Blogging time, yay!
I had the following goals at the start of the year, un-edited from a google doc:
- Start writing (10 blog posts)
- Get into digital art, shaders, and computer graphics in general
- Run a marathon
- (Carry over) Run 5k under 23 mins (7:24 pace)
- (carry over) Make $50 from any side software I develop
- (carry over) 75kg stable, starting 81kg
- Get to 400 chinese words / characters memorized
- Learn how to weight lift
- Hand stand 30s
It's now November 11th, figured it's time to check in on progress. Or more realistically start working towards these goals haha. Goal 1 - start a blog! If this blog gets published I've already achieved 1/10th of 1/9th of my goals. Hell yeah!
Anyway, time to introspect on why I have these goals, see how far I've gotten, and see how far I can get by the end of the year. As a programmer and there being 7 weeks left in the year, I feel optimistic that all is on-schedule!
Goal 1: Write 10 blog posts
Maybe a weird goal because, let's be real, why write? Nobody cares about people's random blog posts. I think there a few answers and in-order of relevance:
- I've thought about blogging for many years. At one point having a repeated thought and not having acted on it is just sadness. Acting on thoughts is a great greedy algorithm, out-competing the vast majority of "let me wait for the right condition" approaches out there.
- On the more practical side, writing helps clarify thoughts. Writing makes you better writer. I write a lot at work to communicate and I like communicating clearly. Just as importantly I like having clear thoughts. Win win baby.
Expecting no-one to ever read my rambling here is also not a detriment but the opposite. I don't need to think about audience. I don't need to worry about saying dumb things. I'll say them regardless and having no readers I'm beholden to in any way is wonderful.
So how am I doing so far? Well about 1/10th of the way towards completing my first blog entry out of the 10 I have for the year. And I have 7 more weeks left! It's hard not to feel full of optimism!
Goal 2: Do digital art and stuff
I love, conceptually, computer graphics. I suck at the variety of digital art disciplines. Maybe pushing myself to learn programming so I can eventually do cool programming art has drained my soul from any creative impetus. Well at least corp work has.
I didn't really add an evaluation criteria for this goal. I don't really have a good one in mind but the one that comes to mind is - I just need to create one cool original art thing, shader or otherwise, that is original and I'm proud of it. Proud doesn't mean it's good, but rather from an internal evaluation perspective.
Grade so far? Ehhh, I'll give myself a solid C-. I've tinkered with a number of things and as my high-school teachers would always tell me, I "have so much potential, if only I applied myself". Lol.
Goal 3: Run a marathon
Just reading this makes me a bit upset. Some context is in order. At the start of last year, my partner and two friends decided to do New York City's 9+1 program. This program gives you a guaranteed entry into the New York City Marathon, NYCM, as long as you do 9 official races and you volunteer to help at one. I joined the three of them as I felt like I should be supportive by cheering for them after the races. But those races were already happening super early and if I'm getting up to go cheer and celebrate I might as well just do the races. So I joined the 9+1 and qualified for this year's NYCM.
So there I am, present year, November 3rd, early morning in the fucking cold with my 9 runner gels all ready to go. Two years of training and pumped to finally check this goal off so I can do something else with my life. And I guess pumped to run the marathon too. And then, bam!, mile 7 my knee starts hurting. I power through for 5 miles and the pain gets to the point where I can't keep running. All of the amazing people, thousands of them, with all their funny and effortful signs, cheering and I'm there at mile 12 in agonizing pain forced to start walking. I don't feel fatigued but another runner taps me hard on the back while passing me and yells encouragingly for me to keep pushing. My bro, I wish I could.
Ended up walking 6 emberrasing miles, up to mile 18, where my lovely partner and friends were waiting for me with phenomenal signs. My two friends had already finished their marathons. I slinked away from the cheering crowd and went to celebrate their success with excessive drinking and food.
Kind of a sucky but wonderful experience at the same time. And dare I say it was a bit of a character building moment but will have to wait and see how that shakes out.
Grade? B-. I trained, I ran, and I failed.
The worst part is post-marathon I was going to put my running shoes away and pick up a more productive hobby like binge watching reality tv shows on Netflix. But because I failed now I'm somehow in a lottery drawing to go run the Berlin marathon next year. And friends are already charting out whether we'll do the Chicago marathon or some other one besides the NYCM (which sadly I can't run since I didn't do the 9+1 this year).
Long ramble short, running is a cult-like activity and I was close to escaping but it pulled me back in.
Goal 4: Run 5k under 23 mins (7:24 pace); carry over from 2023
Not too much to say here. Added this as part of my marathon training.
According to NY Road Runners, the best 5k race I've had is 24m 9s or a 7:47 miles/min pace. This was June 3rd.
Let me check how much progress I've made since. According to Strava my best 5k time is 23m 7s from Sept 23. Much better than I thought! I stopped short distance runs after that run and focused on long distance to prep for the marathon. I think shaving 7s should be doable and this is likely the one resolution I'm closest to achieving.
Overall grade, A-!
Goal 5: Make $50 from something I build; carry over from 2023
I've had ideas of building something and selling it and maybe quitting my job to do that full time. I've in fact my job multiple times to go execute on some idea in my head but never shipped and never made money. Now I'm old and I have a family so not really doing the whole yolo thing but the dream of building and selling a product, probably something digital, still lives.
I have done nothing on this axis of dreams and goals. $corp_job and a newborn (<3) has been keeping me busy.
Grade: ehh not really gradable. Put me in for the repeat course.
Goal 6: 75kg stable, starting 81kg; carry over from 2023
I wish this was something cool like my plan for a single arm dumbbell curl or something. But nah, I've gained some mass and it would be good to ungain it.
Right now at 78kg, but mostly floating at 77kg these days. So some progress but not nearly enough.
Grade: B-. I would say doable but thanksgiving and xmas are coming..
Goal 7: Get to 400 chinese words / characters memorized
This one is just embarrasing. I studied (though maybe not very hard) Chinese for 3 years and then I quit because my brain tiny. I still want to make some progress though - I even spent 2 weeks in China this year and definitely want to go back. That said I've made minimal progress here. I don't even know how many words I actually know. If I had to take a guess it's about 100 characters and maybe 300 spoken.
Grade: D-. I suck at languages :(
Goal 8: Learn how to weight lift
Haven't done jack. Still want to learn. There's still time I think.
No clear completion criteria so I'll set one now. I should start having a "weight lifting day" in the gym at least once a week, or like ever. I don't because I don't even know what that would look like.
Goal 9: Hand stand 30s
Not sure why that's even here haha. I think I've done hand stands for 30s previously, likely many years back. I don't think I can do one now for 5s let alone 30s.
Conclusion
Writing takes time but I finished a blog thing! That's something.