Goals for 2018

Goals for 2108

West Chester, PA

January 1, 2018

I don't want to call this list my list of New Year's Resolutions.  But I do want to get some very specific things done this year. Let's see how I do:

• Go to the WXPN Music Festival in July.  I have good intentions to go every year and I just don't make it happen.  Maybe this will be the year.
•       1- I went to an XPN concert- Bettye Evert- April 5
•       2- Once again, I didn't go.  By the time I got around to buying a ticket, it was now $90 for one day and I wasn't willing to spend that much money.
•       3- I did go to a music festival on the Camden Waterfront to see Van Morrison and Willie Nelson

• Participate in a Christmas Bird Count.  I've done these counts before but it has been at least 7 years since I did one.  It's time to step back in.
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• Read 20 books.  I used to be an avid reader but I got away from reading in 2010.  I have to force myself back in to the habit of reading every day.  I love to read.
•             1- Bones- Tae Myenne Ng
•             2- When The Emperor Was Divine- Julie Otsuka
•             3- Gifts From The Sea- Anne Morrow Lindberg
•             4- A Patch of Blue
•             5-  Family Affair- Russell Banks
•             6- Beasts in My Bed- Jacqui Durrell
•             7- Men Without Women
•             8- Fear- Bob Woodward
•             9- Born a Criminal- Trevor Noah
• Visit 10 new breweries- DONE
•            1- Locust Lane Brewery- PA
•            2- Kennett Brewing Company- PA
•            3- Weyerbacher Brewery- Easton, PA
•            4- Earth, Bread, Brewery- Mt. Airy, PA
•            5- Chestnut Hill Brewery- Chestnut Hill, PA
•            6- Dew Point Brewery- Yorklyn, DE
•            7- Sly Fox- Phoenixville, PA
•            8- Blue Bell Brewery- FL
•            9- Lancaster Brewery- PA
•            10- Philadelphia Brewery- PA
•            11- Goose Island Brewery- PA
•            12- Forest & Main Brewery- PA
•            13- Concohocken Brewery- PA
•            14- Karst Brewery- MN
•            15- Pulpit Rock Brewery- IO
•            16- Tobbling Goliath- IO
•            17- Grumpy Trolls Brewery- WI
•            18- Great Danes Brewery- WI
•            19- Stitch House Brewery- DE
•            20- 2nd District Brewery- PA
•            21- Love City Brewery- PA
•            22- Hollow Earth- PA
•            23- Midnight Oil- DE
•            24- Argilla Brewery- DE
•            25- Twin Lakes- DE
•            26- Oak Creek brewery- AZ
•            27- Anthenium Brewery- MD
•            28- Bellefonte Brewery- DE
•            29- Post brewery- C0
•            30- Vison Quest Brewery- CO
•            31- Twisted pine Brewery
•            32- Brechenridge Brewery
•            33- riff Raff brewery
•            34- Echo brewery- AKA- The Eldo brewery- CO
•            35- Soul- CO
•            36- Urban Village Brewing Company- PA
•            37- Wilmington Brewery Works- DE
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• See 25 movies.  I joined the Bryn Mawr Film Institute in April and I've seen more movies this past year but I want to see more.
•            1-The Post- Meryl Streep wasn't strong enough in this movie.
•            2-Darkest Hour- Churchill was portrayed too much as a kook rather than brilliant.
•            3-Ladybird- loved it but the ending feel apart.
•            4- The Greatest Showman- a great show
•            5- The Shape of Water- what a bizarre movie.
•            6- I, Tanya- OMG, I've seen this movie twice already.
•            7- Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri
•            8- Leisure Seeker- a sad topic, a fun movie. Lots of poor acting in the supporting roles.
•            9- A Wrinkle In Time- a great fantasy movie.
•            10- The Isle of Dogs- I love Wes Anderson
•            11- Chappaquiddick- how did Kennedy get away with this crime.
•            12- Pope Francis- In His Own Words- this man is humbling.
•            13- RBG- outstanding
•            14- Won't You Be My Neighbor- outstanding
•            15- The Gardener- outstanding; now I want to explore gardens around the world.
•            16- Book Club- I didn't really like it.
•            17- Sorry To Bother You- this story started out to be very thought provoking and turned out to be silly and creepy.
•             18- Three Identical Strangers- what a sad story of abusive power.
•             19- Eighth Grade- the sad reality of being 13.
•             20- Juliet Naked
•             21- BlacKKKlansman
•             22- Book Shop- a little boring
•             23- Colette
•             24- A Star is Born- it was not as spectacular as people claim.
•             25- Green Book
• Hit 900,000+ on my blog: bkmemoirs.blogspot.com- DONE
•            Jan- 760,000 hits
•            Feb- 830,000 hits
•            Mar- 864,000 hits
•            Apr- 889,000 hits
•            May-915,000
•            June- 932,000
•            July- 956,000
•            August
• Organize my 45th high school reunion. DONE
•            1- first meeting- Feb 8
•            2- memo to the group- Feb 10
•            3- memo to the group- Feb 20- notice about a death of a classmate
•            4- memo to the group- March 2
•            5- booked a site for our event- March 19
•            6- final message to my classmates- April 6
•            7- Reunion held on May 4, 5, and 6.
•            
• Take a road trip to Florida to see Jaye, Jane and the Harry Potter park in Disney world.                       The trip has been resigned and reduce. I have a flight to Cape Coral on Feb 24
• Get my car detailed.  I bought it last March and I am determined to keep it nice.
• Sell my house in Carepnters' Point, MD- DONE
•             contacted a realtor- done
•             contact someone to do a deep cleaning- done
•             contract a painter- done
•             get the furnace fixed- done
•             find a landscaper- done
•             still moving damn stuff out of this damn house.- done
•             powerwash the exterior
•             sign a contact- done
•             get the damn for Sale sign up- done
•             showings are going on but no offers yet.
•             three offers as of Sept 1 but they were all rediciouos offers
•             settled- November 14, 2018
• Get down to my 2011 weight.  I lost 50 pounds in 2010. But I've gained 20 pounds back.
• Visit the African American Museum in DC.- DONE
• Usher 20 times at the Uptown Theatre in West Chester, PA

                 1-  Speakers' Series- Suburban Reporter
                 2-  Holy Matrimony Gospel Choir
                 3-  Best Shorts- Oscar Nominations
                 4- Constitutional Law
                 5- Love's Labor Lost
                 6- Soul Harmony
                 7- Iron Man
                 8- Evita
                 9 TedTalk West Chester

• Make 10 IMovies.- this isn't going to happen/  Maybe next year.
• Take a trip with my nephew, Gus.  He will be the last of 16 nieces and nephews that I took on a trip with me. offer.
•         I've made the offer twice again but he has not taken me up on my offer.  He's not ready to travel.
• Put up my artwork on my walls.  I have been in my apartment since June 2017 and 50 pieces of artwork are stacked against my walls.  It's time to put them up where they belong.
•          Task in progress and almost completed.
•           30 pieces are up as of September
• Learn to drink my coffee black. If I get a cup of coffee and there is no cream, the drink is ruined for me. I need to be more flexible.
• Walk at least 5000 steps a day.
•              January- the first week, while I was still in Nepal, I met my goal every day.  The rest of the month was a disaster.
•               Feb- I really didn't even meet this goal on any day.
•               March- I am better this month.  I've hit my daily goal several times.
•               April- I was much better but still not anywhere near of making my goal.
•               May- I am much better this month so far but I still need to step it up.
•               June- I have been fairly good this month but only because I traveled with my 15 year old nephew who is  constant motion.
•               July- I am so inconsistent with this goal.
•               August- I suck
•               September- I bought a new fitness track and I am doing much better at reaching my goal.
• Get rid of 10 pairs of shoes.- DONE
•               10 gone to date
• Go to Elias Frantz's college graduation @ Penn State- May 4- I couldn't go as it conflicted with my high school reunion.  I did go to his graduation party.
• Go to Emelia Chamberlain's graduation from Boston University- May 20. Her mother died last year and her father died two years ago.  She needs support. (I didn't go because I was too sad and didn't want to spoil the day with all of my sorrow.) I did go to her graduation party.
• Connect with Bob Preston and George Trout.  I am letting them slip away from me.- DONE
•        I've made an effort to connect but both men are having and parent problems and are unavailable at this time.
•         George's dad died and we all meet up at the funeral.  It was nice to see them, even under these circumstances.
• Have dinner with Walt Hartshorn and Dan Tracey.  I am letting them slip away from me.
•           Dinner with Walt on June 21
• Sell my antique tavern table.  It has been sitting in my shed for 5 years now. UPDATE: I decided to keep it.  It sits in my living room now.
• Sell my antique wooden paddles.  They have been sentenced to my shed for 10 years now.
• Visit my Uncle Dick. I last saw him in 2005.  He had Alzheimer's disease and time is of the essence. This visit may be the last time I see him and/or he remembers me.