New "Home"

For the third time in the last six months my department has been moved.

I'm sure we're all going to get Exceeds Expectations (the highest) evaluations for Flexibility, but this is ridiculous:

 

Ok, my new cube may not be this small, but I do think that it is designed to encourage us to spend some days working from home.

If we can break out

I wonder if I can still get back into superheroing:

Avoidance

I've missed some oppurtunities lately.  I could have posted on March's entry as a lamb, I could have posted about St. Patrick's Day, the first day of Spring and other things.

I have my reasons/excuses.  I wanted to keep the Nightmares posts the most recent, my St. Patrick's Day jokes were not up to par (horrible really) and I've been so busy.  But they were all excuses.

I'm floundering.  I really don't know which way to turn, what way to go.  The things I think I want to do make me feel guilty.

I had had a poll a while back in which I asked what you want.  The results were from a small sample and what they gave, what you wanted is not necessarily what I want to write about, or am able to write about.  On the other hand, I've been reading about blogging and what they say I should write about, and how to do it, I don't know if I can.

I've tried loging my bike commutes, a topic I know the web is bereft of for content.  I got virtually no response, no traffic.  Maybe I'm just not good at that sort of thing.

What I want to do is produce fiction, create worlds, breathe life into characters.  All I seem to do in that regard is garbage that no one seems to want to read.

I want to write SciFi, but I seem to lose myself in the research.  I find it easiest to write horror and fantasy, but I want to write and to promote what I think should be out there to read in a Space Opera bent, with real science.

Maybe I should let horror and fantasy be my ramp to get me up and running, but I'm frustrated that I can't seem to make the leap to really really good SF.

Mostly I suppose, I just have to avoid avoiding.  Keep my fingers moving and let it flow.

That's what this post is for.

Nightmares of Katrina - Epilogue

I never did see Doctor Zoe again.


The Chief and I only spoke about what happened once. Before I collapsed on the ride home I asked her, "How did you find us?"

"I followed the music at first, then the lightening, and finally the pieces of the building. I saw your hand just as I came up and while I was running over there I saw your face. What was inside that building?"

It was the only time she ever asked me. Before I could answer, fatigue and adrenaline dump overcame me and I passed into dreamless sleep.

Brown slept until the next day and never showed any memory of the evening, except she once asked the Chief about the dog. Chief Mac's silence somehow told her all she needed to know.

I've since managed to steel myself to look up the site on Google Earth. Ha, Earth. That one place, if no other, is not Earth. The ball of bricks is still there, they seemed to have made no attempt whatsoever to repair that particular corner.

It's just as well really. If you look at it at night you can see the bricks glowing slightly in an indescribable, otherworldly hue.

There is one other thing I saw as we drove away, something that haunts me to this day and ironclads my resolve to never return to New Orleans, something I almost can't bring myself to say, except that it may help us all to work against them is this: as the building was collapsing and throwing things off, I saw figures, alien and human walking away.

Nightmares of Katrina 19

With the coming of Mardi Gras and all the attention that accursed city is garnering, I feel it is time to conclude my narrative regarding my experiences on the Autumnal Equinox of 2005, the eve of Hurricane Rita, the incident I've called, The Nightmares of Katrina.

You can follow the story by clicking on the tag, "Nightmares of Katrina" in the right hand column.

The story has been a long time in the telling, as telling is not quite the right word.  It would be more apt to say a recounting, a warning, a scrubbing of the wounds, and a reassurance that I would be able to deal with it and do my utmost to ensure the kind of thing can never happen again.  At least it is my fervent hope that human kind itself will never initiate nor take advantage of a similar situation if I have any power at all to hinder and retard such efforts.

A spherical vortex raged with hurricane force winds around me as I stood on the ceiling of an abandoned church; my wayward Private regaining consciousness, struggling on my hip to rejoin in her demented reverie; tentacled, alien creatures struggled against the maelstrom and the crowd of cultist dancers each working desperately and menacingly in turn to drive the vortex and to stop them; and all with no sign of the woman who allowed me the chance to retrieve my soldier from whatever fever gripped her mind and drove her to this place.

The center of my then current universe was a space I had been thinking of the eye of this internal tempest.  It was a sphere of calm, inky black studded with unwinking hard studs of stars.  There were stellar clouds, spiral arms and whole galaxies in that tight, impossible space.

I shielded my eyes against the storm to search for Doctor Zoe and a way to get down to the door by which I had entered and hoped to make my desperate escape.  I had no thought beyond exiting this insanity.  That's when I saw it, the eye coming at me, as if falling up straight at my head.

I had to look at it.  I cringed, but I looked, not ducking or shirking in the least.  It grew in my vision, the interior features becoming clearer, but never getting any closer.  The space itself approached.  It swelled larger and it approached.

I realized that it could be seeming to be larger just at the same moment Brown became fully awake.  My attention went to her long enough to ensure my grip was sufficient and then when I returned my gaze at the eye, I saw that it was both growing and wobbling.  At times it plunged right for me and then veered off to carom around the chapel.

The growth seemed to hearten the cultists.  They increased their gyrations and I imagine they stepped up their singing, though the cacophony made it impossible to hear them.  In response the slimy, scaly aliens redoubled their own efforts, ruthlessly struggling with the devotees to bring them down and vanish them away to some unknown vistas of a certainly inhuman world.

It was becoming difficult to breath, see or even think.  As a testament to its power, as the eye swung around toward us again I could clearly feel its tug.  This was above, beyond and in contrast to the pulling, pushing and shaking the winds, currents, syncopaths and their monstrous abductors smote me with.

Brown gyrated on my hip, awake and active finally, and for her effort an alien struck her with such force that it lifted both of us nearly out of the waist deep liquid surrounding the room.

The blow was a glancing one as the creature was already committed to another dancer, but it was sufficient to knock Brown unconscious again and give me an idea.

I made a last search for Doctor Zoe.  Not finding her and feeling the tug of the growing eye returning I leapt for all I was worth, flinging myself and Private Brown at the growing tide, feeling myself sucked from the waters, bandied about by the winds and slashed by the rain.  We tumbled uncontrollably toward the expanding void, its gravity and vacuum pulling us away from the battering tentacles.

We were flying through the center space of the room gyroscopically spinning and swaying terrifyingly toward oblivion.  I clung to the Private and balled up, pulling my legs and arms in tight, gathering and protecting the young woman with me.  My eyes could never leave the scene though, stung as they were by spray and wind, accosted at the sight.

Before me, growing, spinning and careening was a hole in our universe; a hole to somewhere else.  A levee, a damn was cracking and this time it would take not a city, but our entire existence, the whole universe was in peril of the thing around which we hung spinning.

Below and past the sucking hole of eternal destruction, a group of the slithering aliens overcame a particularly numerous knot of revealers, blinking out of existence the suddenly empty space of water became a weak link.

The eye hole began to topple toward the space, flinging us in turn around and down.  Too fast, too slowly we fell, were thrown.  I could barely see, barely breathe.  The water beneath approached as slowly as the torrent tore at us, the hole came within an arm's reach, had I only stretched an arm.  I did not, I clamped tighter and my dream of falling to water that would offer both salvation and ruin was becoming reality at that moment.

We raced at glacier pace right to the place from which a hydrant of water burst, adding to the flood and frenzy.  I realized that it must be the door just as we spun round, falling backwards.

The eye quavered and rocked, dipping as far as the water level, sweeping aliens and cultist together into the inky vacuum of another universe.  As I saw them tumble away, the hole spinning and tearing at itself I struck the waters below me like landing on pavement.

My arms and legs sprang open with the impact, throwing Brown up as I sank beneath the spiking waves.  The pain of a thousand belly flops tsunamied through my nervous system and back.

In a moment it was past and I reached up to snatch Brown's ankle.  I only caught a few fingers in the laces of her boots, but it was enough.  I swam down for all I was worth through the dark waters flowing up like a high pressure hose flowing over a class V rapids.

Kicking and flailing with my one arm I struggled.  Just as I thought my lungs would burst and lactic acid would render my muscles powerless, my fingers brushed the door jamb.

I gripped.

I gripped desperately.

I gripped with two fingers, then four.  I pulled, strained, reached, dug deep into my will power, the only resource I had left, and my face broke the surface.  I snatched a breath, but it was the only thing I could manage before complete muscle failure.

I collapsed back against the onslaught of the flood.  The only strength left me were the two fingers in Brown's boot and two on the door jamb.

My fingers too, finally failed and I slipped back down into the waters.

Then a hand snatched my wrist.  Then another hand, small, but powerful.  They pulled me, us toward the door, the dying light and air.

When my face again broke through the surface I breathed life giving air, oxygen of power.  I pulled with the hands.  I couldn't see who it was yet, but I could pull, and pull I did.  My shoulders came, then a foot caught purchase and I worked with my arm and legs, dragging Brown through the deluge.

When her booted foot cleared the water, and I was solidly bent around the door jamb, I heard the voice of our savior say, "My God!"

Chief Mac released me and grabbed Brown's ankle.  Relieved of the weight I pulled myself completely clear, and turned to help her pull Brown out.

I wanted to stop and rest, to collapse and not rise for days, but it was then that I heard the noise, nearly as loud as the interior had been.

The building was disintegrating.  The eye must have been banging around like a boulder through a crystal house.  Winds were roaring in, waters and debris swirling like a spherical tornado.

"Now!  Go Now!"  Shouted the Chief right in my stunned ear.  We each grabbed one of Brown's arms and dragged her to the hummer.  Brown and I tumbled into the open back and the Chief drove away with all the speed the vehicle had.

I looked back as we drove away, unable to look away.  I saw it.  I saw pieces of the building, the cars, the waters, some of the houses and bodies, human and otherwise, spinning round.

The eye had grown, but it was unstable, it bullied around until the whole chapel was a swarm of bricks and debris, then suddenly it collapsed, imploding with such force that our vehicle slowed for a moment.

The building re-coalesced into a ball of brick and mortar before dropping into the hole it had made of itself.

After, as we rode back, the rains fell and the winds blew, but it was only a hurricane named Rita.

Follow Me!

I may not be Infantry, but you can certainly follow me.  I've got my EMail tab!

If you received notification of this post by email then it was because I have set up an automatic notification for you by email.  Please let me know if it worked and if you want or don't want it to continue.  I can only put 10 email addresses on there and I want them to be the right ones.

If you are reading this and you didn't already get an email notification, AND you want one, you can let me know down on the right hand side of this blog.  It is right below the list of stories and posts.  Just put your email address in there and then every time I post (over 100 times last year so maybe twice a week) you will get your own personal email telling you about it.

If you got an email and you think someone else would enjoy getting an email then you can forward your email to them, then can come on the blog and they can add their address to the same place as mentioned in the last paragraph.

I get a lot of traffic when I send an email telling people to come see the newest post.  This way it will be automatic and if everyone that wants a notification puts in their email then I won't miss anyone!

Hoorah!

What, no writing goal?

You may have noticed that I have 5 goals this year:

Physical: Complete P90X
Physical: Get a new job
Spiritual: Earn Commissioner's Key
Mental: Learn Greek
Social: Quarterly Dates

These were based on the four needs as described by Stephen Covey in First Things First.  I was pressed for time and I hadn't (still haven't) finished reading the book before I need to decide on some resolutions for the new year.

Now I have read further and I see that I could have (probably should have) goals for each role I play in my life.  So far I've identified my roles as:

• Family man (father, son, brother and husband)
• Scouter
• Musician
• Writer
• Worker

I suppose "musician" is a stretch and I should probably make Archaeologist (or at the very least Archaeology enthusiast) a role if I ever actually want to become an Archaeologist as I have in my longest range plan.

Anyway, writer is sitting there without a goal.  The other one without a goal is musician, but 2011 was really the year I concentrated all my spare time on my Uke and I think I need to back off that this year.

What will I make my writing goal?  Should I make a writing goal, or will that just be too many things to try to work on?

In a way I look at anything I do and try to weigh how I spend my time against my goals and who I want to be (my roles).  Five things competing for my time is already stretching things.  How would I fit it in?

I feel like I need to fit it in or abandon it altogether, but my mental health somewhat relies on it.  I find myself pining for it and without a VERY strong goal that can guiltlessly preempt other activities I can't focus.  I haven't really written anything in a long time, probably over a year.

I guess I need to make at least this one goal, right here and right now.  I need to finish "Nightmares of Katrina" this month, no matter what else suffers.

I'm Still Here

I have a bit of survivor's remorse.  The cut today was almost completely random.  I think it was designed to be exactly random so they could say they had no favortism.

This article makes it sound not so bad.  It looks like less than 200 out of 13,000, but the "hospital diagnostic manufacturing" they're talking about is the Abbott Diagnostic Division.  My area lost 50%.

2012 Goals One by One - Spiritual (Scouting)

I gave myself the following goals for 2012:

Spiritual (Scouting)
Commissioner's Key

1. Goal
Earn Commissioner's Key by the end of the year

2. Benefit of meeting the goal =
Demonstrate proficiency to those I support, encourage other Commissioners to excel, push myself to perform at the right level to provide the right service to my units, and make myself more comfortable with my role as a Commissioner

3. Reminder of this benefit =
Get the patches and pin them in my hat until I earn them

4. Anti-benefit, the benefit of not accomplishing this goal =
More free time to work on my other goals

5. Alternate means of achieving the anti-benefit =
Better organization. Work better, not harder

6. Task list (or milestones, or intermediate goals) =

Commissioner Key Requirements
I. Training
1. - Done - Complete the three session training program outlined in Commissioner Basic Training Manual
2. Complete personal coaching orientation including the orientation projects.

II. Tenure
1. - Done - Complete 3 years as a registered commissioner within a 5-year period.

III. Performance
1. Earn the Arrowhead Honor Award for your position. Earn Unit Commissioner Arrowhead
a. - Done - Visit each assigned unit eight or more times throughout the year
b. Fill in and follow up on Commissioner Work Sheets or self assessment forms for each assigned unit:
c. Conduct membership and leadership inventories in each assigned unit
d. - Done - Attend six District Commissioner staff meetings and provide the training topic for one meeting
e. - Done - Participate in a charter review meeting that results in on-time unit reregistration
f. Participate in a charter presentation
g. - Done - Attend a council Commissioner conference, and
h. Help a unit resolve a specific problem or improve some aspect of their unit operation.

7. Next Step =
Commissioner worksheets and work with units on problems

8. Who do I have to be to be able to make this goal (or who will I be when I make it) =
Unit Commissioner

9. Accountability =
• I will remind the District Commissioner and my ADC that I'm working on this and intend to complete it.
• I will carry and complete the tracking card
• I will schedule dates in my calendar

2012 Goals One by One - Mental (Music and Writing)

I gave myself the following goals for 2012:

Mental (Music and Writing)

Make at least 4 novel submissions this year

This is problematic because of two things. 

I really need to set a goal for myself to learn Greek.  The older my in-laws get the more I need to learn it to help understand what they need and to help my wife.  As they get older and they have a harder time remembering things the easier it gets for them to speak Greek and the more essential it is for me to understand and help them.

The other thing is this.  As morbid as it sounds, my Dad had always said that all the men in his family died in their 50s and 60s.  We thought that might have been because they were all firemen (that's right, fireMEN) and the smoke and stress may have gotten to them, but when my Dad died a couple of years ago, after having been a Police Officer and having the benefit of modern medicine, I became concerned. If I've only got 60something years in total then I only have 20something more years to go.  At the rate I expect to take it, it will probably take me close to 20 years to get a doctorate.  That and my GI Bill will run out in another 6 years or so mean that I'd better get on that horse sooner than later.

So that means I have three things that I HAVE to do because of WHO I am:

Writing Books

Learning Greek

Getting Back to School

I'd better wait on School though since we still have to figure out how to put kids through school.  I guess that votes that down for this year.

The nice thing about writing is that I can do it at any age and in any physical condition.  There is no time limit.

Greek is somewhat time limited.  I need that skill now and the longer it goes the more I need it and the better I need to be at it.

That sets it then.  As much as my psyche and muse hammer at me, as much as it's a part of who I am and what I can't stop myself from doing all the time, writing will just have to take a back seat to Greek.  Setting it as a goal is the only way I'll be able to give it enough weight to overtake the writing urges.  I will keep the novel goals as sub-resolutions, that is, the parts of it will be shorter term goals of certain months, but I can't make that my Resolution for 2012.

1.  Goal

Be able to hold a conversation in Greek and be able to read a newspaper in Greek by the end of the year.

2.  Benefit of meeting the goal =

"…be able to write your mother-in-law a letter?"  My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  This isn't far from the truth.  The benefit, as I said is better communication with my in-laws.

3.  Reminder of this benefit =

I need to put Greek labels on things.

4.  Anti-benefit, the benefit of not accomplishing this goal =

More time for writing. 

Less reminder that I'm a big dummy that can't learn languages very well.

5.  Alternate means of achieving the anti-benefit =

Short term writing goals.

Rewards for each Greek language accomplishment I reach.

6.  Task list (or milestones, or intermediate goals) =

Get books on learning Greek

Posting labels

Schedule time to study

FIND my copy of Rosetta Stone or buy a new copy on eBay

Complete Margarita Greek learning software

Attend Greek school classes at church and enroll next year

Do ALL exercises through Greek school

Get extra assignments from Greek school teacher

Find on-line Greek classes

Get Greek books from the library (this should be a pre-cursor to buying the books)

Speak Greek as often as possible

Find a learning partner

7.  Next Step =

Schedule time

8.  Who do I have to be to be able to make this goal (or who will I be when I make it) =

A Greek speaker

To remind myself I should get a subscription to a Greek newscast

9.  Accountability =

Ask my wife for a Greek only day a week

Schedule

Buy books (put my money where my mouth is, or should be)

2012 Goals One by One - Social (Family)

I gave myself the following Social goal for 2012:

(Family)

Quarterly Dates - one substantial date each quarter

This should be easy to state, not so easy to do.

1.  Goal

Quarterly dates, that's going out to dinner and something else, a movie, a show, a game something.  It could be a night/weekend away too.

2.  Benefit of meeting the goal =

Reinforce our marriage bond, and reinforce the need for fun together (especially for Mrs. Prop)

3.  Reminder of this benefit =

I'll have to think about this one.  Probably something reminding me of our wedding placed somewhere I can see it daily.

4.  Anti-benefit, the benefit of not accomplishing this goal =

Save money.  This one will cost us some.  This is also an anti-goal Mrs. Prop will stress and I will have to overcome her.

5.  Alternate means of achieving the anti-benefit =

Cook more dinners at home, less eating out in general.  Make it obvious when we save money that sort of way.

Another way is to find free activities to attend along with dinner.

6.  Task list (or milestones, or intermediate goals) =

• ·         Sit down and plan with Mrs. Prop
• ·         Set calendars
• ·         Send invitations to Mrs. prop
• ·         Choose sites for events
• ·         Choose sites for meals
• ·         Make reservations
• ·         Perhaps save money
• ·         Look for coupons

7.  Next Step =

Sit down with Mrs. Prop and set the date and activities for 1Q

8.  Who do I have to be to be able to make this goal (or who will I be when I make it) =

Less selfish husband.

9.  Accountability =

• ·         I will check in with a friend (please note who and how often).

o   Mrs. Prop is integral to accomplishment of this goal

• ·         I will create a chart / schedule (please note where & how often you will use it).

o   I should post date nights in the kitchen

• ·         I will create a reminder on my calendar / PDA / computer.

o   Mine and Mrs. Prop

2012 Goals One by One - Physical (Work)

I've given myself the following goal to support my physical needs for 2012:

Get a new position at work

1. Goal
To avoid a layoff, get a new position, ideally a promotion (over level 14) in a division that is not ADD by the end of the first quarter.

2. Benefit of meeting the goal =
Not get laid off, continue to provide finances for my family, help ease the financial earning need of Mrs. Prop

3. Reminder of this benefit =
I don't think I really need a reminder, the fear is palpable.

4. Anti-benefit, the benefit of not accomplishing this goal =
Don't have to put in the extra effort of writing a resume and a cover letter. Don't have to put myself out and let the status quo

5. Alternate means of achieving the anti-benefit =
I don't know an alternate way of being lazy, or nervous about a new job

6. Task list (or milestones, or intermediate goals) =
Search the job board daily
Complete mentor request
Meet with mentor
Develop growth plan
Write a cover letter that can be used and then used as a basis for the rest of them
Submit applications as often as possible, for anything even close
Create job history file (thingie)

7. Next Step =
Search job board
Complete mentor request

8. Who do I have to be to be able to make this goal (or who will I be when I make it) =
A manager and more confident in the Abbott job search system

9. Accountability =
Set my growth plan
I will create a reminder on my calendar.

2012 Goals One by One - Physical (Health)

I gave myself the following goals for 2012:

Physical (Health and Work)

Honestly I've got to split these out, I can't have one without the other, for so many reasons.

1.  P90X or Insanity

2.  Get a new position

Social (Family)

Quarterly Dates - one substantial date each quarter

Mental (Music and Writing)

Make at least 4 novel submissions this year

Spiritual (Scouting)
Commissioner's Key

The article in LifeHack gives 9 parts to each resolution.  I'm going to do the Health one today.

1.  Goal

Finish P90X or Insanity by 30 June 12.

2.  Benefit of meeting the goal =

Live longer, give myself a chance to do something after retiring and enjoy my grandchildren

3.  Reminder of this benefit =

I think about short life all the time with reminders of my father's cancer, but I think I will also find a symbol of Archaeology to put on one side of each of my computers and a grandchild for the other side.

4.  Anti-benefit, the benefit of not accomplishing this goal =

Get to relax and not exercise.

5.  Alternate means of achieving the anti-benefit =

I'll take September off of exercising.

6.  Task list (or milestones, or intermediate goals) =

• Get P90X (it's on hold at the library)
• Alternate is to borrow it from a friend
• Last alternate is to buy it
• Exercise in the meantime so I can be ready to do it
• Get all the equipment I need for it

7.  Next Step =

Find out what the starting requirements are for P90X and Insanity

8.  Who do I have to be to be able to make this goal (or who will I be when I make it) =

Buff stud (just kidding), I have to be thinner and stronger

9.  Accountability =

• I've posted this here, and I will keep posting here on a weekly basis once I start
• I will have a spreadsheet to track my progress
• I will post my before, during and after pictures.

2012 Resolution Worksheet

I’ve been doing a lot of research, looking for a better way to manage my tasks/time.  I pushed and squeezed and prodded and stomped on, but I just can’t get Allen’s GTD to fit my life.  I NEED priorities, I need that life goal orientation, but I need it to be able to zoom down into daily activities.

I've reviewed last year's resolutions and although I accomplished more than I think  a lot of people do, I didn't get a majority of the things I wanted to do done.

If I carried forward the things that I didn't do last year I would have:

Health
1. Weight - >220
2. Finish P90

Family
1. Quarterly Dates
2. Game Night
3. New Pet
4. Walks

Music:
1. Play with my family (both in my house and a holiday gatherings)
2. Learn to play bass

Scouting
1. Commissioner Key
2. Archaeology Merit Badge Clinic

Writing:
1. Do NaNoEdMo in March
2. Submit my NaNoWriMo 2010 novel to a publisher

Work
1. Don't get laid off  (though this was a success last year, I'm keeping it)
2. Get a Promotion

Also, these were the goals I thought up back in early November:

“I have some new goals. Some have developed from these and some are completely new. I'm going to record them so I don't forget. These are new and not carry-overs from 2011:

1. New Job outside ADD
2. Fix Lincoln Avenue Trail
3. One new fiction story a week (maybe I can split this between fiction and Papa stories)
4. Learn sax and get back in both the Libertyville Band and the CLC band
5. P90X or Insanity
6. 100 Bike commutes
7. Learn bass
8. Earn the right to write a NaNoWriMo by making 3 novel submissions by November”

Some of those match each other and some of them I just don't want to do any more (or think they wouldn't be worth doing).  Also, this says nothing to continuing what I already have, but for the sake of argument let me put the two lists together with what I think are worthwhile.

Health
1. Weight  >220
2. Finish P90X or Insanity

Family
1. Quarterly Dates
2. New Pet
3. Walks

Music:
1. Play with my family (both in my house and a holiday gatherings)
2. Learn to play bass

3. Learn sax and get back in both the Libertyville Band and the CLC band

Scouting
1. Commissioner Key

Writing
1. Do NaNoEdMo in March
2. Earn the right to write a NaNoWriMo by making 3 novel submissions by November

3. One new fiction story a week (maybe I can split this between fiction and Papa stories)

Work
1. Don't get laid off  (though this was a success last year, I'm keeping it)
2. Get a Promotion outside ADD

There are two others that don't fit these categories:

1.  Learn Greek

2. Fix Lincoln Avenue Trail

I've found a website called LifeHack and an article there with a New Year's Resolution Worksheet.  I think I should put this together with the four basic needs and come up with 4 goals for this year.

So I will give myself a goal to meet the following needs:

Physical (Health and Work)

Honestly I've got to split these out, I can't have one without the other, for so many reasons.

1.  P90X or Insanity

2.  Get a new position

Social (Family)

Quarterly Dates - one substantial date each quarter

Mental (Music and Writing)

Make at least 4 novel submissions this year

Spiritual (Scouting)
Commissioner's Key

The article gives 9 parts to each resolution.  I'm going to take each of these in the next five days and write out those 9 steps.