Rearview Mirror: September 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 September. 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:
Write a Novel — Writing continued on my novel, which is tentatively titled “The Ones That Got Away.” My writing was going great guns at the beginning of the month, but slowed toward the end when I got busy with some other things. Overall, I’m happy with the way the book is turning out. Nothing new to report on my Weekly Stories site. I haven’t rebuilt it (after losing it to a database error on a shared server at Go Daddy) and I’m not sure if I’m going to. Instead, I think I may just set up a site that promotes me as a writer rather than dealing with the pressure of having to add a new short story every week. I need to devote more time to finishing my novel and less time on writing short stories. Having said that, I’ve recently started writing non-fiction stories that have a short story feel to them. The first is a long-form article about surfer Kelly Slater. I really enjoy this type of writing and hope to do more of it in the future.
Continue With Plans to Race in the Rolex 24 at Daytona — I raced in a 14-hour endurance event at Sebring International Raceway in Florida during September. Unfortunately, the car I was racing spent about 10 of the 14 hours in the garage. The crew replaced both the transmission and the engine during the race. I drove the final hour of the race in the dark, which was my first after-dark racing experience. It was a lot of fun. Although I hated all of the mechanical issues, I was really impressed with and thankful for all of the work done by the crew. Right now, I do not have any more races planned for the remainder of the year. Time to start planning for 2012.
Learn to Play Guitar — I had my final guitar lesson in June. CJ Vaughn, my guitar teacher, is terrific, but I just haven’t found time to attend the lessons or practice like I should. I may still try to learn, but if I do, it will be by using a DVD or Internet-based lessons.
Learn to Play Piano — I had planned on starting on this goal by now. However, with the time I am spending on writing and my travel schedule, I just haven’t found time to pursue it.
Kayak the Length of the St. John’s River — I had hoped to make a run at this goal during October, but that’s not going to happen. I’m going to be tied up with work and family matters during much of the month and simply don’t have time. I think this goal is going to have to be re-set for 2012 or after.
Circumnavigate Wisconsin by Bicyle or Foot — This goal is officially changed to hiking the length of the Ice Age Trail (IAT). That’s 1,000 miles across Wisconsin. I visited the IAT offices in Cross Plains, WI in July and purchased the maps and companion guide for the trail. I’m currently in the process of breaking the trail down into daily hikes. That’s the easy part. The hard part will be figuring out the logistics (drop off, pick up, where to sleep) of such a goal.
Start the Adoption Process — The possibility of adopting or becoming a foster family is back on the table. We had a family discussion about this during September and, although we couldn’t agree on whether we wanted to adopt or become a foster family, we did agree that we’d like to find out more about the options and go through the approval process. I hope to get the process started in October.
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 solely to Vanderbilt University. They received more than 600 applications and chose just six candidates. I’m convinced I was 7th on the list.
Launch Short Stories Website — Accomplished! Check it out. Update: The site is currently not working.
Launch Other Internet Businesses — I spoke to Rob Monster from Epik.com about using his services on some of my domains. Still no decisions, but at least we seem to be moving forward.
Read the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century — I read William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury during September. Faulkner is revered in the south, particularly in Mississippi, so I hate to say anything negative about him. Nonetheless, I’m afraid I have to report that The Sound and the Fury was practically unreadable. Faulkner wrote parts of the book in a stream of consciousness style that may be considered artistic, but is extremely difficult for the reader to follow. I haven’t picked out a title for October yet. I’ll figure that out in the next day or two.
