I've got this big goal to read a whole bunch of books in 2012 and I think I did a pretty good job getting ahead of the curve in the month of January. Overall I finished seven books, which averages out to just a bit under two per week, which is good by any definition.
Granted, some of the books were of the slightly shorter variety being from authors who are fairly new or from a series where the books aren't that long, but the others were of above-average length, so in the end I think it evened out pretty well.
The final tally is five science fiction or fantasy books, and two popular fiction books. Not too bad I think coming from someone who doesn't read much popular fiction. If I could down one or two popular fiction books each month until the end of the year I would feel pretty good about things.
I was curious, so I spent a few minutes on Amazon looking up page counts for the books I did read since I read them all on my Kindle and don't have that sort of information readily available. It turns out that I read the equivalent of 2,205 pages, or an average of 71 pages per day. That's kind of cool. In more abstract terms I like to think of it as having read two Wheel of Time books, which is pretty impressive in its own right.
So what is on tap for February? Do I think I'll get another seven books finished? Well, I don't think I'll get seven more finished in February, but I should get at least two or three. Right now I'm about a third of the way through the final book of the Millenium series, which I think will only take me another day or two, but then, well... then I get to start Atlas Shrugged, and I have a feeling it's going to take me at least a week or two which means I might sneak in another book (if it's short), maybe two right at the end of the month, but no promises on that front.
Right now I'm trying to stay ahead of my "one per week" idea so I can indulge in a couple of really long books later in the year such as a re-read of Brandon Sanderson's The Way of the Kings and the final Wheel of Time book due out sometime late this fall. So far so good, but we'll see if I can keep up in the coming months.
Showing posts with label Goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goals. Show all posts
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Welcome To My Reading List
One thing I've always loved doing since I was a little kid is reading. My parents instilled in all of their children a love of reading. Every birthday and Christmas we could bank on the fact that we would get at least some books, often a fairly decent stack of them, and during the summer months between school years going to the public library was a pretty regular occurrence.
Over the course of my life I've read a lot of books and in previous posts here I've made it pretty clear that I gravitate towards the science fiction and fantasy genre's. For a long time I was reading nothing but the Star Wars Expanded Universe, but then a few friends introduced me to things like BattleTech, Wheel of Time, and the Shannara books. These gave me plenty of things to read and re-read time and time again.
In the past couple of years I've wanted to expand my reading, but never really knew a good way to find new authors I might be interested in, or find other genre's I might enjoy as well. I thought that obtaining my Kindle a couple years ago would help with that, but I'll admit that while I've used the hell of it, its library is still filled with pretty much just science fiction and fantasy novels.
That's where this new page I spent all day yesterday working on comes into play. I've dubbed it my Kindle Reading List because every book on it is available on the Kindle which is pretty much the only way I read books now unless it happens to have been written by Brandon Sanderson. This reading list includes mostly science fiction and fantasy because that's what I love, but you'll notice a few entries for both modern fiction and classic fiction. I figured I would expand my horizons slowly at first, staying within the genre I love the most, but with new authors as well as re-reading some of my old favorites.
You'll also notice there is a page in the sidebar for the Star Wars Expanded Universe. I was going to include it in the main list, but there are far too many books for that, so I decided I would split it out to its own page. I am still working on the Expanded Universe list, but should have it finished in the next day or two in case anyone is interested.
My end goal is that these lists will help me to keep track of stuff I've always wanted to read as well as motivate me to read stuff I've never read before. Furthermore, I'm completely open to suggestions of books to read, and if you leave me a comment I'll be sure to give all suggestions a good hard look and add them to the list accordingly. Feel free to recommend as many as you want. I really want to have a massive list to pick from moving forward.
Over the course of my life I've read a lot of books and in previous posts here I've made it pretty clear that I gravitate towards the science fiction and fantasy genre's. For a long time I was reading nothing but the Star Wars Expanded Universe, but then a few friends introduced me to things like BattleTech, Wheel of Time, and the Shannara books. These gave me plenty of things to read and re-read time and time again.
In the past couple of years I've wanted to expand my reading, but never really knew a good way to find new authors I might be interested in, or find other genre's I might enjoy as well. I thought that obtaining my Kindle a couple years ago would help with that, but I'll admit that while I've used the hell of it, its library is still filled with pretty much just science fiction and fantasy novels.
That's where this new page I spent all day yesterday working on comes into play. I've dubbed it my Kindle Reading List because every book on it is available on the Kindle which is pretty much the only way I read books now unless it happens to have been written by Brandon Sanderson. This reading list includes mostly science fiction and fantasy because that's what I love, but you'll notice a few entries for both modern fiction and classic fiction. I figured I would expand my horizons slowly at first, staying within the genre I love the most, but with new authors as well as re-reading some of my old favorites.
You'll also notice there is a page in the sidebar for the Star Wars Expanded Universe. I was going to include it in the main list, but there are far too many books for that, so I decided I would split it out to its own page. I am still working on the Expanded Universe list, but should have it finished in the next day or two in case anyone is interested.
My end goal is that these lists will help me to keep track of stuff I've always wanted to read as well as motivate me to read stuff I've never read before. Furthermore, I'm completely open to suggestions of books to read, and if you leave me a comment I'll be sure to give all suggestions a good hard look and add them to the list accordingly. Feel free to recommend as many as you want. I really want to have a massive list to pick from moving forward.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Things I Might Do in 2012. They Aren't Resolutions Though.
It's a new year, which means new goals, resolutions, or whatever you want to call them. It's a fad sort of thing in my opinion. Everyone feels obligated to make all sorts of grand promises to themselves, sometimes doable, sometimes not, and everyone at some point during the year feels a bit ashamed of themselves for not realizing the full potential of said declarations.
So, this year, I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'm going to make a list of things I would like to see myself do in 2012, but I'm not setting myself up by saying that these are "goals" or "resolutions" of any kind. They are simply things I would like to work towards, and if I don't get them all done, I'll be honest, I probably won't worry about it.
Buy a Suit and Wear It Regularly
I haven't owned an actual suit in a long time. I had one during my two-year mission to Ohio, and I had one for a little while after I got home and returned to BYU, but after getting married and putting on a few pounds I couldn't fit into it anymore, so I just didn't bother wearing it. Instead I went with nice dress slacks and a white shirt and tie, sometimes accompanied by a rather dapper sweater vest, but never a suit coat anymore. I think I've finally gotten to the point about five years later that I would like to own a suit again, not some $700 monstrosity, but perhaps a nice $200 one that is tailored to fit nicely on my sexy mountain man frame.
It would be nice to wear it to church instead of my current approach. I guess I think it would make me feel a little more grown-up to be in a suit coat again instead of a sweater vest.
Stop Using a Backpack to Go to Work
This is one of those things I'd like to do because it makes me feel like I'm still stuck in college, or that I'm some sort of intern to be coming to the office each day with a backpack over my shoulder carrying my laptop, Kindle, and other assorted goodies. What will I replace my backpack with? I'm not entirely sure because shopping for bags is a lot more difficult than you might think. There aren't many stores where you can just go in and browse different laptop bags or briefcases. Most of the shopping has to be done online, and I'll admit to being rather wary of wanting to purchase something like a bag when all I can do is look at the picture before paying.
Ultimately, I'm pretty sure I don't want a hard case type of briefcase like you see lawyers and so forth carrying into court. That is almost assuredly far too formal for my work environment, so what I'm thinking is probably some sort of a professional looking laptop bag that isn't too bulky or overly complex. I just need to carry my laptop, wireless mouse, power cord, and my Kindle. That's it. Maybe some papers from time to time. Oddly, it's much more difficult to find something to fit my needs than I ever thought it would be.
Build a Website That Isn't Work Related
Last year I had grand plans to build the greatest website ever known to man for amateur writers and provide a way for them to share their work and get great feedback from their peers. I had all sorts of ideas in my head, I had talked to my brother-in-law on how to approach the project and then I discovered this. Someone had beaten me to the punch. My dreams were ruined!
Well, not really ruined, but I was pretty bummed about it for a few days. Guess that's what I get for not being very proactive in actually making the idea happen in the first place. This year, my plan is to get on board the whole "Christmas Newsletter" bandwagon that is prevalent in human culture for whatever reason, only I'm going to do it better than everyone else. I'm going to make a website, and then in our Christmas cards I'll send a note with the link and everyone will see fancy photo galleries, videos, updates, etc. Trust me, it's going to be great and everyone is going to be incredibly jealous for the rest of their lives.
Establish Myself as a Blogger
My wife has already got this on lockdown with her modest following surrounding her blog, and I'm pretty sure she'll probably top 100 or more regular subscribers by the end of this year, if not more. I on the other had have always had big dreams of blogging regularly, but I've never followed through.
This year I'd like to work towards hitting 100 posts on 2412 for the entirety of the year. That's what, twice a week or so? I can do that I think. Writing is something I've always enjoyed, but ever since leaving high school I've never found the time to make it happen. Perhaps this year can be the year I find a little more balance in my free time and spend a bit less time gaming in Azeroth and a little bit of time writing down some thoughts. How cool would it be if I had 50 subscribers like my wife at some point?
Well, if I did I might wonder about the sanity of the human race.
Spend Less Time Sitting on the Couch
I'll be honest. I spend a lot of time sitting and a lot of that time sitting on the couch at home. Now, this isn't because there isn't anywhere else to sit, or because of any negative influences, but rather because we live in a modest apartment and the kids like to play in the living room, so the couch it is.
Problem is, lately I've been feeling a lot like I spend all of my waking hours in two places: my desk chair at the office and the couch in the living room. I sleep in the bed, take a shower in the bathroom, and that's about it. So, I'd like to vary my locations a bit more. Spend a little more time sitting in my comfortable desk chair at home at my desk instead of with my laptop on my lap on the couch, perhaps do a little bit of work on the treadmills over in the recreation room in the mornings before work. Sit at the kitchen table for various activities, that sort of thing.
I'm not talking about taking wild trips, or moving, or anything. Just varying my static location a bit more so I don't feel like I live in the same spot all the time.
Save Up for Something Completely Gratuitous and 100% Awesome in Nature
What this thing might be, I'm not sure. Maybe a shiny new super-powered laptop. Maybe a desktop computer built from scratch for playing my games, maybe a new updated Kindle, maybe a trip to Oklahoma, or perhaps some random item I haven't discovered yet. Regardless, I want to save up for something that is all mine, all fun, and all gratuitous.
Why? No real reason other than I haven't had something super, super awesome to look forward to actually saving up and earning over a long time in a very long while and I feel like that kind of excitement in life would do me good in life. I'll probably use a salsa jar to save in.
Read 50 or More Books
I have a Kindle. It's awesome. All of you should be so jealous it makes your body hurt. However, despite having this Kindle, I've never actually managed to meet my dream of reading at a rate of one book per week. Where this dream came from I'm not sure, but I still think it's a cool dream.
To go along with this I think I want to branch out in my reading a little more and break away from reading almost exclusively science-fiction and fantasy novels. I love them, I really do, but I also sometimes feel like I've stunted myself by reading nothing but them for so long. I'm thinking I could mix in a few classics, perhaps some current popular fiction, and then branch out into some new authors in the science-fiction and fantasy scene as well.
So, this year, I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'm going to make a list of things I would like to see myself do in 2012, but I'm not setting myself up by saying that these are "goals" or "resolutions" of any kind. They are simply things I would like to work towards, and if I don't get them all done, I'll be honest, I probably won't worry about it.
Buy a Suit and Wear It Regularly
I haven't owned an actual suit in a long time. I had one during my two-year mission to Ohio, and I had one for a little while after I got home and returned to BYU, but after getting married and putting on a few pounds I couldn't fit into it anymore, so I just didn't bother wearing it. Instead I went with nice dress slacks and a white shirt and tie, sometimes accompanied by a rather dapper sweater vest, but never a suit coat anymore. I think I've finally gotten to the point about five years later that I would like to own a suit again, not some $700 monstrosity, but perhaps a nice $200 one that is tailored to fit nicely on my sexy mountain man frame.
It would be nice to wear it to church instead of my current approach. I guess I think it would make me feel a little more grown-up to be in a suit coat again instead of a sweater vest.
Stop Using a Backpack to Go to Work
This is one of those things I'd like to do because it makes me feel like I'm still stuck in college, or that I'm some sort of intern to be coming to the office each day with a backpack over my shoulder carrying my laptop, Kindle, and other assorted goodies. What will I replace my backpack with? I'm not entirely sure because shopping for bags is a lot more difficult than you might think. There aren't many stores where you can just go in and browse different laptop bags or briefcases. Most of the shopping has to be done online, and I'll admit to being rather wary of wanting to purchase something like a bag when all I can do is look at the picture before paying.
Ultimately, I'm pretty sure I don't want a hard case type of briefcase like you see lawyers and so forth carrying into court. That is almost assuredly far too formal for my work environment, so what I'm thinking is probably some sort of a professional looking laptop bag that isn't too bulky or overly complex. I just need to carry my laptop, wireless mouse, power cord, and my Kindle. That's it. Maybe some papers from time to time. Oddly, it's much more difficult to find something to fit my needs than I ever thought it would be.
Build a Website That Isn't Work Related
Last year I had grand plans to build the greatest website ever known to man for amateur writers and provide a way for them to share their work and get great feedback from their peers. I had all sorts of ideas in my head, I had talked to my brother-in-law on how to approach the project and then I discovered this. Someone had beaten me to the punch. My dreams were ruined!
Well, not really ruined, but I was pretty bummed about it for a few days. Guess that's what I get for not being very proactive in actually making the idea happen in the first place. This year, my plan is to get on board the whole "Christmas Newsletter" bandwagon that is prevalent in human culture for whatever reason, only I'm going to do it better than everyone else. I'm going to make a website, and then in our Christmas cards I'll send a note with the link and everyone will see fancy photo galleries, videos, updates, etc. Trust me, it's going to be great and everyone is going to be incredibly jealous for the rest of their lives.
Establish Myself as a Blogger
My wife has already got this on lockdown with her modest following surrounding her blog, and I'm pretty sure she'll probably top 100 or more regular subscribers by the end of this year, if not more. I on the other had have always had big dreams of blogging regularly, but I've never followed through.
This year I'd like to work towards hitting 100 posts on 2412 for the entirety of the year. That's what, twice a week or so? I can do that I think. Writing is something I've always enjoyed, but ever since leaving high school I've never found the time to make it happen. Perhaps this year can be the year I find a little more balance in my free time and spend a bit less time gaming in Azeroth and a little bit of time writing down some thoughts. How cool would it be if I had 50 subscribers like my wife at some point?
Well, if I did I might wonder about the sanity of the human race.
Spend Less Time Sitting on the Couch
I'll be honest. I spend a lot of time sitting and a lot of that time sitting on the couch at home. Now, this isn't because there isn't anywhere else to sit, or because of any negative influences, but rather because we live in a modest apartment and the kids like to play in the living room, so the couch it is.
Problem is, lately I've been feeling a lot like I spend all of my waking hours in two places: my desk chair at the office and the couch in the living room. I sleep in the bed, take a shower in the bathroom, and that's about it. So, I'd like to vary my locations a bit more. Spend a little more time sitting in my comfortable desk chair at home at my desk instead of with my laptop on my lap on the couch, perhaps do a little bit of work on the treadmills over in the recreation room in the mornings before work. Sit at the kitchen table for various activities, that sort of thing.
I'm not talking about taking wild trips, or moving, or anything. Just varying my static location a bit more so I don't feel like I live in the same spot all the time.
Save Up for Something Completely Gratuitous and 100% Awesome in Nature
What this thing might be, I'm not sure. Maybe a shiny new super-powered laptop. Maybe a desktop computer built from scratch for playing my games, maybe a new updated Kindle, maybe a trip to Oklahoma, or perhaps some random item I haven't discovered yet. Regardless, I want to save up for something that is all mine, all fun, and all gratuitous.
Why? No real reason other than I haven't had something super, super awesome to look forward to actually saving up and earning over a long time in a very long while and I feel like that kind of excitement in life would do me good in life. I'll probably use a salsa jar to save in.
Read 50 or More Books
I have a Kindle. It's awesome. All of you should be so jealous it makes your body hurt. However, despite having this Kindle, I've never actually managed to meet my dream of reading at a rate of one book per week. Where this dream came from I'm not sure, but I still think it's a cool dream.
To go along with this I think I want to branch out in my reading a little more and break away from reading almost exclusively science-fiction and fantasy novels. I love them, I really do, but I also sometimes feel like I've stunted myself by reading nothing but them for so long. I'm thinking I could mix in a few classics, perhaps some current popular fiction, and then branch out into some new authors in the science-fiction and fantasy scene as well.
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