This should be the best year ever. If not, won't be for lack of trying. First resolution or goal is to ride (bicycle) at least 50 miles a week. Will probably be slow going until it warms up a little more, but an easily attainable goal. Added incentive is my new Lemond Zurich (acquired just before Christmas). My favorite bike shop, Chain Reaction, made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
Next up, learn to play the guitar. Our local independent music store had a going out of business sale and I couldn't resist picking up a new Yamaha Acoustic guitar for a substantial discount off the retail price. I tried several times in the past, but never seemed to be able to sustain it. What's different this time? Well, to start, all the great online lessons, videos at YouTube, beginner and genre lessons at various sites including videos and mp3 files. My current favorite is Guitar Noise.
Next, polish up my Spanish, including (I hope) taking a two-week trip to Mexico or Central America for full immersion language classes. At present I am reviewing my grammars, listening to Spanish radio (we have several AM and FM stations here in the Silicon Valley) and my secret pleasure, watching telenovelas in Spanish. At first I was totally lost. Now, I catch about 60% of the dialogue (the "acting" communicates most of the content). I found a great site that gives daily recaps in English of the prior nights programs Caray, Caray.
And lastly, improve my fishing results. After a 40 year lay off while raising the family and becoming a success (LOL), I recently began camping and fishing with an old friend from high school who recently retired. For the past two years we have gone camping and fishing for almost one long weekend (4 days) each month. We avoid the real cold and wet months of November - February, although we do take day trips to the coast (Sunset or Manresa Beaches) for surf fishing. I have all the necessary gear and equipment, mostly purchased from Cabela's, but my results have been disappointing. This year I will keep a record, with pictures of our catches.
My other interests include reading. In fiction, I prefer court room or police procedurals, historical novels, and the classics. For non-fiction, mostly politics, biography or history. Married to a retired librarian, I get the 411 on the latest best sellers and must-reads. Just finished "The Distand Land of My Father" by Bo Caldwell. She is a skilled writer, with an incredible ability to invoke atmosphere and creates wonderful characters.
The best laid plans, etc. notwithstanding, let's see where this takes us!
