“I want that – the feeling a man gets when he gets exactly what he desires.”
-Harold, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Resolutions 2K5
So, we all make ’em, but this is the first year I’m going to take this whole “New Year’s Resolution” thing seriously. I figured, since I share everything else on this site, I might as well post my list here. Let me know if any of y’all are striving for any of the same things I am.
Financial
1) Pare Down Comics “Pull List”
I have subscriptions to WAY too many comic titles. With each book clocking in at about $3, I spend an avg of $40 a week on comics. Since I don’t go every week, I end up shelling out about $70 each visit, always causing me to experience brief nausea. There is a such thing as “too much of a good thing.” and I think it’s time to cut the list down a bit. I don’t even have time to read all of that stuff. When the next month’s issue comes out, i’ve already forgotten what happened in the previous issue. This will save me a LOT of money in the long run.
2) Maintain Credit Card Balance Below $2500
Yeah, I went a little crazy before I was employed. Lived off credit for about 3 months. This is TOTALLY doable. I just need to watch the spending, and any surplus income goes right to Bank One. Financial advisors say that, to stay afloat, you should keep your card balance below 50% of the limit on the card. You do the math. Anyway, this is a completely attainable goal.
3) Start Repaying Federal Loans
Since I’ve been employed, i’ve begun repaying Cornell its money, but I’ve totally bailed on the Federal portion. They don’t think I’m gainfully employed at the moment, and we’re gonna let them keep on thinking that for the time being. Anyway, by the end of the year, I hope to actually start making those payments, and stop deferring them.
4) Put All Bills In My Name
I want to be financially independent, and in doing so, i want to transfer my expenses into my name. For now, the CC and the phone are in Mommy’s name, even though I’ve been paying the bills for over a yr now. So, in my quest for maturity, I’m going to make myself accountable for my own financial success and/or failure. I haven’t received any sort of monetary help, so I might as well have my name on the stuff.
5) Enter The Stock Market
I’ve been wanting to do this for the past 8 yrs. Davis and the others had stock in the 8th grade! Now, I DID go to a prep school, but I knew then that this was something I needed to understand a bit more. With tarek’s help, hopefully I can break into the market in the next few months. I’ve been doing my homework, and I’ve got a few lucrative investment ideas…
6) BUDGET!!!
I had done this at the middle of ’04 and I’d done such a good job staying on track. I didn’t touch my credit card for 3 months, and I made sensible purchases. Then, all of a sudden. I’m The Donald, spending money like I was growing it in my backyard. So, while I’m not in the red or anything, I just feel that the excess money could be put to such better use. So, I really need to budget and see where all of my money’s going. It’s the smart thing to do.
Professional
7) Serious Job Search
OK, it’s been a wild year, but it’s time to get serious. I have no real future with H&M. I could give ’em another yr or so, but what would that do for either party? It’s time I look for something more “substantial”. Especially since I get the feeling the new sheriffs in town arent gonna be cool with my “West Coast” brand of tomfoolery. Better quit before I get fired. Everyday, I feel like I’m fighting for my job, or narrowly avoiding being set-up. Yes, I’m paranoid, but I feel like something’s going down. I’m better than this. I’m worth more than this. And I think it’s time for a change…
Social
8) Reconnect With Lost Friends
I seriously need to be better with the communication. I need to find Ari, Austin, Christopher, Brenda, Ms. Robbins, and VA. Especially, I need to track down Sergei. He was my host in Russia, and I have never really been the best pen-pal to him. For the past 9 yrs, he has NEVER forgotten my birthday, and ALWAYS calls me. I fondly remember Russia, but I can’t explain why I’ve dropped the ball in that dept. Anyway, all of these people, as well as others, mean a lot to me, and I need to track them down and keep in touch.
9) Be a Better Friend To Those People With Whom I AM In Contact
I need to be more appreciative. I need to be quicker with “thank you” notes. I need to see Brett more. I need to return James & Jenn’s & Jo Anne’s calls more quickly. Get to know Millie better. I need to hang out with the Tysons crew more. Hell, I need to start answering my phone. I need to call Brian and El. I need to hang out with Brock. Gotta stop bailing on Davis in G-town. I want be a great boyfriend to Shelly – this is going to be “Our Year”. And the list goes on AND on AND on. Mainly, I want the important people in my life to know they’re important…
Self-Empowerment
10) Get Driver’s License!!!
Hell, even James beat me in this dept. The time has come. I’ve finished Drivers Ed. I just need to take the actual test. Anyway, I believe this will all be taken care of soon. Stay tuned for a post on the matter
11) Lose 10 lbs, and Maintain that Weight
I can easily do this. My metabolism’s fickle. I just have to go back to my one-meal-a-day-, no snacking, drink more water diet. It’s also known as “eating healthy”. Sure, you should have more than one meal a day. but the catch is i just have one BIG meal. Breakfast is supposed to be the biggest anyway. After that, I eat fruit and whatnot. If I get back to running, and I start working out with Shelly, I can easily shed the pounds. And I’ll be so much hotter than I am now! 😛
12) Learn Russian
Yes, I’ve been trying for about 9 yrs, but now I own every Russian Language Instruction CD known to man. Time to get serious, and actually use that stuff. Plus, how cool will it be to be the weird guy at parties who can speak Russian?!!! Take THAT, all you people who wasted your lives on Spanish and French. Plus, I may be able to use this to get a Foreign Service job or something…I’m great with linguistics, so it shouldn’t be a problem. I just need to dedicate myself to the process.
13) Get Smarter!
Yes, this is vague, but I need to “re-smarten” myself. (Maybe it’d help if I stopped making up words!) H&M’s been great, but Ghetto Sundays, combined with degenerates asking if we have layaway, I feel like I’m a few hrs short of my GED. Not to be a snob, but I was pretty smart in my day. And I shouldn’t be up on my high horse ’cause I’m in the trenches with many of the same people I’m bashing. I just need a breath of fresh knowledge. I feel my thought processes slowing down, and my mind is now consumed with whether or not that chick has taken more than the alotted 10 garments with her into the fitting room. Maybe I’ll get back to reading the dictionary like I used to.
14) Be More Philanthropic
Yeah, this probably should’ve gone under “Financial”, but I felt this was as good a place as any. I need to give to more causes. I spend so much money on shit. Useless, meaningless shit. it’s not making me any happier, so I might as well do some good with the money. I could go back to paying my tithes….well, on second thought. Anyway, I could still give to causes, such as Save the Children or Project Harmony. Even the Black Student Fund. I go way back with all of them. So, more giving in ’05! Look for a post on this soon…
15) Decide on Continued Education
I’ve been tossing around the grad school/law school thing for awhile. By the end of the year, I’ll have a decision. This, I command! I know I need to go back to school for something, but I’m really going to take this yr to narrow down some choices, and to take the steps towards carving out some kind of future for myself. I think I’m taking the LSAT around March, and we’ll see where that takes us.
16) Organize My Life To A T!
I need more order in my life. Sure, everyone loves a sense of “organized chaos”, but what happens when the choas is no longer organized? That’s where I am now. I want everything listed, catalogued, written down. Especially with the Admin job, I need better organization skills. Time to dust off the Palm, visit The Container Store, and buy a new copy of Microsoft Office…
17) Be More Outgoing
I live a lot of my life in a state of…anxiety. I don’t like change and I rarely try new things, such as exotic foods. I really need to work on this, because i realize that I’m missing out on a lot of life. Also, I need to be more outgoing and extroverted because there are a lot interesting people out there. Apparently, there’s always room for friends, so, here’s to being more of a “people person”, and not having to fake it anymore…
18) Apartment Hunting
I love my Mommy to death, as you all know, but I can’t do this much longer. I just need my own place to call home. Something to make me feel like a “responsible adult.” I’ll still probably come around just as much, but at least I’d have a lair of my own, should the need for it arise. Hopefully, with budgeting, and a brand-spanking new job, I can make this dream a reality. But this is probably going to be coser to the end of the year, hence its placement at the end of the list.
So, there it is. Look at it as a “Blueprint for Season 2”. Anyway, I’ll periodically update on my progress, but I’ll probably be too preoccupied thinking of more things to rant about “Alvin & the Chipmunks”…
