Rearview Mirror: May 2011

Earlier this year, I set several goals for myself that I want to accomplish before the year is out.  Previously, I would routinely set goals and then hope to accomplish them.  Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn’t.  But what I didn’t do is follow up periodically to see if I was making any progress.  That changes this year.

Here is a list of the goals I have set for myself along with notes on the progress, if any, I made on the goal during May.  The majority of the goals were detailed in my Making Plans for 2011 post from earlier this year.  I’ve added a few goals to the list since then as well.

You can find updates from previous months here:

• January 2011
• February 2011
• March 2011
• April 2011

May was a very busy and difficult month for me.  I was away from home the vast majority of the month, making two trips to Florida and one to Wisconsin.  The trips to Florida were unplanned.  Early in the month, my mom became ill and was taken to the hospital.  After her first couple of days in the hospital, Mom was transferred to the intensive care unit where she stayed for three weeks. 

I made my first trip of the month to Florida shortly after she was admitted to the ICU and spent several days with her.  I had to leave to attend a business meeting in Wisconsin, and the day before I was to leave Wisconsin, I got a call from my dad letting me know that my mom was not doing well and that I should probably head back down.

On my way south, I picked up my brother in Illinois and we continued on to my home in Tennessee.  We were only at home for about 30 minutes.  I traded some of my cool weather clothes for some warm weather clothes and we were back on the road.  We drove all night and most of the next day without sleep.  Thankfully, we made it to the hospital just as the doctor was meeting with my dad and sister to update them on my mom’s condition.  Unfortunately, the news was not good.

Mom held on for another week, but she continued to get weaker and her breathing became more labored.  She eventually died on May 20.  The rest of the month was spent planning her funeral in Illinois, and traveling back and forth.  I then took my dad back home to Florida and will be here for a couple of more days before heading back to Tennessee.

Here’s a look at what happened on my goals in May:

Write a Novel — My writing schedule fell apart in May.  Because I was traveling most of the month, I never got into a groove.  What little writing I did was on short stories and blog posts.  On May 31 I started a 30 day writing challenge being promoted by The Domino Project.  After just a few days, I can tell that it is not what I thought it would be, but as of right now, I intend to stick it out until the end. 

Continue With Plans to Race in the Rolex 24 at Daytona — No racing in May.  The next race I have scheduled is on June 18-19 at Roebling Road.  However, i’m thinking about skipping it.  I may go to the track and help the ChumpCar staff run the race, but I don’t think I’m going to drive.  That makes the actual next race on July 2-4 at Nashvile Superspeedway.

Learn to Play Guitar — I only attended one lesson in May because I was traveling so much.  Because of that, I haven’t progressed as I would have liked. 

Learn to Play Piano — No progress to report.  I likely won’t move forward on this goal until later this year.

Kayak the Length of the St. John’s River — Nothing new since last month.  If am going to accomplish this goal this year, it likely will not be until around October or November.

Circumnavigate Wisconsin by Bicyle or Foot — I’ve been thinking a lot about this goal and think I may do a thru-hike on the Ice Age Trail rather than circumnavigating the state.  That plan is not in stone yet, but for a variety of reasons, it makes more sense.

Start the Adoption Process — Nothing new to report.  In February, I had lost hope that this goal would happen.  March brought a glimmer of hope, but nothing new in April May. 

Apply for an MFA in Creative Writing — I applied for the MFA in January and received word at the beginning of March that I had not been accepted into the program.  I’m disappointed, but not surprised.  I applied to Vanderbilt University.  They received more than 600 applications and chose just six candidates. 

Launch Short Stories Website — Accomplished!  It took a little longer to get this done than I expected, but the site is up and is loaded with 5-6 stories.  Check it out.

Launch Other Internet Businesses — May was supposed to be a big month for this goal.  Unfortunately, nothing happened.  I’m working on two different ideas.  The first required a customized WordPress theme which is not yet available.  I’m at the mercy of the developer at this point.  The second idea has been on the backburner for sometime.  I secured the domain I want for the site, but a lot of work has to be done before I’m ready to launch it.

Read the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century — I read The Great Gatsby in May.  Although I enjoyed it, I’m not sure I would classify it as one of the best novels of all time.  Don’t get me wrong.  It was very good.  But one of the best ever?  I’m not sure about that.  I also purchased Catch-22.  I planned on reading it in May, but didn’t get around to it.  I’ll be starting it in just a day or two.