New Year's Resolutions
How appropriate that I came across this passage on page 1240 of A Suitable Boy today (234 pages left, baby!):
"1952: The fresh and brilliant digits impressed themselves upon Pran's eye as he opened the morning newspaper. All the past grew veiled by the first of January, and all the future glistened ahead of him, emerging mysteriously from its grubby chrysalis. He thought about ... the mixed gifts of the previous year. And he wondered [what] the coming year would bring him."
For the past few years I've sat down and written out New Year's Resolutions; admittedly, most have gone unfulfilled for one reason or another, but I still indulge in making an annual list, inspired by a sense of a new beginning, along the lines of the passage above.
This year is no different; I've been thinking about what my most important resolutions should be for a few weeks now. Frustratingly, they haven't changed much from previous years, but this time I've decided to focus on a small number of really important ones instead of a long list of desires. That way I feel that I have a better chance of actually making progress toward finally reaching them.
So in order of importance, here are my four resolutions for 2007:
1) Get in and stay in shape. I'm thin, so lots of people assume I'm physically fit, but the truth is five years of cubicle life have atrophied my body to a pathetic state. I've got terrible endurance for any type of physical activity and my overall strength remains pretty poor. I get aches in different parts of my body now that never concerned me 10 years ago. Last summer I worked out for a few months, but then a trip to South Korea derailed my progress. Similarly, I worked out for about two months recently but then the trip to Nicaragua again brought an end to the program. The problem for me is that I just genuinely dislike being in the gym, lifting weights, running, etc. But this year I found that with an MP3 player I can at least escape from the soulless pop radio that blares into every gym, and motivate myself with some aggressive metal instead. So this year I vow to start and maintain an exercise program that includes eating better.
2) Learn Farsi. Because it's just downright embarassing now. After six years with Ladan, my knowledge of Farsi has not progressed beyond the very basics. I've started and stopped learning from a number of books. I've heard the Rosetta Stone series of language learning tools are really good, so somehow I'm going to acquire one soon. Additional motivation comes from the fact that Ladan's parents arrive in three weeks for a two-and-a-half-month visit, and even though their English is almost sufficient, I really want to be able to converse with them more fluidly.
3) Make a solid move toward bettering my career and life plans. I've been bitching about my job and career for years now, and finally this year it looks like I've got a game plan. Ladan and I are tentatively planning to move back to DC (not the DC metro area - but rather DC itself) over the summer, and also start grad school programs part-time while we work. During my last visit I checked out GW, Georgetown, JHU and American University, looking into their International Relations (IR) programs. It finally dawned on me that all three of my concerns - feeling resistant to further technical or engineering coursework, wanting to "join the fight" and start working for or against issues that matter to me, and the desperate need to leave the defense industry altogether - would be addressed by an international relations program. Why not make a career out of an area of interest that I feel passionately about and actively read about in my free time? More on this in a few days.
4) Become a better flight sim pilot. Yeah, really. It sounds silly, but it's true. I've been playing flight simulators for what, 18 years now? Damn ... and I still just suck. For the past five or six years I've put minimal time into flight sims, instead shifting the vast majority of my gaming time to shooters and RPGs. But my inexcusably poor virtual combat piloting skills are starting to bother me. I need to begin a serious program of study and practice in my two favorite sims - Lock On and IL-2 - and gain enough proficiency to feel confident in my ability to finally join the world of online flight simming. Common sense dictates that flying and fighting against other people ought to be the best sim experience, and it's about damn time that I man up and just do it. I've put a lot of money into building computers and buying peripherals that are intended primarily for flight sims; I need to start getting a return on those investments.
So those are my resolutions for this new year. Sure, I've got lots of other smaller goals, but these four are my most important ones. Check back in exactly a year and prepare to be blown away by the fit, Farsi-speaking and IR-studying Maverick I've become.
"1952: The fresh and brilliant digits impressed themselves upon Pran's eye as he opened the morning newspaper. All the past grew veiled by the first of January, and all the future glistened ahead of him, emerging mysteriously from its grubby chrysalis. He thought about ... the mixed gifts of the previous year. And he wondered [what] the coming year would bring him."
For the past few years I've sat down and written out New Year's Resolutions; admittedly, most have gone unfulfilled for one reason or another, but I still indulge in making an annual list, inspired by a sense of a new beginning, along the lines of the passage above.
This year is no different; I've been thinking about what my most important resolutions should be for a few weeks now. Frustratingly, they haven't changed much from previous years, but this time I've decided to focus on a small number of really important ones instead of a long list of desires. That way I feel that I have a better chance of actually making progress toward finally reaching them.
So in order of importance, here are my four resolutions for 2007:
1) Get in and stay in shape. I'm thin, so lots of people assume I'm physically fit, but the truth is five years of cubicle life have atrophied my body to a pathetic state. I've got terrible endurance for any type of physical activity and my overall strength remains pretty poor. I get aches in different parts of my body now that never concerned me 10 years ago. Last summer I worked out for a few months, but then a trip to South Korea derailed my progress. Similarly, I worked out for about two months recently but then the trip to Nicaragua again brought an end to the program. The problem for me is that I just genuinely dislike being in the gym, lifting weights, running, etc. But this year I found that with an MP3 player I can at least escape from the soulless pop radio that blares into every gym, and motivate myself with some aggressive metal instead. So this year I vow to start and maintain an exercise program that includes eating better.
2) Learn Farsi. Because it's just downright embarassing now. After six years with Ladan, my knowledge of Farsi has not progressed beyond the very basics. I've started and stopped learning from a number of books. I've heard the Rosetta Stone series of language learning tools are really good, so somehow I'm going to acquire one soon. Additional motivation comes from the fact that Ladan's parents arrive in three weeks for a two-and-a-half-month visit, and even though their English is almost sufficient, I really want to be able to converse with them more fluidly.
3) Make a solid move toward bettering my career and life plans. I've been bitching about my job and career for years now, and finally this year it looks like I've got a game plan. Ladan and I are tentatively planning to move back to DC (not the DC metro area - but rather DC itself) over the summer, and also start grad school programs part-time while we work. During my last visit I checked out GW, Georgetown, JHU and American University, looking into their International Relations (IR) programs. It finally dawned on me that all three of my concerns - feeling resistant to further technical or engineering coursework, wanting to "join the fight" and start working for or against issues that matter to me, and the desperate need to leave the defense industry altogether - would be addressed by an international relations program. Why not make a career out of an area of interest that I feel passionately about and actively read about in my free time? More on this in a few days.
4) Become a better flight sim pilot. Yeah, really. It sounds silly, but it's true. I've been playing flight simulators for what, 18 years now? Damn ... and I still just suck. For the past five or six years I've put minimal time into flight sims, instead shifting the vast majority of my gaming time to shooters and RPGs. But my inexcusably poor virtual combat piloting skills are starting to bother me. I need to begin a serious program of study and practice in my two favorite sims - Lock On and IL-2 - and gain enough proficiency to feel confident in my ability to finally join the world of online flight simming. Common sense dictates that flying and fighting against other people ought to be the best sim experience, and it's about damn time that I man up and just do it. I've put a lot of money into building computers and buying peripherals that are intended primarily for flight sims; I need to start getting a return on those investments.
So those are my resolutions for this new year. Sure, I've got lots of other smaller goals, but these four are my most important ones. Check back in exactly a year and prepare to be blown away by the fit, Farsi-speaking and IR-studying Maverick I've become.
posted by GregP at 10:24 PM
4 Comments:
I am going to caution you on your International Relations career choice. What career are you looking for? You realize there are no viable paying jobs in the anarchy or brutal dictatorship lobby. You would have to be, dare I say, politically involved, which really means, part of the system. Have you really thought this through? Can you really see yourself compromising your hard line viewpoints for a job in a group where negotiation and compromise with existing systems and institutions are central? You would have to, you know, "relate" to people. :)
Admittedly, I do sometimes (always?) take hard-line approaches to these issues, but, being the showman I am, much of it is for the entertainment and titillation of my eager audience. Not that I'm a clown, mind you; but I indulge in a certain shtick that sounds more extreme than I really intend.
You're right, of course, that getting involved in these issues does require some degree of negotiation and compromise. I recognize that and accept it.
Since you're correct about the dearth of paying positions in the anarchy and brutal dictatorship lobby (classic line, by the way), I instead envision getting involved with some sort of NGO that fights institutions like the IMF, WTO, World Bank, etc. I realize that jumping into this brings up a whole host of issues - what exactly am I trying to achieve here? What's realistic? How will I deal with defeat? etc. - and I'm wrestling with all of those right now. I don't only want to fight for fighting's sake; I do want to actually achieve something, and most likely that will take the form of helping create changes in existing institutions. I definitely cannot see myself working for the State Dept or the orgs above, but I wouldn't rule out the UN, even with all its problems.
Also, keep in mind that the best way to bring down a system is from the inside. :)
I just want to be clear that a career in such a field will require much more than a degree. Most of these groups are pretty small, underfunded, understaffed, and they don't exactly have HR departments. There will be a lot of "networking" involved.
Are you implying that I'm not a "people person" or something? And that so-called networking is beyond my capabilities?
Well, you're right. Or, kinda right; I think I could prolly do it, problem is I really don't like that stuff.
But then again, this field definitely and obviously requires a lot more personal interaction, and I have no problem with that.
I suppose it's something I'll grow into when and if I start this master's program after I move back to DC (lots of ifs there, I know).
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