Halloween Resolutions

I have developed an annual habit. The week leading up to Halloween I ponder how the current year has gone and what I would like to do differently in the following. I start this musing a bit with resolutions in mind, but I look at quite a few things on the approach to the holidays and beyond. This practice helps me start examining and altering habits so that I have a chance of making them stick through practice before that mystical connection to a new year begins. 

I am a quiet thinker. I like to get a little space around me. I love when I can remove distractions. I have spent this weekend spinning my wheels, letting my brain process, and reading a couple of books. I had looked at my trackers and there were a few results I was not unexpectedly disappointed in. 

I started the year planning to draw a picture every day. That lasted a couple of months and just stopped. April through July were not great months for my health both physically and mentally. I spent quite a bit of time in bed feeling terrible. I didn't do much drawing. My sketches average out to about one per week rather than one per day.

Like those guys who write in Starbucks so others see them writing, yet they never seem to produce anything with their writing beyond try to call themselves a writer I am having to be honest with myself about my interest in art. I remember when I took pride in my ability to draw. I told myself I would do something with it one day. Now, I have no intention of trying to sell any sort of art. It is just a pleasant way to occasionally plant time. I am not an artist. I don't feel driven to improve those skills unlike the continual energy I invest in things like target shooting or writing. Yep, I am not an artist. I just draw occasionally. I will keep tracking when I draw, but this isn't going to be on my 2023 to do list. 

Similarly, I was surprised at how little time I spend finishing video games. So far I have completed twenty one games in 2022. I spent quite a bit more time playing classing console games than anything else. I have completed all of the Super Mario Bros. games for NES and SNES. I have completed the Legend of Zelda titles for NES. I finished my first escape in Hades. I completed (again) the first Borderlands game and the first Left 4 Dead. I completed Skyrim's storylines and expansions. Most of my video game time has gone into Final Fantasy. I have completed V-IX and Started X. I am about 50 hours into the PC game Weird West which I am loving. 

I spend a lot of time gaming that isn't about completing games. Teagan and I bowl and play tennis daily on Switch Sports. I play quite a few games casually like Cuphead, Crash Bandicoot, Castle Crashers, and Fieldrunners. I have also casually worked on completing Mario 64. The only thing video game wise that I wish I had and do not is a working Wii or Wii U (The Wii U is probably better) with Link's Crossbow Training. I never could get enough of light gun games. I honestly contemplate finding an old CRT TV and an original NES with Duck Hunt. It just feels like a waste of money. 

On the writing front I haven't done much except blog. However, my blog is on track for the year. I have posted something every Monday and Thursday. It is nice to get one habit right. The value of the writing is much less about connecting to an audience or sharing any valid thoughts and more about proving to myself that I can hold on to a habit as I promised myself I would. That win gives me hope. 

On the reading front I was surprised at how few books I have completed. I have moved away from personal growth titles which I devoured last year. Instead I have been reading for fun. I am averaging just a bit less than a book a week. Granted, quite a bit of my pleasure reading focuses on comic books and graphic novels. 

I have read 234 titles year to date in the comic book category. I have read fourteen volumes of Manga, all of that One Punch Man. I do have a few volumes of Hard Case Crime Manga in my to read pile. I have read half as many trade paperbacks and original graphic novels weighing in at seven titles thus far. That leaves me reading 213 single issue comics. I would have expected that number to be a little higher, but I have slowly eliminated more and more of my comic book habit. I do plan to continue that into next year. 

I have spent a fair amount of time in front of a screen. I have watched forty seven movies this year. I have also watched 39 seasons of TV shoes. This includes Justified, Longmire, She-Hulk, and all of Stranger Things. Rewatching all of the Jurassic Park movies in release order was fun. I gave up on my Fast and the Furious run after the second one. 

The next few weeks will be the challenging part of this process. I will analyze my savings, spending, and investments and see what I can do to tighten up the ship. My hazy dreams are producing hazy results. I find myself dragging my feet on things like saving up for a car or investing in the house. This is foolishness and I should know better, but I have put things off all year. New roof and vehicle with towing capacity are going to have to end up on my 2023/ 2024 bingo card. I really want a metal roof. I also really want to be able to haul motorcycles and campers places without having to worry about borrowing a vehicle or blowing out a transmission. Not bankrupting myself on gas is high on the priority list as well 

As I look at and work up all of these things my path should become obvious.  I have already started making notes about taking walks to collect acorns and seeds next fall. I have designs on figuring out how to grow my own Strawberries, Blackberries, and maybe Blueberries along with some other more important things in the garden. I tend to eat about 2-3 jalapenos and a jar full of peppercini peppers a week. I don't even want to think about the potential savings of growing some potatoes or beans. I am happy to trade a bit of toil for a few less bucks spent at the grocery store. 

Starting to think about all of those things and making plans now maps out some highlights of the next year. When I add in things like getting together a regular Spades game, a regular game of D&D, and a monthly gathering around a bon fire I have a good idea of the logistics I want to work out. A few weeks from now I will likely map out the specifics and start putting together plans of actions. 

The spillover from that will be a couple of resolutions. I just don't see how other people pull them out of their butt in the last week of the year and make them stick. I cannot do it. I have to plan to plan!