A year has passed so it's time to look at how I did resolution-wise:
- Get things done: I've finally figured out my system. It's a modified version of Zen To Done and it's paper-based. I never did bother learning PHP. I'm not perfect, but I'd consider this one met.
- Reduce my Mountain Dew consumption to one can a day: I started the year out really well. Until maybe July, I was Mountain Dew free. Then I started drinking them again. Irregularly—once a week—until October and then full tilt until now. I'm up to about three cans a day and then miscellaneous soda as needed. Not surprisingly, I've inched above 200 pounds again so this one will likely make a re-appearance in this year's set of resolutions.
- Stop the fighting: it's gotten better but I wouldn't say that it's been met. Plenty of room for improvement.
- Reread Atlas Shrugged: got to Galt's speech and my motivation just fizzled.
- Develop a Web application: hooked up with my cousin and we've got a great idea. I frittered away most of 2007 not writing code in Python and Django until I realized that I should just bite the bullet and develop in what I know: ASP.NET. Now that I've made that decision, I have made some progress but it's just not enough. I must finish the app in 2008.
- Start saving money: negligible. I'm counting this one as a failure.
- Re-carpet the downstairs: we're getting estimates in January, so fail.
- Blog more: I started the year off quite strong on bblog but ran out of steam pretty quickly. I may move this blog to Wordpress or I may split it into a philosophical/political blog elsewhere and focus this one on coding and business.
- Get Phoenix history site rolling: does killing wiki spam count? If so, then I was a big success.
- Simplify my life: yes, I would say that I have. The garage is vastly improved, I've shed a lot of obligations, and I've never been happier. 2008 will focus on simplification again though because there's plenty of complication still remaining.
- Do something romantic at least once a week: I probably did, but not consciously so. I count this as a failure.
- Keep library fines under $5: I think I kept it under $10 total. Frankly, given the poor performance of the past, I'm considering this a technical win.
- Go the entire year without a traffic ticket: made it. Technically, I have one photo radar ticket but it was mistakenly issued to me even though I wasn't the driver. I'll leave it at that.
So by my count, I achieved four of the thirteen resolutions. That's pathetic and reflects my general laziness of the last year. I've been working hard the last six months or so and I just haven't been terribly motivated in the rest of my life because of that. But that's an excuse and it's not going to fly in 2008. I'll craft my new resolutions probably tomorrow.