Conner's Blog

2009 was an great year, between my online life and my social life, I’ve expanded my circles in so many ways it’s almost unbelievable.  I’ve posted on this blog 92 times and received 497 comments . I’ve taken 696 photos that I felt were good enough to be posted on Flickr. I’ve made jam, curry, gnocchi, and more than a few pizzas. I’ve met so many new people it’s not even funny, and have made a bunch of new friends.

That being said I didn’t accomplish a lot of the goals I set for myself at the start of the year.  I’ve hardly put a dent in my MN to do list and I only accomplished three of my seven goals for the year. But I’m fine with that. If I had known how my year was going to go, I wouldn’t have set those goals like I did. Instead I would have made the following list.

• Meet close a 100 new people in real life by using the Internet
• Break out of my comfort zone and do some crazy public speaking
• Shop locally as much as possible
• Eat out at many new restaurants
• See more live musical performances than I had in all previous years combined
• Get a photo on Minnpics
• Fall in love with street food
• Discover a ton of new music, including lots of local artists

Yet that’s the beauty of life. You set goals for yourself and even if you don’t accomplish those goals, you usually end up better for it. I’m going to maintain a few of the goals from 2009 going into 2010. I will bike a century and I will look up my relatives. My MN to do list is going to undergo a major renovation and I will try to do more of it.

My major goals for 2009 are to move my career to a place I’m happier with, keep meeting new and interesting people using whatever resources I find, and keep doing what I’m doing. I’m not going to say my life is anywhere near perfect, but it is great. I can’t wait to see what 2010 brings.

I’m still alive though I barely feel that way.  I spent New Years Eve through Sunday in Grand Forks.  I ate too much, drank too much, and got too little sleep.  I’m at work today and barely functioning and it was worth every bit of the pain I feel today.  Spending time with great friends is priceless.

I have a few stories from the weekend that I may share here, including my New Years experience which involved an allergic reaction and a trip to the ER.  Don’t worry I’m fine.

I really have nothing planned for this week except for a Where? on Wednesday.  I’m trying to respond to a few of the comments on my MN Todo list.  I want to take the opportunity to thank you all for making this site such a rewarding experience.  The last few months has seen traffic and activity I’ve never experienced before and I appreciate everyone who comments, writes about, and visits my site.

I hate the term New Years resolution.  I  don’t know why, maybe because the term has become almost meaningless.  It seems that 90% of people make the same ones: lose weight, save money, eat out less.  I used to do it to, until one year I just decided to say screw it.  It’s not that resolutions are bad, but deciding to set a date for a lifestyle change (which all of these things require) is not a good idea.  Last year I decided in March that I wanted to get healthy, on December 1st I had lost 20lbs, overhauled my diet, and was routinely exercising.  The holiday season hasn’t helped those things, but I’m already getting back on track this week. This taught me that  “big” life changes need to come when your ready and that the New Year is generally not the right time, for me at least.

Of course as I say this, I have a list of things I want to do this year.  I’m calling them goals, not resolutions, and sticking with things that can be done in a short amount of time.  Here is my list, we’ll see how many I can check of by next December.

• Go on a blind date – I’m not sure why I want to do this, but over the last few months I’ve come to the conclusion that I think this would be fun.  I’m confident that even if we obviously were not right for each other, I could still show the girl a great time.
• Look up my relatives – My great-great-grandfather came through Saint Paul on his way to Montana.  I want to see if I can find any news clipping about him.
• Win something – I’m the master of losing games of chance.  I want to win $5 from a scratch ticket just so I can say I did it once.
• Learn to ice skate – I’m living in Minnesota and feel it’s time to learn the essential part of the state sport.  This way if I end up raising a family here I can teach my kids how to skate instead of them teaching me.
• Go on a solo vacation – I want to travel somewhere for a long weekend  completely by myself.
• Bike a century – I’ve been biking regularly for the last three summers.  Last year I biked 40 miles in a single ride.  This year I want to try and push it to 100.
• Finish my 2009 MN to do list – You’ll have to wait until Thursday to see it.

How about you, do you have any New Year Goals?