It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. -Confucious
Depending on how tired you are of reading whatever the title of this post implies this will either be really interesting or yet another thing to scroll on past.
I’m up to date now on all of the aforementioned catch-up activities and ready to move onto the new year’s to do list o fun. Before I do I am happy to note that I’ve completed a few things this year that I’m fairly proud of just starting. Here are my top 12 highlights.
Winter (2012 – 2013)
1. Started the 2013 Goodreads Challenge to read 27 books.
2. Resolved to take more pictures this year.
3. Wrote enough songs to fill an album for FAWM. Put one of them on YouTube. Told maybe 5 people about it.
4. Joined Twitter.
Spring
5. Traveled a bit. By myself to New England for the first time to attend a good friend’s wedding. I also fulfilled a dream of mine while there to visit the MIT Media Lab. Harvard too. A few weeks later, with my trusty travel buddy (a.k.a. mom), I took a road trip up the Cali coast to Hearst Castle in San Simeon.
6. Took lots of pictures.
7. Attended the Digital Hollywood Conference and had an awesome experience thanks to the kindness of a few people.
Summer
8. Experienced a summer of storytelling. Thanks to my local library this included watching DVDs of every movie I’d wanted to watch from 2009-2012 but never got around to seeing. About 22 movies in the span of 2.5 months. My favorites were “Date Night” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” with an honorable mention for “Dinner for Schmucks.”
9. Won a couple of cool prizes (movie tickets and a couple of DVDs) via Twitter contests.
Fall
10. Hiked and made some new local friends.
11. Joined Instagram.
Winter (2013 – 2014)
Goodreads challenge, complete!
12. Finished the 2013 Goodreads Challenge to read 27 books!
I feel more well-read than I did at this time last year and slightly more informed about the world. I also realize ever more acutely how enormous the task of trying to read everything I wish to read within a year is. There’s just not enough time. But it doesn’t mean I won’t continue to try. I’ll definitely scale back on my for fun reading in 2014 to spend time focused on other things. I’ll shoot for reading 10 – 12 books and use the rest of my “free” time for new adventures. In any case it should be fun.
Well that’s my list (and my 400th post). I can’t wait to see what new stories I have to tell next year. Hope you all have a happy and healthy 2014!
A Mad Notepad 
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