New Year's Resolutions 2011

Dear Chicken Nugget,

As we end the second day of the New Year, I thought I'd lay down my resolutions for this year.  I'll let you hold me accountable to these.

Most people find resolutions fun and pointless.  They're a great way to reboot your personal goals but since there's no accountability, most people drop their resolutions within weeks.

To help keep me accountable, I'll offer you this:

For every resolution I do not keep, I will give you $100 cash.  I usually make ten resolutions a year, for a potential $1000 cash every year until you turn 18.  

Deal?  You just smiled at me, so I'll take that as a yes.

So, without further ado, my New Year's Resolutions of 2011:

1) Be a good father.
2) Be a good husband.
3) Run nine NYRR-scored races and volunteer for one NYRR event.  This will help me gain guaranteed entry into the 2012 NYC Marathon.
4) Become a certified USATF Level 1 Running Coach in order to better teach my Running Club kids.
5) Clean up the back room, or "man cave" as your mom calls it, once a month.
6) Finish reading the Bible, with Facebook breaks allowed only in between books.
7) Exercise every day unless illness requires rest - your mom will have to judge "illness" on this one.
8) Get my cholesterol checked at least four times this year.
9)  Donate blood at least four times this year.  Note to self: Don't do the cholesterol check and blood donation on the same day.
10) Dance with you at least once a day.

I hope to be able to complete all ten resolutions this year.  In the long run I hope you'll understand that me completing these ten resolutions is more important than the cash you'll earn from me breaking them.  Still, it's a good way to keep me focused.

Two days down and you still have earned no cash from me - off to a good start.


Eternally yours,

Tu papa

Giving up Facebook for Advent. Sort of.

Dear Chicken Nugget,

As I write there are 500 million people in the world that are using something called Facebook.  It's a social network website that allows users to connect with one another around world.  It's also a great time-suck.

It's been absolutely wonderful to connect to old classmates that I lost touch with, be able to communicate with relatives in Ecuador, and let people know that something funny just happened.

But, checking in on others can take up time - especially if you end up checking in twice a day like I usually do.

So inspired by friends and family, I'm giving up Facebook for Advent.  Sort of.

First, your great uncle Barry, a pastor in Texarkana, TX, posted on a blog that we should try to read the books of the Bible in order.  I've already done that twice before and I've learned so much each time so I figured that's something I should do some day soon.

Then a friend from my running club, you may remember him as the guy in the chicken costume on Marathon Sunday, posted that he was going to give up Facebook for the rest of 2010; just as a challenge to himself.

Finally, as I was reading up on Advent I learned that people used to treat Advent much like they did Lent - they would fast to prepare for the birth of Jesus.  Although I'm not going to fast this Advent, I decided I could instead refrain from Facebook somehow.

So the end result is this:

I will read the books of the Bible in order and only check in on Facebook when I complete a full book of the Bible.  

Something you'll learn about me is that I set up challenges for myself just to see if I have the willpower to do them (like marathons, for example).  I find it's good practice to challenge yourself this way; it lets you know that you are stronger than you think you are.

Of course, I thought my Advent challenge was going to be easier.  Somehow I forgot that the first time I read the Bible straight through it took me two months.  Oh, and I also forgot to calculate the number of times I would be interrupted in my reading by you, Nugget.

had we picked a name out of Genesis you might have been named Gether or Nimrod

Not that I'm complaining.  Reading it in smaller bits has allowed me to meditate on smaller events.  But still, after Day 2 I'm on page 20 of 1,034 and just halfway done with Genesis.

So, I don't think I'm anywhere near on pace to complete the Bible by Christmas or New Year's Day for that matter.  No, this challenge might take me straight into Lent.  And by the time I get there, since it's Lent, I might as well set up a new challenge...


Eternally yours,

Tu papa