Happy 2013

Ahh…. I remember 2012 as though it was yesterday! The New Year is officially here and I don't have a hangover, I have zero regrets from the last day/night of 2012 and am simply enjoying the day to the fullest. I am not sure if no hangover and no regrets is a good thing or not, but it is the start of my year. I plan to lounge around most of the day, do some cardio on the treadmill as I always do and maybe a little strength training since its Tuesday. A great day all around.

Happy Birthday Oggy

Today my awesome fuzzy kid Oggy is turning the big 7. He has been such an amazing part of our lives since we first met him in 2006. He is always there for us, tail wagging on good days and bad. When being picked up from the vet or taken to the dog park he is always happy when around us, "the pack" and we are happy when he is with us. It tears me up thinking how short a fuzzy kids life is in the big picture, it's not fair and I selfishly, with no regret, hope that he will be with us for another 10 or more years at least. I can't imagine coming home and not seeing his tail whipping with excitement welcoming us home. The way that he has the ability to turn the crappiest day into a great day is always welcomed and appreciated.

After this entry we will take him for a nice birthday walk while it's still warm out. Tonight Oggy will get a meat and veggie cupcake if Cicely decides to make one. If not he will get his ice cream and a birthday cookie that we picked up from Scraps pet store. He will love it as always.

Happy Birthday Kelly

Not only is it my fuzzy kids birthday today but it is also my sister Kelly's birthday. I will be a good brother and not say how old she is today, really so I don't get my ass kicked. Kelly and I were always pretty close growing up and she helped me a ton with many of the awkward stages of life. Things like having the right clothes in school or figuring out lives little quirks she was always there when I needed some guidance. Thanks for all of that sis and I hope you have a birthday that is as awesome as you. If not, holler back - I am pretty awesome, so I am sure I can spare a little for ya', its your birthday after-all.

Resolutions

Not that anyone asked, but in my opinion I think that most people start off the new year on a bad foot. Only setting themselves up for failure within the weeks to months to come depending on their willpower. Sure you can say that I am being an asshole and crushing others plans to do something more, do something less or just be more or less of something. The problem is, you should not and do not need a special day to make changes in your life. Make change anytime during the year that you deem necessary. I guarantee you that day will circle back around and complete a full 365 day cycle. It's the same thing ya' know.

Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and related are blowing up with what everyone is planning to do better or different this year compared to years past. I think society is more interested in making resolutions so they have something to talk about, find an app to pair up with it and so on. I mean what fun is it simply saying you are going to do something and just sticking with it? Or better yet not broadcasting it and just doing it for the person that benefits from it the most, you.

Oh right I know, if you don't have a Weigh Watchers menu, a Crossfit initiative, a 24 hour gym membership, or a zen yoga mat then there is nothing or no-one to blame for your failure in 6 to 8 weeks other than YOU and there is no way that this "resolution" can single you out as the reason for it not succeeding right? Yea I am rolling my eyes as you scowl.

No matter, if you are one of the suckers resolutioners, I wish you the best of luck in 2013. I hope that you succeed in every endeavor and more-so in your resolution if you decided to make one at midnight last night. If you don't succeed, hey there is always next year right? Or better yet, take a breath and start over in a couple days. There are no rules other than the rules that you make for yourself when it comes to resolutions. Do it because you want or need to, not because you made a resolution.

Everyday Photo

So last year I decided to do something that I thought would be "fun". I wanted to take a photo of myself everyday then at the end of the year (that being today) I would play them consecutively and see how I have changed over the year, if any.

What a shxt idea that was! Ok, not really but it's so much more of a pain in the ass than you would think. Trying to remember to take the photo is the first part of it that is a pain (and my app reminds me in the morning and in the evening). The second part is finding a place to take it, not that it really matters but it helps if it is not always inside, or with glasses or a hat on, you get the idea.

So today marks the last day and I am not sure if I will post it anywhere public because it's not as great as I thought it might turn out. I am also not sure if I will continue taking the photos or not. I considered doing it weekly instead so it is not as much of a pain to remember and the changes may be a little more apparent. Not sure yet if I want to start doing that again. I have a bad habit of sticking with things so if I start it I will continue it for at least another year. Not as a resolution but because it  was when I started it last year to easily remember when I started so I could have a definite end. Hey, maybe that is why so many make a resolution on January 1st? I call bullshxt, sorry - my bet is that its more for water cooler talk and social media posting bragging.

Ok back to the topic at hand, my everyday photo. I guess we will see, my first thought is to just scrap it and be done with the project. The first year will be up on my YouTube Channel by this weekend but most likely set to private (sorry). If you are one of the people that have the link to the private video lemme know what you think, I think it is not that great and was not worth the 365 photos, but oh'well - SUCCESS in my book for doing it for a year as planned.

Journal & Blog

Starting today I may cut back a little on my entries in both Day One and Blogger. I actually really enjoy brain dumping some thoughts everyday but  just like my daily photo I was just talking about, the blog and journal can take 20 to 50 minutes a day to write, edit, find and add a photo and so on. Plus when there are entries that need to be slightly different from the other because of Day One being more personal it then adds to the entry and editing time. Almost like writing 2 unique entries some days. While I try to do them via Evernote or Siri when I can, its still not very intuitive to use those methods and requires editing as you go.

My preference will always be to have daily entries, but some days it's really tough to come up with something worthwhile and the reason most entries tend to be very similar to one another. It's crazy the patterns you begin to recognize in your "everyday" when you are trying to write a daily cliff note of your life. So rather than feel obligated I may add entries less often. As of today I have nearly 365 consecutive entries in Day One and 75 consecutive in Blogger. That is a lot if you ask me, I only started doing this about a year ago.

As mentioned the bigger issue is that its hard to write something interesting. Truthfully, being "interesting" was never a goal. I was and still am writing to get the day into words, whether repetitive information about dinner, work, the gym or whatever it's still a day-by-day life entry. But as you start to have others read your blog it almost makes you feel obligate to have some juicy bits in each, sorry, I guess my life is not always as juicy as some would hope that it would be.

Now that I have it out and on paper so-to-speak I am thinking I may be able to simply do the original thought on those days and simply add a photo and a blurb about the day. Something like what you might find in a Twitter tweet with a photo. Sure I could just use Twitter or Facebook for that but my goal with Blogger is a specified audience and with Day One more of a close and personal audience.

I was considering doing a daily photo log of one meal that I have that day. It is an app that Evernote makes called Evernote Food. I thought it might be a neat way to see what I have eaten for a year straight in place of my daily photo. I am not sure, its a pretty easy one since everyone eats everyday. I am just scared I will see how much garbage I probably eat or that I eat a ton of the same stuff. Might be fun, I just worry I may run out of space on my Evernote account so that would require an upgrade and another annual bill. Still, sounds fun so I may just have to go for it!

Anyway, I had mentioned yesterday that I may switch things up a bit with the journal entries and this was all that I was considering and what I wanted to mention so my friends and family do not assume that I had given it up if the entries were to roller coaster a bit.

Nothing out of the norm based on my original idea when I started up my Blogger blog. In reality it's entirely my fault and I could easily write a blurb and be done, again its hard for me! I mean how many times have I said at the start of an entry that it was going to be a short post and then WHAM, it turns into a 15+ minute read? Yea, it's a curse, I will do my best.

Have A Fuckin' Amazing 13'

I think that is more than enough for my first entry of 2013. Its time to hang out with Cicely and my fuzzy kid, after-all it's his birthday. I can't think of a better way to start off the year. Heck I may even go out and fly my AR.Drone a few more flights since I was given a nice sunny day do so, might as well take advantage of it!

Until tomorrow, or maybe not, stick to the resolutions if you made 'em. Not that you asked for it, but my advice would be that Instead of trying to change because of the start of a new year simply make changes a natural part of your day like brushing your teeth. Habits generally take an average of 66 days so stick to them if you really want to change.

Make today better than what you anticipate tomorrow just in case it doesn't come.

Photo: Oggy B-Day Snoozin'