Looking Back & Forward...

Reflecting on 2010...
1. Continued to reduce my debt load.
2. Improved overall health and diet.

Alas! Neither were not done with sufficient vigor, IMO.

Goals for 2011:
1. Continue and accelerate good trends from 2010.
2. Get my home in order and presentable for guests at all times... (ugh, that's a lot of work ahead)
3. Building on #2, get drum room finished and drum chops honed to bad-assery.
4. Obtain a fine-ass wench of a wife to screw to exhaustion every evening.
5. Become a decent if not damned-good shot with firearms.
6. Become more fearless in attacking life and its obstacles.
7. Get physically-fit and ripped.
8. Drink less.

9. (Most important) become a better Christian. Be more loving, more giving and more forgiving.

Tall order, but very if not easily do-able if I actually apply myself.

Wish me luck.

Embracing Misery

There's something to be said for it. Like enjoying how the sweat pours from your pores on a sweltering night. Delighting in the way your belly growls to be filled.

Because when the relief finally comes, it's all the more sweeter.

Screw the AC. If I can sweat out some more bacon grease, all the better. And the bastardized Manhattan I made helps the time pass that much quicker.

The Downside of Being a Smart-Ass All The Time...

... folks don't take you serious when you ARE serious.

Kind of a bummer.

I'm just too much of a creature of habit to change, I guess.a

He's a FUNNY God.

Last week, I was trying to get inside my house. My deadbolt lock on my side door was sticking. Now I have a front door, but there's a chair in the way of it opening very far so it's a pain to open and get through.

So there I was, jiggling the lock and trying to open it. It wasn't budging. I broke a key off in the lock a few years back so I'm very wary of trying to force locks.

Jiggled the key, shook the doorknob. Nada.

I rolled my eyes skyward and asked Him something flippant like "Can I get a little help here?" (I am a little bashful in admitting my prayers aren't nearly as formal as I would like.)

The very next TINY twist of my wrist opened the door.

Too funny. I think I laughed out loud too.

I thanked Him and went to get my toolkit to disassemble the lock and lube it good with graphite. Now it works great. (And it occurs to me I need to do the front door too.)

Coincidence? Luck? Maybe. But it's awfully strange to me that it didn't happen with all my efforts, even after I got a little frustrated.

I asked Him for help and I believe He helped me out, even in such a small thing.

He's a kindly God. Even to those of us that are far less than perfect in our observances.

A Jerk In Progress Part I

(Hey, if Nate can use Neil Peart quotes for his blog posts, so can I!)

So I'm getting started with some much-needed improvements in my life, instigated somewhat by recent jarring events.

I've been tearing down the painted-over paneling on the walls of my house. I don't call it a "home" yet since I'm not really comfortable here, despite the fact that I've lived here for 3 years this August. I've done almost nothing to make the house my own. But that's changing, albeit too slowly.

I've been tearing down the paneling, breaking the thermostat, replacing said thermostat, electrocuting myself on naked wires and putting holes in my hands from protruding nails and jagged edges of wood and pressboard.

So now I have all of this ugly, naked drywall with splotches of brownish, plaster-ish stuff that "glued" the paneling to the drywall in my hallway and living room... so "mudding" and sanding and painting are soon to come. Lots and lots of work to do... such as Ethernet wiring, replacing the kitchen tile, lots of painting, maybe some furniture construction (esp. after this afternoon!).

It seems overwhelming to think of THE BIG PICTURE, but "one day at a time" I guess. Far too long overdue, too.

I reckon if I can just prevent me from doing more damage to the furniture, I think I might be okay...