Some of you may have noticed that in my review of 2010 last year I did not include a single statement regarding how well I did with my Goals (resolutions, if you prefer) for 2010.  I prefer to not look back, only forward.  Plus, I really don’t like disappointing myself that much.

Having said that, I will add that while I cannot recall most of my Goals for 2010, I can remember one of them was my divorce, and I actually accomplished that.  This may not seem like a huge accomplishment but trust me, as much as I procrastinate it’s a huge deal that I actually got it done.

Meanwhile, on with the goals for the coming year.  I will start with my creative efforts:  It is my goal to publish six books this year.  I published four over the course of the past year, so this would be more than I managed to get done in 2010.  Increasing such things is always a good thing to aim for.  I will find an effective and affordable method of advertising so that not only do I get six books published, but all eleven books I will have available by year’s end will be getting sold regularly.  I would like to say I’ll be making enough to make a living of it, but while I would certainly want that to be the case, I am not ready to make that a goal yet.

On a final creative note, I will start and maintain a webcomic.  I have a lot of scripts ready to go; I just need to either accept my crappy artistry and make one happen or find an artist willing to work for half of whatever the comic draws in from merchandising.  The former is more likely than the latter, but who knows.

I have a few goals for my health.  One is a bit cliche, and that is weight loss.  I am overweight not just in my own eyes but according to any medical information on the subject.  That is, there may be a variety of medical opinions about what exactly constitutes the the breaking point from “normal” to “overweight,” but I qualify as over the line by any such measure.  I have no desire to be skinny, but I would like to lose a few inches around the waist and a bunch of pounds.

To this end, I will start using my exercise equipment daily.  That is, Monday to Friday.  I will take a weekly hike somewhere, weather permitting.  On better mornings weather-wise, I will go for a small hike after I get up.  I hope–which is to say this is not a goal–to be able to walk up or at least down Pikes Peak by the end of the summer.

It is also my goal to educate myself this year.  I want to learn a foreign language.  I am leaning towards Japanese, but I may go with something more obscure like Swahili.  I also want to learn Calculus.  Maybe not the advanced uses of it, but enough to be able to solve basic Calculus problems.  This has been a desire since high school, when I failed the subject miserably.

I also plan to earn at least two IT certifications.  This is a borderline education thing because I will get certified in subjects I already know, but that doesn’t mean I can walk into a test and pass it without some studying.  One certification I hope to get is call A Plus, and that involves three tests to become fully certified.  My knowledge on the subject–computer hardware–is good, but I’ll still want to improve my education on it if I want to get that certification.

Related to the last of my creative goals, I want to learn to draw.  Really learn, as in go through a course of study.  Maybe not something formal like a class, but certainly go through a book or two on the subject.  And practice, practice, practice so I get reasonably good at it.  I don’t expect to ever be Picasso or Warhol or anybody like that, but I would like to be able to, for example, draw a portrait of somebody and have it be recognizable.

In my virtual world, EverQuest, I want all three of my main trio–Shaka, Boom and Dan–to have all progressions complete from the last three expansions and working on progression for this year’s expansion.  Shaka will absolutely reach what I call the “lesser” AA abilities and I hope Boom will reach them, too.  Dan may not get quite that far, but I hope he comes close.  The rest of my toons…well, my goal is that they are all level 80 or higher.  That is a lofty goal, but it’s what I will be reaching for.

Finally, there are a few goals I could not fit easily into a category.  I hope to buy land on which I’ll build a house.  I want to buy or build a new computer desk for myself.  I want to make a “case mod”–a computer case which doesn’t look like a computer–which resembles what I call a Katgrrl–feline with four arms instead of two.  I am thinking she’ll be like a giant doll, which means she’ll be poseable, but not a robot.  Maybe in 2012 I’ll make a robot of her.

One goal I have for 2011 which might be classified as creative is to have a Facebook game in beta testing.  I have the game figured out in terms of its basic mechanics; I just have to program it now.  Of course, “beta” is fairly loose term these days; many applications stick that word on them even though they are, by most definitions, fully developed.

Last but certainly not least, I plan to take a vacation with my kids.  My large goal is a few days on a houseboat on Lake Cumberland, Kentucky, but even if that fails I have high hopes of flying them to Indianapolis for a few days with our family there.

That’s it.  My goals for the coming year.  All of them are achievable although a few will be a real challenge for me.  I would ask you to wish me luck, but really, it’s not a matter of luck.  It’s a matter of discipline and perseverance.

Enough said.  See you Monday.