Twelve in '12

Take today to talk about 12 things you would like to accomplish in 2012.

1. Budget Better

I am so tired of living paycheck to paycheck. I am so tired of scrounging around to find money to buy groceries or to put gas in my car. I am so tired of feeling poor. Budgeting will help this. Cutting down on the number of times I got out to eat or go out for drinks will help. I am hoping that using coupons, finding sales and being frugal will help in the long run. But I have a feeling a second job is in order as well. As much as I love my job, it just doesn't pay me as much as I need.


2. Find More Free Fun

Watching television on the couch at home is a pretty inexpensive thing to do, but it's also boring to most people. I was always in the mindset that if I didn't leave my house, then I wouldn't spend money. But that's not always true. Museums usually have one day a week that is free and open to the public. I'm sure there are other things to do outside of the confines of my hermit cave, er-- I mean my apartment that are free as well. I just have to figure out what those things are.


3. Be A Grown-up

Looking back at my blog, I seem to whine a lot. I also tend to rely on other people to do things for me. I need to stop that. I need to grow up. I need to be a man. I need to put childish ways behind me. I'm going to turn thirty-five years old in 2012. Thirty-five! I know that's not elderly or anything, but when I think back to who I thought my thirty-five year old self would be, this is not it. I am still living in an apartment, I have a piece of crap car, and I still eat cold pizza out of to-go containers. I don't wear suits to work. I don't own my own house. I don't have a nice, new, fancy car. I need to grow up. And quick.


4. Take Better Care Of Myself

I don't eat as well as I should. I don't exercise. At all. I don't really take care of myself very well. The only meal I eat all day is dinner. And then I sit on the couch. For breakfast and lunch (during the week) I eat Quaker bars. I tell myself that they're each ninety calories so they're good for me, but that's not really true. I drink light beer. But when I drink, I usually have five or six at a sitting, so that kind of defeats the purpose of having a light beer, right? I need to step it up and find the motivation to change my life. Maybe if I ate healthier and exercised more, I would be motivated to change the rest of my life?


5. Try Beets

I have never liked beets. They're purple. Humans aren't supposed to eat purple foods, are we? They just look gross. I think I tried one once when I was in Florida around age 12. I'm pretty sure I spit half of it out. Are there any good beet recipes? Is there a way to make beets taste good? If you know of any, please send them my way.


6. Read More

As I've said, most of my time takes place sitting down either in front of the computer or in front of the television. I have an enormous stack of unread books in my apartment that I should really get to. Maybe putting them all on a list and checking the names off as I finish reading them will help. It always feels so good to cross things off of a list, doesn't it?

7. Purge More

Even after a year of attempting to un-clutter my life, I still have too much stuff. And I don't have a storage place, so it's all right in my face. Taunting me. Teasing me. Threatening to take over my life. I would say eighty percent of my clutter is books. At some point I ran out of shelf room and the books just took over. My clutter isn't all in book form, but most of it is. I wish i could just sell them all. But bookstores don't want my books, no matter how great of a shape they're in. So what am I to do?


8. Be A Kid Again

There has to be a way to be a grown-up and a kid at the same time, right? Can one be a professional in whatever career they choose and have fun on the side? What does "being a kid" even mean? Throwing your food everywhere? Running around outside? Being care-free and whimsical? According to Webster's Dictionary, whimsical means "subject to erratic behavior or unpredictable change." Does that conflict with being a grown-up?


9. Fine Tune My Life Plan

2011 was the year I was going to start figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. And now 2012 is going to be the year I make moves and start aiming toward that light in the tunnel I'm in. I am seriously looking into going to the University of Buffalo for my PhD. I know that keeps me in WNY for at least four more years, but in the long run it will help. In the long run I will be happier (I think). In the long run I will be closer to that light at the end of the tunnel.


10. Listen More

I like to pride myself on being my own person and not worrying about what others think and not allowing others' opinions sway my decisions, but I'm not so sure on that. I think my family's thoughts on things can change my path fairly often. I am not the best at looking at all the options or all of the possibilities as of late. I try to ask myself as many "what if?" questions as possible, but sometimes I can't think of them all. Listening to what family and friends say isn't always the worst thing in the world. Especially if they've been there before. Especially if they have a valid point. Especially if they thought of something I haven't.


11. More Quality Time

I have a busy, hectic schedule. So does my closest family. Including my wife. But just as I want to take better care of myself physically, I want to take better care of myself emotionally as well. Family helps with that. Quality time with those people who are closest to me would go a long way. Even if it's just an evening of making dinner together and playing Apples to Apples. That kind of time can go a long way in making me feel better and get better.


12. Be Happier

I swear to God I want to be happier. I want to be better. I want to feel happier. I need to. I don't know how much longer I can go on being melancholy and down in the dumps about everything. What would make me happy? Not worrying about bills. Not worrying about my car. Having a stable roof over my head. Spending less time stressed and more time laughing. I need these things. I need these things to happen soon.