Pictures

Resolutions

I've had an interesting couple of months. I'm in a time of change, or rather, of planning for change. There are some things in life that I like, such as new friends, and some things I'm not crazy about.

I'm 46 years old now, and I consider 50 to be the half-way point of my life. My job is solid and challenging and provides a good, steady income. Now that I find myself single again (since Claudia passed away), out of debt and making good money, I want to use the next few years to position myself for the next fifty years.

I'm going to continue partaking in activities that I enjoy such as going to belly dancing shows, Renaissance faires, hiking and traveling.

I'm going to focus on building my skills and abilities so I can expand into areas that I enjoy. And I enjoy creating aesthetic things which communicate emotions and ideas.

The writing is a big part of this plan. I also want to expand into other creative areas, including graphics art for the web, web site design and photography. I'm good at all of these skills, and with some work I believe I can turn all of these into income producing businesses which I actually enjoy.

I'm going back to college to finish my degree. I've started my degree program at the University of Phoenix, an online school, and it is going well. I even got a student loan, which I will pay back after i graduate. I want to use this to build my skills in writing, art, web design, plus business and communication.

At the same time, and I believe I can use the classes I take at the University for this, I want to upgrade my MSCE certification (Microsoft Systems Certified Engineer), finish my CIW (Certified internet webmaster) and gain the CISSP certification (a high-level computer security certification).

I have spent much of my life concerned with other people and their welfare. I've worked 80 hour weeks for previous employers, taken care of a critically ill wife for many years and supported a stepson for those same years. I am done helping anyone for a while.

It's time to work on helping myself.

Friendship - 2006 was a year of change for me regarding friendships. In the past, I've always had a handful of friends, as few as one and as many as half a dozen. When I was younger my friends were from school, and as I aged they were the people I worked with. I never felt comfortable in large groups, and I found it difficult to trust those I named as friend. It always seemed to turn out wrong; in fact, I always felt used and discarded by the time all was finished.

Now my attitude is entirely different. I count over a hundred people as friends and have perhaps two hundred more acquaintances in all walks of life. This is an entirely new thing for me and it is sometimes a little frightening, but I am finding this change to be very rewarding and enjoyable.

Thus, in 2007 I resolve to explore new friendships, to expand those that I've started and to reach out and meet more people.

Blog - Beginning January 1st, I will maintain a daily blog. Actually, I have three blogs and I will make an entry into at least one of them each day. This will include at least one picture each day for project 365.

Travel - I caught the travel bug big in 2004, it became severe in 2005 and ridiculous in 2006. Oh my, do I like to travel. Check out http://roseworks.com and you will see what I mean. I love driving, I love hiking, I love exploring nature and the works of man. Our planet Earth is an incredible place, and mother Gaia is an incredible lady.

In 2007, I resolve to travel even more, exploring of California as well as the wilds of the other western states.

Specific areas to travel include:

Bryce and Zion canyons
Petrified forest
Lava flow national park
Devil's postpile

Work - My job is important and I make an excellent living. However, I am quickly approaching fifty years old, and it's time to think more about the future. I like my job and I get lots of satisfaction from it.

I resolve to continue to do the best that I can at my place of employment.

Finance - In 2006, I focused my attention on getting out of debt. I am now almost completely debt-free.

My goal for 2007 is to build up a large savings, and to begin investing. In addition, I will create several income streams and explore other potential avenues for making money. The concept is to become less dependent upon receiving that regular paycheck.

Writing - I've always wanted to be a writer, and I've written a lot over the years. In 2006 I began blossoming, and I feel my writing skills are now looking very good.

In 2007, I am pursuing several avenues of writing:

I resolve to keep a daily blog
I will write six or more publish-on-demand books and publish them
I will write and sell twelve or more articles
I will work through my web sites and update my older articles, especially the computer related subjects.
Finish Fantasy novel "The 8th jewel"
Finish Science Fiction Novel
Finish Historical romance novel "A Love for the Ages"
Start historical novel "Roman Betrayal"

Art - I own several graphics programs: Poser (just upgraded to Poser 7), Paint Shop Pro, Bryce, Carrera and Hexagon, as well as thousands of plug-in graphics. I've toyed with all of these programs on and off for many years and I can use them for my simple editing. However, I've never taken the time to really learn them inside and out.

I resolve to work through tutorials on each and every one of these programs and to use graphics that I create in my own web sites and creative works. Eventually, I want to replace ALL of the third-party graphics on all of my sites with my own graphics and photography.

Schooling - I've decided to finish the degree that I began over 25 years ago by attending Phoenix University online.

Thus, this year I resolve to earn my AA in web technology, and to also use that knowledge to upgrade my MCSE+I to Windows Vista and 2003, gain my Certified Internet Webmaster certification, upgrade my A+ certification and finish INET+.

Health - Overall, my health has been excellent. My vitals are all perfect and my doctor says I am doing very well, except I need to exercise more and lose some weight. I also have a case of carpal tunnel syndrome (getting better) and sciatica (also improving).

This year, I will be going to a gym three times a week, working with a specialist to improve my health. I want to focus on strengthening those muscles which will help my sciatica and carpal.

My diabetes and blood pressure have been perfectly controlled, and that will continue. I will lose forty pounds.

Web Design - I have created many web sites and understand how to create, design, implement and maintain web sites.

In 2007, I will be starting a side business creating web site for people.

Renaissance Faire - In the past year, I have never had as much fun as I've had making new friends and playing at the faires. This has been a wonderful time for me, and it has helped my recovery from Claudia's passing tremendously.

In 2007, I resolve to attend every single faire in California at least one day (obviously there may be situations where that's is impossible, such as three one-weekend faires on the same weekend at opposite ends of the state). I also want to have several costumes, and to work harder at having better costumes. I will also be visiting three or four out-of-state faires, most likely Bristol, Arizona, New York and Texas.

I will expand my renaissance faire web site and tribe so as to show my experiences to others and to allow an active and "safe" dialog about faires. By the end of 2007, I want to hit a goal of 75,000 pictures of faire for the year.

Belly Dancing - One of the biggest shocks for me this last year was that I discovered that I have a passion for watching belly dancing. This was totally unexpected, but it has been delightful. An advantage over faires is that belly dancing shows can be found all days of the week, all times of the year and in close travel distance.

In 2007, I will be seeing how this newfound delight works out. I expect to attend many dozens of shows and take lots and lots of pictures.

Animals - I have a dog and two cats. During 2007, I will continue my efforts to bond with all of them.

Photography - Another change which would have surprised a younger Richard is my love pf photography. This is a new thing for me as well, something I've been doing only for the past three years or so.

During the next year, I will expand this tremendously, taking pictures of the faires, belly dancing, nature and other things. I expect to add over 150,000 pictures to my collection.

Spiritual Growth - I will continue my path of spiritual growth in all areas of my life.

Claudia - My love for this woman, who passed way in February of 2005, will never die. However, I rarely feel grief anymore and am finally coming to terms with the loss.

On January 27, a good friend and I will travel to Catalina and I will give my respects to Claudia. I have decided on a few things that I want to do to put her to rest in my mind, and that's the time and place I've decided to do it.

Microscope - Use my microscopes to examine and photograph small, interesting objects.

Other hobbies - Work on some other hobbies: