Revisiting Last Year’s Resolutions
I dusted off an old blog entry from early 2009. I made a list of New Year’s Resolutions, and I thought I’d quickly go through and see how I did.
1) Be an excellent homeschool Dad. (FAIL)
I was a good homeschool dad. But an excellent one? No way. I can do much better. Sadly, this last semester kept me very occupied, and I feel that I let the kids down in the area of history and writing. (Fortunately, thanks to a website called Brainpop.com, they’ve been getting a lot of science under their belt.)
2) Develop abs of steel. (FAIL)
Ha! No. No steel abs. I didn’t gain any weight though!
3) Be a more appreciative husband. (MAYBE)
Hmm… I hope I accomplished this one… but I’ll have to ask Cheri. (Maybe after she’s had a glass of wine.)
4) Make + $20,000 from writing. (CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR)
I got relatively close to this mark. I think with my book advance, my plays, and my About.com Guidesite I raked in about $15,000 – my best year ever. So, technically, it’s a fail — but it’s one I feel very pleased about.
5) Be a more organized instructor. (WIN)
I received a terrific review from Moorpark College… and I think for the most part I was quite diligent about giving constructive feedback to my students. Sure, I missed a couple book adoption deadlines — but overall I think I’ve slightly improved my absent-minded professor ways.
6) Get an acceptance letter from a publisher. (WIN!)
Yes — I’m still grinning about this one. In case you are a new reader to this blog, I finally accomplished a life-long goal. I sold my first picture book text. The name of the book: Why Do I Have to Make My Bed? The publisher: Tricycle Press. Abigail Samoun is my wonderful editor. *Sigh* I still get misty-eyed knowing that I can say I have an editor.
7) Keep in touch with family more often. (SLIGHT WIN)
I did a bit better than previous years… mainly thanks to Facebook.
Eat more vegetables. (FAIL)
I did fine for the first six months… and then I basically ate a few carrots now and then.
9) Write a novel. (FAIL)
Nope. I did write my full-length play, Promedy. I also wrote a little Shakespeare spoof, Macbeth Mixed Up. And I’ve started two books… One is dead in the water (that’s its status, not its title) and the other is coming along slowly but surely (again, cliche state of being, not title).
10) Write another novel in case the first novel sucks. (EPIC FAIL)
Ah, how amusing that my slightly younger self believed that he could write not just one novel but two — and all within 365 days. Well, maybe in the days before children!
