Goals

I've already gone over what a blah year 2011 turned out to be, although that still puts it above 2010 which was just a bad year. It's time to look ahead. There are a lot of things I would like to accomplish over the next year, big and small:

-Move out of this town. I've been here for enough time and I need to stop fighting the long defeat. There is zero reason to remain here and I feel like I'm wasting away...mainly because I am.

-Get a car (I'm currently vehicularly-challenged).

-Date more. The loneliness is killing me.

-Do what I have wanted to do since grade 11: work in politics. I remember in 2008, I spent part of a day registering people to vote. Though that isn't exactly the kind of thing I want to do in the long run, it felt really good to get others at least somewhat engaged. Hopefully, when I end up moving, it's to a place where I can make some difference in politics. I actually have the idea of starting a PAC (political action committee) that would be dedicated to LGBT equality here in Virginia, but even if that ends up happening, it wouldn't happen for several years. Maybe this year, I'll lay the groundwork.

-More original content in my political blog. Too many times I have had writing ideas that ended up languishing in my brain until there was no point (in terms of the timing) in actually writing it. Strike while the iron is hot.

-Be more positive. I consider myself a realist, but that ends up reading as pessimism.

-Get fit enough to run at least six miles in a day. I think I almost got there once this year but something (legitimate, I promise) got in the way. This past year I got to where I could run 4.5 miles (which is 3 laps on this path on terrain), and I'm proud of that.

I guess the sum-total of all of this is to improve my own life as well as that of others. 

"What man is a man that does not make the world better?"

-Balian of Ibelin, Kingdom of Heaven

I hope everyone in Blogland has a great 2012...since the world is supposed to end and all :P

MyTunes Monday: Auf Achse

The Dark Knight Rises

In case you've been living under a rock and you haven't seen this trailer, here it is.

Seven months. At least that isn't as long as I have to wait for "The Hobbit," but that still feels like forever.

Photologue: White Christmas (From 2010)

Since this Christmas will apparently not be a white one around here like last year, I take a look back at some photos I took outside on Christmas 2010.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

A Christmas Present From Me To You

Sounds of the Season

I've inadvertently given some people the impression that I dislike Christmas music. This isn't true, well not exactly...

The Ugly:

Pretty much any version of any song done by any pop star or, even worse, when they did an original song by themselves. All of the pretty much sounds like garbage. This is the stuff that you''l hear while shopping at the mall among other places, which is probably another reason Christmas shopping sucks (that and you go freakin' broke). I can't stand this rubbish.

The Bad:

Ever since I played "Sleigh Ride" in grade school, I haven't liked that song. Part of that is because the French Horn part (which was my primary instrument) was awful and I had to play it multiple years. I guess I hold a grudge against that song. There is also "Baby It's Cold Outside." some time last year, I actually payed attention to the lyrics and came to the realization that this song is pretty much about date rape. She wants to leave and he won't let her. He's getting her drunk. She says "what's in this drink." I'm betting it was GHB. It just sounds creepy as all Hell.

The Good:

Most of the stuff I actually listen to willingly is classical/choral in nature. There is also some Christmas jazz albums that I like too from the days that I was REALLY into jazz. There was this version of "Greensleeves" from middle school that was absolutely beautiful. I would say that my favorite song would be "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." There is a version I have listened to since childhood that has this amazing organ solo (which is actually half of the song). A close second would be "We Three Kings." There is a great version of it by Mannheim Steamroller (wow, this paragraph just aged me about 20 years). Third Would be "Waltz of the Snowflakes" from The Nutcracker.

There actually is lots of great Christmas music out there, you just have to sift through all of the crappy stuff to find it.

Spreading Christmas Cheer

Gravity Rides Everything

When I was in high grade school, I had a physics teacher named Mr. Templeton. He was such an awesome teacher that I had him in grades 11 and 12 (physics then AP physics...even though I didn't need either of those classes). I loved the classes and the teacher, but all these years later, I don't remember much of the material. I remember that Force =Mass*Acceleration and that's about it.

There is, however, something I remember him telling us. I remember him saying that there were two points in a year where it is possible to balance an egg on-end without assistance from anything. It has something to do with the way gravity works. Those to points are the Summer and Winter Solstice (I don't know what the plural of that word is). I tried it the first time after he said that and managed to do it. For some reason I forgot about this for years...until this week. So earlier today, the Winter Solstice, I decided to give it a try and about 3 minutes later...

Now, if only I could parlay this into some money making venture.

Humour Files: Christmas Tip

Woof Wednesday: Christmas Cheer

The Hobbit (Trailer)

I totally spazzed out when I saw this. I have to wait a whole freaking year. AHHHHHHHHH!!!

Also, I <3 Sir Ian McKellen. What an inspiration.

Post #200: Losing At Life

I haven't really written a actual post lately (except the one on Sunday). Mostly, laziness. That and I actually put more into my political blog (though I need to write more there too). Anyway, I still somehow managed to make it to 200. Since it's also near the end of the year, I guess a year in review is in order.

I remember thinking at the end of 2010 "good riddance." That year was fraught with heartache and general unpleasantness. I glad to see that year go and another one begin. So what am I thinking at the end of 2011? Meh. That's pretty much it, and that's the optimistic look back at the year. There were almost no substantive changes in my life this year besides making a foray into the world of blogging. Other than that, this year was full of inertia.

This has been getting to me, especially in the last few weeks. Things could definitely be worse: health failure, losing my job, all that kind of stuff. Looking at the big picture, I have it okay (especially given the hard times this country is in). Having said that, I have gotten to the point where I need to make a change, and a big one, and relatively soon. The job that I have is something that I dread going to even though it pays the bills. The only thing that keeps me sane there is some of the people that work there, but that doesn't help as much as it used to. I need to do something where I feel like I'm actually accomplishing something or helping someone. That is what I always wanted to do and, somewhere along the way, I lost that.

There is also the loneliness factor. Generally during the day I can keep my head above water. I can find something to occupy my time (this is another reason I can put up with my job: it kills a few hours). At night however, when the lights are down, the computer is off, and all I have are my thoughts, that's when it gets bad.

So here is the hope for 2012: that this is the year I start accomplishing some goals. It's time to move on (well, it's waaaaay past time). This will be the year I start making a difference. This is the time I can put what knowledge I have to use. This is the year that everything changes, and hopefully for the better.

So this post, which should have been celebratory was pretty much a downer. I would much rather end on a high note:

You're Welcome.

MyTunes Monday: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

In the Still of the Night

I don't know what was going on in my head last night, but I had some dreams that were...interesting. I don't really recall specifics, but just general things.

In the first one I was graduating from high school...except it wasn't my actual graduation. I remember all of us lined up walking towards our seats outside in the grass, we were all wearing white graduation gowns (or whatever they're called), and we were wearing leis. This was very unlike my real graduation which was in our gym, I was wearing a blue gown, and there was absolutely nothing Hawaiian about it. This dream wasn't particularly strange...

The second dream, however, was. In this dream, I was a dad. A young, single, dad with a little girl. Who was the mother? The hell if I know. This was strange because I still have my gold star (for some reason, that's a source of pride...which makes zero sense). We were at some gathering of some sort. My cousin Kelly was there and I remember him asking me how I was fairing. I said something to the tune of "I'm in WAAAAY over my head." In reality, being a single parent would scare the crap out of me. I don't know how people do it.

By the way, my little girl was quite well behaved (she only cried once and for a very short time for such a long dream) and she was totally adorable (just like her daddy).

This was such a rambling post, but this is how I remember dreams on the rare occasions that I remember them I'm not sure what time I'll actually post this but I wrote this right after I woke up - 7:30 am - so I would actually remember the dreams.

Tim Tebow's War on Christmas

Tuba Players: The New Drummers

As an out and proud band geek (not that I've played in years...sad face), I found everything about this story hilarious.

Also, French Horns>Tubas. If didn't know that before, now you do :)

Making Time

Short post here. I actually have some stuff to put down here, I just haven't made the time yet. Hopefully I'll get to it sooner than later. I've never been good at time management :(

Woof Wednesday: Jamie Bamber

MyTunes Monday: Free

Woof Wednesday: Joshua Bowman

Joshua Bowman (from ABC's "Revenge")

MyTunes Monday: Club Foot (Live)