more intentionally and less randomly-- but I did get a ruck vest and it's awesome. I have switched to barefoot/minimal shoes and they're awesome. If I can nudge regular workouts into a habit and not an afterthought, we might be getting somewhere. 

7. House Improvement Projects: Shelf for the Kid's Room, Workout Area Downstairs, and Built-In Bookshelves, Luxury Vinyl in the Bedroom and a Bedroom Overhaul. (There will probably be other stuff too, but those are the big four I'm starting with for now.)

Shelf: Let's make this happen THIS MONTH. (Because the damn thing still hasn't been hung yet.)

Workout Area Downstairs: We just need to move the bowflex out there and we should be able to call this good. A massive cleanout of clutter from the basement has also happened.

Built-Ins: Still a dream, but we've got the table saw now, so it has inched a little closer.

Bedroom: On the radar, nothing concrete planned yet. (We do need a new door for the bathroom, though and that might happen this month!)

Deck stain: Completed!

8. Duolingo: At some point last year, I decided to go all in on French and that's what I did. Medium Spawn has also started on Duolingo and since he's doing Spanish, I'm going to make 2025 My Year of Spanish and I'm hoping to get to a 1300-day streak. 

As of this writing, I am on a 1241-day streak in Spanish and going strong heading for 1300 days!

9. Reading: I didn't hit 40 on my Goodreads for 2024, so I think I'm going to take another run at 40 this year. Here's the Official TBR List for 2025, if you want to follow along.

Right now, I am at 17 books and 43% of my way to my goal. I'm getting close on books #18 and #19 and am hoping to get those completed this month. 

10. The Annual Control Resolution: Have A List of New Year's Resolutions! (Thus, ensuring that I'm not a complete failure at this!)

Check! As usual, I am guaranteed at least a 10% success rate on the year!

(If I'm doing the math right-- always debatable, I am on track for a 30% success rate at minimum. It could go as high as 50% as of right now. Which isn't bad...)