New Year's and Reflections

New Year's is a time for making tons of promises one has every intention of keeping but loses dedication, discipline, and drive by the end of winter.  I have so many scattered interests and skills that I have trouble maintaining focus on those things.

Writing

Spending some time dedicated to this blog and other writing projects such as emailing with friends about various topics and writing fiction will help me to continue to develop my craft.  Not only should I spend more time writing this year, but also reading and commenting on the works of my fellow writers.

Crafts

I've started desigining my own crochet projects, and I'll keep track of their design and outcomes here.  I actually completed my Mario Pixel Art blanket in 2012.  I need to finish weaving in all the tails and tackle the first washing of the blanket.  My goal will be to wash it successfully without the colors bleeding everywhere.

Mario Pixel Art blanket

Mario Pixel Art blanket

Health and cooking

This year I will spend some time getting back into the hobby of cooking.  My family bought me tons of gadgets for Christmas.  I'll be focusing on cooking healthier in the new year and incorporating regular exercise into my life.

Entertainment:

I love music, movies, video games, and reading.  I need to spend more time engaging in these hobbies and thinking critically about what these things mean on a larger level.

Reading challenge
I've bought and ordered a ton of books in 2012 that I need to read and trade on www.paperbackswap.com.  I unsuccessfully tried an A-Z book list in 2010, but I wasn't supper organized.  This year I'm going to list out all of the books I've purchased or swapped online with the intention of reading them all by the end of 2013.

Reading List:

A - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay Author:  Michael Chabon

B - Breakfast of Champions Author: Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (finish reading)

C - The Corrections Author: Jonathan Franzen

D - Drowning Ruth Author: Christina Schwarz

E - Everything Is Illuminated Author: Jonathan Safran Foer

F - Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results Author: Harry Paul, Stephen C. Lundin PhD, John Christensen

G - The God Delusion Author: Richard Dawkins (finish reading)

H - Hitch 22: A Memoir Author: Christopher Hitchens

I - I'll Take You There Author: Joyce Carol Oates

J - Jailbird Author: Kurt Vonnegut

K - Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly Author: Anthony Bourdain

L - Letter to a Christian Nation Author: Sam Harris

M - Middlesex Author: Jeffrey Eugenides

N - No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process Author: Colin Beavan

O - The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals Author: Michael Pollan

P -  The Palm at the End of the Mind-Selected Poems and a Play Author: Wallace Stevens

Q - Quicksand Author: Nella Larsen

R -  Rework Author: Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

S -  Snow Crash Author: Neal Stephenson

T - Then We Came to the End Author: Joshua Ferris

U - Until I Find You Author: John Irving

V - The Voyage Out Author: Virginia Woolf

W - Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Stories Author: Joyce Carol Oates

X - Xpd Author: Len Deighton

Y - The Year of Living Bibically Author: A.J. Jacobs

Z - The Zombie Survival Guide Author: Max Brooks