An Indepth Look Into A Geek's Soul

That is right people!  The Top Ten list is back!  For this Monday at least.  I figured that since we are newly into another year, I should start this off right by actually updating a somewhat regular occurance here on my site.  In honor of the new year, I decided to do my top resolutions for the year.  Do I plan on really doing all of them?  No, not really, but I am going to try.  These are all things that I've wanted to do for awhile now, so why not hunker down and actually do them?

Number Ten:  Winning a Magic Tournament

Starting off this year's list of resolutions is a hobby of mine.  After going to countless tournaments and participating in a variety of online matches against virtual opponents, I came to the conclusion that I really would like to win a tournament.  I'm not talking about the World Championship or a Grand Prix or anything like that.  I just would like to win a low key tournament.  I don't mind if it is down at Northland Games for Friday Night Magic, or if it is on Magic Online, battling people from around the world.  It will most likely be in a limited format, as I do not have the money to build a tournament worthy constructed deck.  To get to the point where I can stand a reasonable chance of winning, I plan on simply practicing.  Nothing really beats that.  I will of course try to stay a bit more current with the ebb and flow of the game, reading articles and that such thing, but nothing beats actually trying out the all the stategies that are being thrown around.  With any luck, I'll have a win under my belt by summer.

Number Nine:  Regularly Updating this Website

Oh yeah, it is this good old resolution again.  This is one of those things that I am just horrible at, yet constantly try to improve upon.  I know that it does not take a lot to update;  all I need to do is pick a topic and write and rant about it.  I think the biggest reason I do not is a lack of motivation.  I'm not sure why either.  It might have something to do with me losing my gusto on any subject the more I write about it.  Who knows.  This site will be updated more, though.  I plan on adding a new area by late winter/early spring and getting rid of a few of the current areas that are already on here.  Anyone reading this should let me know how the changes are when I get around to making them.

Number Eight:  Working on my Car

I resolve to improve my mechanical skills when it comes to my car.  I pretty much never want to have to resort to the above picture.  This is not because I don't think that it is an awesome idea, but because I want to always have my car in a working, Pringles free condition.  This is something that I do not plan on working on until the middle of spring, mostly because my dislike of the cold is greater than the love of my car.  I do not plan on doing huge repairs on the car, at least not right away.  I want to do things like replace the fluids in the my car, be it windshield wiper fluid or the oil.  Until warmer weather comes my way, I will make my car nicer simply by keeping the inside of it clean, something that I'm sure my very patient girlfriend will enjoy.

Number Seven:  Staying True to Myself

This is one of my more wishy-washy resolutions.  By this, I simple mean I want to be more of what I feel is the real me.  I don't want to bend over backwards for people just to have them like me.  If people don't like what I'm doing, then tough.  I am my own person, and if you don't appreciate my hobby or the way I act or something like that, then there are plenty of other people in the world.  A lot of people won't notice this change.  The people I really care about, like Megan, already know how I act, and I don't plan on changing how I act around them.  This is mostly for those people (and customers) who get all pissy when I do the slightest thing wrong.  To them I say this:  good bye.

Number Six:  Reading Twenty Six Books

This resolution is one of those that are meant to better myself.  I plan on reading a box every other week for all of 2011.  I have already started this with Star Trek Titan:  Taking Wing, a book about Riker taking command of his own starship in a whole new series.  I won't plan on reading only one genre the entire time etiher.  I will try to mix it up every time I finish a book, moving between fiction and nonfiction, as well as trying to hit up a lot of the genres.  No longer will I locked into those science fiction and fantasy books, even if they will be well represented.  How will you readers know how I am doing on this quest?  Just check the site;  I will be keeping a running update.

Number Five:  Listening Better

I have a problem when it comes to listening.  I am terrible at it.  Megan could tell me do something or pick up something from the store and chances are I will forget.  This is something that will be changed.  I feel that by listening better, it will make me an overall better person.  At the very least, it will make my very loving (and patient) girlfriend happy.  It could also lead to higher grades and better results when it comes to things dealing with jobs and other tasks set before me.  The biggest thing to work on is focus and memorization.  I need to focus on the person when they talk and try my best to remember it, possibly by writing it down real quick or by repeating it in my head several times.  This is something that should be affect all aspects of my life.

Number Four:  Earning 4.0's

As the clipart above shows, I plan on getting a 4.0 on both of my next college semesters.  It did sting me something fierce when I recieved a 3.88 on my last semester GPA.  Yeah, I know, it is nothing huge, one 3.5 out of all the classes I've taken at NMC so far, but it represented a lack of excellence that I know I am able to attain in any of my classes.  I will rectify this situation by doing better this time around.  I may have blown my chances at achieving the 4.0 overall GPA that I wanted to get, but I can at least  try to get the next best thing.

Number Three:  Managing my Money

With any luck, I will someday invent this money tree.  As it stands right now, I am sitting with a little under $200 in my bank account, which is the most that I've had in weeks.  This money is all but gone even as I speak now.  I have books that I have to buy, gas tanks that need filling, and presnets that need buying (damn, forgot about the presents I need to buy for the folks).  I simply cannot figure out how to manage my money effectively.  Megan seems to do it without a problem.  Yes, I realize she makes a bit more than I do, but she also buys a lot more than I do and doesn't manage to get overwhelmed by all of the bills she has to pay, which are many.  I need to sit down every time that I get a paycheck and plan out where each dollar will go.  Doing this will help me see the flow of cash and possibly tie up any loose ends that might get away from me.

Number Two:  Loosing Weight

Ultimately, I want to get down to about 160 lbs.  That is roughly thirty pounds  lighter than I am right now.  This comes to about three pounds or so every month.  This is probably the most daunting resolution that I will apply to myself.  It will be a lot of work.  I need to improve the way I eat, work out more, and probably get more sleep.  I'm honestly not sure if I will complete this one.  I will have my motivation in a healthier me, which will help to reduce a lot of my stress.  Plus, Megan will be here, working out much harder than I am.  I'll do it for her as well, so she'll have some arm candy to show off.

Number One:  Get a New Job

I am just tired of Best Buy.  Time for a new job.

So there you have it.  The first Top Ten of 2011.  I hope that you all enjoy it.  Let me know what your resolutions are for the new year in the list below.

Peace Out!