The Big List of Goals 2023: Goals

 Yesterday I discussed both the process I try for in working on my annual goals as well as the complications which are making this year different from years past.  Today, I would like to present my goals as they are now planned for 2023.  The Area will be listed, along with the goal/goals and a small explanation:

God

- Increase tithing by 1%:   We should do more.  Large increases can be hard to manage.  This is now an annual goal.

- Practice Lectio Divina and Prayer every morning for 30 minutes: I am cognizant of the fact that my relationship with God has a been a bit tenuous of late.  There are multiple factors for this; what I need to deal with are the ones I can work on directly. Time in God's Word (Lectio Divina) and prayer are two things that directly in my control.  The time is meant as a guideline to give myself the space to not rush through it.

Girls

- Date night/Activity with The Ravishing Mrs. TB:  Perhaps unsurprisingly (like a lot of couples) we have come to lead some what separate social lives.  Children only tend to complicate this, of course.  It is a weakness we both have recognized and need to address. The time is booked; we just need to find something.

Gold

- Industry Certification:  I have one more major certification to complete in my industry.  I just need to buckle down and do it.

- 2023 Nanowrimo: One of the things that continues to nag my mind is writing a book.  The problem is not so much finding the time as it is the time-space to write.  Nanowrimo stands for National Novel Writing Month.  Held every November, the challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.  I have completed it once before in 2012; for those of you keeping track, it is a mere 1,667 words a day.  

Iaijutsu

- Prepare for testing 2024:  Rank in my martial arts style is not in the belt system, but rather under the older menkyo  (certificate of transmission) system.  One has to test for rank - and the testing only takes place in Japan and not every year.  I was hoping to test in 2021, but The Plague happened.  While there is no guarantee that there will be testing in 2024 or even that we will be able to go to Japan, the curriculum is known.  It is merely a matter of study and being ready.

- Take (and pass) N4 JLPT Test:  The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is a standardized test on knowledge (reading comprehension, aural comprehension, and vocabulary) of the Japanese language.  I passed N5 (Lowest level) some years ago; the knowledge will be useful for iaijustu as well as just my general Japanese culture practices.

- Increase maximum weights on Bench Press, (Safety Bar) Squat, and Deadlift:  Strength increases are something of a moving target, especially as we get older.  My practice - until proven otherwise, is to expect I can see small increases.  Instead of going for a single max increase, I have aimed for 4 x lifts, which to my mind are more indicative of actual strength.  My current maximums for the Olympic lifts I practice are 4 x 175 (Bench Press), 4 x 155 (Safety Bar Squat), and 4 x 260 (Deadlift).  I do not anticipate that there is any reason I should not be able to see small increases in each of these.

- Aerobic training for Hike in August to include at least one 5K run:  Of all of my victories in my 2022 Mt. Whitney Hike, one point of remaining disappointment I have is that I "ran out of gas" on the last bit up the summit.  This may or may not be a physical related limitation; what I do feel is that did not train as hard on this aspect as I could of.  To that end, I am working on my aerobic training.  One is more regular sessions on the Stairmaster; another is to start running again.  To give myself some incentive, I would like to complete at least one 5K this year.  

Ichiryo Gusoku

- The Ranch:  As I have written multiple times, this year is the decision point for how I am going to be at the Ranch, at least for the next 3-5 years (essentially, until Nighean Dhonn graduates.  The Ravishing Mrs. TB and I have had some initial discussion (referenced in the Prologue), but nothing firm.  I am also exploring other options, up to and including offer to pay some kind of rent on the house the defer cost of maintaining it and to put off any other sorts of decisions.  But something has to be in place by the end of the year, if not by the end of August.

- Practice Harp and have at least one public performance:  Once back in the now lost ages, I played the harp (the folk harp, not the Orchestral harp).  I was, at one time, even in a musical group. But things happen and life goes on.  This past Christmas, someone posted a video from those days and it reminded me how much I enjoyed doing that.  I have the harp, I have the music - I just need to make the time.

- Study Organic Gardening (and then use the knowledge):  One of the best investments I made this year was in the Permies' Kickstarter for a series of videos based on the work of Masanobu Fukuoka.  Besides the video, I received a simply amazing array of additional materials (I have to say I do like the Kickstarter model) for my review and education.

The last year was a hard one for my gardening, both because of my travels as well as the fact that we had a rough Summer this year - very hot and very arid.  Simply put, gardening is something I can and should get better at, and it is not as if I do not have to tools to do it.  I just need to start actually adapting my practices for the location I am in right now (and figuring out a way to buffer for being gone).

- Cheesemaking:  My cheesemaking has been a little disrupted by my back and forth travel to and from The Ranch.  I need to get back on the bandwagon, especially with hard cheese making.  Also - although not specifically cheese - I would like to try my hand at making butter (yes, I know I can buy it, but having the ability to turn raw materials into food is always a good skill to have).  I do not mention yogurt making here as other than my travels away, I have completely 100% supplied my yogurt intake through making it at home.

- Sewing: I darn my socks and make small rip repairs or button reattachments.  But I would like to get a little more advanced in my sewing skills - not that I particularly need more clothes, but sometimes there are things that are simply easier to obtain by sewing.

- Finish Online Classes (Forestry And Beekeeping):  Back at the height of The Plague, the University of Pennsylvania was offering free on-line classes.  I took one (Basic Tree Trimming) but have never followed up to take the other two, Forestry and Beekeeping.  Literally, it is me watching videos and taking notes.  There is no excuse.

- Study Old English.  Be able to translate a text by December 2023:  Once upon time, I was an English major.  Three classes I took during that time impacted me:  World Literature (where I read the book Njal's Saga, which both cemented my interests in sagas and gave me a desire to go to Iceland which was fulfilled 30 years later), The Tales of Canterbury (I can still recite the opening of the Tales of Canterbury from memory), and Old English.  I love words and the history of words and languages, and for some reason Old English continues to fascinate me.  Its history is, in a very real sense, my history.  I have the books and (via the InterWeb) access to literally the whole Anglo-Saxon corpus.  It does not matter the length of the passage, only that I translate it.

Bonus Round:  There are some additional bonus goals which I have kept in reserve that I will give myself credit for if I hit them - with the understanding that if I do not, nothing is lost.

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The great thing (to me, anyway) about these goals are 1) I think they are all achievable; and 2) With the exception of some registration fees, they are largely all things I already have in house to start with.  Applying myself and time are all I need to put in place to accomplish them.  

As is usual for myself, this probably reflects some aspect of "Imperial Overreach" of which I am always guilty, but I would rather aim high for the stars and hit the moon than aim for the top of the mountain and smash into it far below the peak.