Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Midterm Report

We hit the halfway point of 2007 the other day, so I figured it's a good time to, I don't know, remember that I have goals I'm trying to accomplish this year. So here's my report:

1. Cut down to 15% body fat. I haven't actually measured my body fat since the beginning of the year, but I have to say, subjectively speaking, I think I'm doing okay on this. I've incorporated cardiovascular exercise into my more-or-less regular gym routine, and a positive side effect of living alone is that I haven't had so many snacks in my kitchen, which has cut down on the eating-out-of-boredom thing. Also, I've been weighing myself in the locker room every time I go and I've gone down from 175 to 170 in the past couple months.

2. Make five writing submissions, or one successful submission, whichever comes first. Basically, I suck. I had a lot of grand ideas at the beginning of the year but none of them have come to fruition. Fob (the writing group) sort of stopped happening a few months ago, and without that regular motivation to write I haven't been writing. I do have a research paper I plan on polishing up and submitting somewhere, which isn't quite what I had in mind with this goal, but it's something. I should at least give myself a deadline for that. How about if I haven't submitted that paper somewhere by September 30th, you all threaten to stop reading my blog? If nothing else, vanity will motivate me.

3. Read at least twelve leisure books. I'm pretty sure I'm on track here, but I haven't been keeping track very well. Let's see, off the top of my head, I've read (or listened to):
  • Superfolks
  • The Power of Now
  • Stillness Speaks
  • Fun Home: A Tragicomic
  • It's a Bird!
  • Up on Cloud Nine
  • Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
  • Me Talk Pretty One Day
  • Barrel Fever and Other Stories
  • The Amulet of Samarkand
So yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll far surpass this goal, especially considering that Harry Potter 7 is coming out in a few weeks and I'm #23 on Seattle Public Library's waiting list for the book on CD, of which they are purchasing 24 copies.

4. Read the New Testament. Um, yeah, I'm doing about as well with this one as I did with the Old Testament last year. I would still like to do this, and it's certainly not too late.



How are you doing on your goals? If you've all but forgotten them, like I did, or even if you didn't make any in the first place, there's no reason to wait until next January to set some new ones.

3 comments:

TK said...

Okay, but remember you get a 1/2 point for #4 becouse you're the one who inspired ME to read cover to cover, and I'm just starting Colossians today! :)

I've often thought of you as I read and wonder if you're keeping up. Go, Ben, Go! Go ... Yeah, Ben! (did that help?)

Th. said...

.

You are threatened.

Find a Gideon and carry a pocket-sized with you.

Anonymous said...

Good goals! I am sure you can accomplish all of them. I think I will borrow your losing body fat goal as part of my own lists of goals this year. Good luck Ben!