I’ve been following Chris Brogan’s blog.  Chris Brogan writes:

Every year since around 2006, I’ve been challenging people to forego the idea of a resolution, and instead, to come up with 3 words that will help you define your goals and experiences for the coming year. Resolutions are often too vague, or too directed towards one goal. It might be “quit smoking” or “lose 20 pounds” or “get hired.” These are all fine aspirations, but I challenge you to dig deeper, to find three words that could be used as lighthouses to guide you through stormy seas, that can be used as flags on the battlefield of your challenges, words that will bolster you and give you a direction that goes beyond the goals you might attach as a result of these words.

Relationships – I will strengthen relationships in 2012.  Most of us have relationships in our lives that are broken or unhealthy that need to be fixed and improved.  I am no exception.  I’m sure there are many, but 4 such relationships come to mind:  my relationship with God, my relationship with my wife and my relationship with my twins, Kaleb & Keegan.  2011 was a year of challenge, struggle and disappointment for me personally.  Bad choices, responding in anger, communicating poorly.  Not just by me.  The Wienerdogs Indecent,  getting in trouble at school, a joy ride that lead to totaling mom’s car.  But that was last year.   These relationships are the most important in my life and I plan to seek reconciliation, peace, healthiness and intimacy.  I only have a few more years with my twins before they become independent, young men and leave home.

Believe it or not, I do have healthy relationships in my life.  My relationship with my little people, Calvin & Corbin, come to mind, relationships with friends and co-workers, and my brothers and sisters in Christ.

These relationships are my life support group.  When the challenges of life happen it is relationships that get us through.  I plan to mend the relationships that need fixing and continue to strengthen the healthy relationships.

Regimen – I will create a plan and stick to it in 2012.  A regimen is defined as a systematic plan. Regimens are what I hope to use to achieve my goals.  I plan to read the Bible more consistently, to pray, to spend time with my family.

Regimen is also a synonym of diet. If I were to make one traditional resolution this year it would be to lose weight.  I’m not sure what I am going to do just yet, but I am gonna do something.

Intentionality – I will be intentional in 2012.  I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of being intentional.  If one does not perform regular maintenance or take the time to make proper preparations or plan for the future then they’re setting themselves up for trouble.  It is an obvious life-lesson that many, many people overlook or ignore.  You can’t just sit back and hope things will all work out.  You have to be proactive.  You have to have a focus.  You have to be intentional.  And do it in all aspects of life.

Which means that I will need to be a little more specific about my regimens.

As with life, this is a work in progress, in process.  I’m just beginning to work on it, but at least I’m working on it.

-Derin-

Related articles

• My 3 Words for 2012 (chrisbrogan.com)
• Happy New Year (twelvechallenges.wordpress.com)

Relationships

Most games merely come with the game itself, the disk or cartridge.  And yeah, that’s usually good enough.  Sometimes a game might come with a collector’s figurine or an action figure to place on a shelf to collect dust and serve as a symbol of geekiness.  Skylanders comes with the game, three action figures and the Portal of Power-all required to play the game.  The action figures are placed on the physical platform; place different action figures on the Portal of Power and they come alive in the game and the game changes as you place different action figures to play different characters.  Different characters unlock different areas of the game.  The game with the portal and 3 action figures cost $70 on all platforms.

Portal of Power

The Portal of Power, the wireless platform that comes with the game, is one of  the first new cool things I’ve seen in recent years-since the Wii Fit balance board.  The Portal of Power platform connects to the game console (XBOX360, PS3, Wii & 3DS, PC) much like a wireless mouse, with a little USB connector. Initial setup was plug and play and completely painless.

Action Figures

Skylanders is one of the first games to take the concept of action figures and collecting to the next level-and they’ve done it brilliantly.  Each game comes with three action figures that become characters in the game.  Up to two action figures can be placed on the portal simultaneously, for cooperative or versus play.  There are 37 action figures in all. Toys R Us even has a couple of different carrying cases!  Individually packaged action figures cost about $8.  3-packs of action figures cost about $20.

Each action figure has a memory chip in the base.   The memory chip  stores progress and since the action figures are not platform-specific, the action figures can be ported to a different system and all progress is portable as well.  For instance, I bought the Wii version of the game which comes with an action figure, Trigger Happy, but I can use Trigger Happy on an XBOX360 (or PS3 or 3DS or PC) and the progress and all the character’s status will follow.

Collect them All?

As stated before, there are 37 action figures in all.  This is where things can get a bit confusing (and expensive).  There are eight different groups or families of characters called Element Classes: Air, Earth, Fire, Life, Magic, Tech, Undead & Water.

Although the game can be beaten with the three characters that come with the game & portal, there are areas of the game that you cannot access unless you have a character from each class.  This is where the marketing guys start to earn their salary! 

So you really only need eight action figures right?  Well…

In other games, any Mario game for instance, you collect free lives as you play the game.  In Skylanders you collect free lives by collecting more action figures!  One character runs out of steam then take him off the portal and replace him with another. Well played Mr. Marketer dude.

There are eight classes with four action figures/characters per class, which is 32 action figures/characters.  There’s a pretty cool full-sized poster of all 32 action figures in between Justin Bieber and The Marvel Superheroes at the poster display.

Although listed as part of the “official” 32 action figures, the Drill Sergeant action figure is exclusively sold at Walmart.  Another point to the Marketing guys!

Ghost Roaster is included exclusively with the Darklight Crypt Adventure Pack (another point for the mad men).

Dark Spyro is not listed among the “official” 32.  The Nintendo 3DS version of the game, portal & figurines comes with Dark Spyro, to my knowledge this is the only way to purchase this action figure-to purchase the Nintendo 3DS version of the game which includes Dark Spyro.  This is where the marketing guys took collecting to the next level!  Dark Spyro is selling for a pretty penny on Ebay. Although Dark Spyro can be played on any of the Portals of Power (any of the game systems) it is only listed in the 3DS packaging.

Toys R Us has three exclusive “legendary” action figures that are also not listed among the “official” 32.  Legendary Bash, Legendary Chop Chop and Legendary Spyro can only be purchased at Toys R US. More points to the marketing geeks.  When in stock, the exclusive Toys R Us Legendary 3-pack can be purchased through TRU for about $25, or for around $40 on Ebay-again props to the marketing guys for creating a demand for toy collecting.

And last, but not least, according to the Skylander Wiki website there is also a Legendary Trigger Happy that may also be exclusive to TRU,

Legendary Trigger Happy is a rare counterpart of Trigger Happy. Little is currently known about him. He was first

Added by Herecomestrouble

seen in the 3DS version of Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, in the list of all 37 Skylanders.

Here is a complete (as of this writing) list of all 37 action figures/characters:

• Air – Lightening Rod, Sonic Boom, Warnado, Whirlwind
• Earth – Bash, Dino-Rang, Legendary Bash, Prism Break, Twrafin
• Fire – Eruptor, Flameslinger, Ignitor, Sunburn
• Life – Camo, Stealth Elf, Stump Smash, Zook
• Magic – Dark Spyro, Double Trouble, Legendary Spyro, Spyro, Voodood, Wercking Ball
• Tech – Boomer, Drill Sergeant, Drobot, Legendary Trigger Happy, Trigger Happy
• Undead – Chop Chop, Cynder, Ghost Roaster, Hex, Legendary Chop Chop
• Water – Gill Grunt, Slam Bam, Wham-Shell, Zap

Adventure Packs & Add-Ons

Adventure Packs come with an action figure and a few other object action figures-magic items.  Think of these as expansion packs.  Place a location figure on the Portal of Power and access a whole new chapter! Experience new challenges, menacing enemies and whimsical adventures.  An Action Pack with one action figure and a few object figures cost about $20.  There are four Adventure Packs:

• Pirate Seas Adventure Pack- This expansion pack includes the character, Terrafin, a pirate ship that unlocks the level, and two Magic Items, Hidden Treasure and Ghost Swords.
• Darklight Crypt Adventure Pack- Unlocks the Darklight Crypt, a spooky level.  Ghost Roaster is included exclusively with this adventure pack.  The adventure pack comes with three magic items.  Darklight Crypt, Healing Elixir & Time Twist Hourglass.  Only one Magic Item can be active at the same time.

Unreleased Adventure Packs (as of this post)

• Empire Of Ice is a adventure pack that comes with a new chapter, 2 magical items, Sky-Iron Shield & Anvil Rain, 4 stickers, and 4 trading cards.
• Dragon’s Peak is a adventure pack that comes with a new chapter, 2 magical items, 4 stickers, 4 online codes, 4 trading cards and the Skylander Sunburn.

The Volcanic Vault is an exclusive portal, part of the Wii/360/PS3 Starter Pack when bought at Best Buy. When an action figure is placed on the Portal for the first time, it unlocks the multiplayer Volcanic Arena for play in Battle mode.

Game Play

The portal, action figures and collecting would be worthless if the game itself was boring and bland.  I’m happy to say that it is a fun game!  The game is geared to younger players, but has been getting very positive reviews from adult gamers (including the guy that works at my local Game Stop-he said he and his girlfriend are addicted!).  I’ve been playing it with my eight-year old and we’ve had a blast!  Like many video games there is a story line version that includes hunting and gathering, fighting, puzzles, collecting and powering up.  And like most video games there is a versus version where the characters fight each other in a battle royale, or street fighter  style.  I will say that the story line version of play, although very entertaining (the story was written by the writers of Toy Story), quick and fun is a little bit easy, but we are only about 15% through the game, so maybe I am speaking too soon.  And the key may be leveling up and buying powers.  UPDATE:  I am stuck at 33%…so it isn’t all THAT easy.

Obviously this game is the ultimate in hunting and gathering games!  There are lots of levels, lots of areas to unlock, lots of characters to collect, lots of things to find, lots of powers to buy, etc.

Playing Online

Each action figure comes with collectable cards and a code that can be entered to play the online version of Skylanders-much like Club Penguin (which means the online play is SAFE!). The Skylanders online game site is FREE and anyone can play without purchasing any pieces of the game.  The online version serves as an extension of the game and is completely safe for kids.  I’ve only played for an hour or so, but it seems pretty cool.  Especially designed for the young ones, if, as a parent, you find yourself addicted to the console game, give the keyboard and mouse to you child so you can play with the controller and nun chuck!

Its Not ALL About The Benjamins

One of the negatives of this game is the price.  The initial game, portal and three action figures, although not crazy expensive will cost you $70 on any console (including the 3DS).  Each additional action figure costs $7.00-$9.00 (dependeing on where you buy and if you buy in packs of three).  37 figurines x 8.00 = just under $300!  Plus the expansion packs and carrying cases…UGH!  Yeah, it can add up fast.  Here’s the good news, the game can be completed-without exploring ALL areas of the game-with the initial three action figures that come with the game.  And, if you aren’t into collecting, but want to complete all the areas of the the game, a minimum of eight action figures (about $75) are needed to unlock all of the areas of game play (maybe excluding the chapters introduced by the Adventure Packs).  However, if you really suck, keep purchasing more action figures to get more chances to pass that area you’re stuck on.

In all fairness it sounds like Activision’s marketing geniuses didn’t know that the game would take off.  Game Stop says that production should pick up and characters should flood the market at the end of February.

Overall Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures is an awesome game!

Durk

Related articles

• Skylanders speed drawing (boingboing.net)
• Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure review: Gotta buy ‘em all (joystiq.com)
• Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure – Activision’s greatest gamble ever (geek.com)
• Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure review (news.consumerreports.org)
• Customizer Fixes the Biggest Problem With Skylanders Toys [Skylanders] (kotaku.com)
• Toys Take On Consoles: Spyro the Dragon Returns in Social Videogame [PREVIEW] (mashable.com)
• Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure Video Game Integrates Real Toys – Trailer (connectwithyourteens.net)
• Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure (7+) (mirror.co.uk)

“Make good choices today.”

This is a speech (short sermon/long toast) I gave at my friends’ wedding reception a month or so back.

Jamie asked me to say a few words and I promise I won’t talk too long.  Jamie was the best man at my wedding 17 years ago.  I’m happy to say that I am still married after all these years.   I am honored to be able to say a few words here today.  Think of my talk today as a cross between a short sermon and a really long best man’s toast!

I want to read a passage from the Bible, I am reading from the Message version of the Bible.  The Message is a paraphrase of the Bible and the authors have attempted to write the scriptures in a straight forward manner.  This is 1 Corinthians 13.  It is the Love Chapter of the Bible.  This passage pretty much provides a biblical definition of Love.

1 Corinthians 13  The Message (MSG)  The Way of Love

¹ If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ²If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. ^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Love Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

I have just a few observations about love and marriage as it relates to this passage.  Here is the main point of my commentary:  Are you ready?  Love is a choice.  It isn’t a feeling or emotion.  It isn’t what you feel when you first realized you were attracted to each other.  It isn’t what you feel after a first kiss.  Love is how you react to feelings and emotions.   Love is a choice and more specifically a series of choices.

Love is dynamic.  The love you have for each other is always changing.  It either grows as you make the choice to love better.  Or it fades as you make selfish choices-the choice to love yourself or an outsider rather than each other.  Love changes with the maturity of choices we make.  It starts with baby choices, to ask someone out, to spend time, energy, and money on another person and grows into much bigger choices, such as exclusive dating, engagement and spending the rest of your lives together in marriage.

Love is a continual choice.  Choices don’t stop with a confession of commitment.  You are going to wake up tomorrow and have to make a conscience choice to love.   Every day you have the choice to deepen in your love for each other.

Finally love is an intentional choice.  It isn’t easy to always make the choice to be patient, or kind, to not get jealous, or to boast or to be proud.  Be careful to intentionally choose to love.  You don’t have to have it your way!  And some days you will make a mistake.  Love also covers a multitude of sins; humble yourself and admit when you are wrong and make the choice to forgive.

Every morning I take my little boys to school.  I have a kindergartener and a 2^nd grader.  As I drop them off I kiss them goodbye, give them a big hug, I tell them that I love them and then I whisper into their ears, “Make good choices today.”

So here is my challenge and my “best-man” toast:  Make an intentional choice every day to love each other.  Choose to love each other every day. Big hug, kisses, I love you guys and make good choices.

I’m sure our parents and grand parents and other adult friends all feebly explained to us mindless younglings about the weirdness of aging and the meaning of life.  I’m sure we listened politely and nodded while they droned on and on and while we tried to focus and look interested.  And off our minds went while they jabbered on about whatever.  But let’s be honest, they were the OLD PEOPLE!  Dumb old people at that.  Why weren’t they smarter?  They’d lived 1000 years!  How could we possibly relate to these ancients?

Answer:  Wait 20 years.

It is just weird getting old.  It is awkward.  It is frustrating.  It is mind-blowing.

I mean I don’t feel old, I don’t think of myself as old, I don’t act old.  Well, I probably act old, but I don’t intentionally do “old person” stuff.  But guess what?  I’M OLD.  News flash:  you’re old too.  I have a different face, body and hair.  I still have hair but it is quickly turning gray and retreating!

I tell myself that if I could go back with my brain that I would do SO many things differently!  Make better decisions.  Live more fully.  Love life to the fullest.  Treat people better.  Stay in touch.  Learn more.  Take more risks.  Because I’d know what is really important and I’d know what really matters. But you can’t go back.

But, you can try to relay the message to a generation who can learn something from our mistakes and regrets!  So I turn to my twins who are quickly approaching manhood and I get real serious and quiet and I begin to share all these secrets of life.  I’m old, I don’t feel old, but I am, listen to my experience!  I begin to divulge all this profound and amazing gems of information.  “Listen to me sons of mine and you will be happy, you will be successful, you can know what REALLY matters and what it is really like!  You will avoid the pitfalls of life.  You will take chances and live life to the fullest!  You will have healthy relationships.  Here comes the good stuff!”

And my kids, my offspring, my blood, my babies,  they give me this look.  It is a familiar look!  I KNOW THAT LOOK!  And then it hits me:  It is the same look I gave those old folks that were trying to explain all those things that went in one ear and out the other.  And they smile and they nod. And their eyes are unfocussed.  And they are looking into space.  Are they comprehending what I am saying?  Can they even hear me?  Are they even paying attention at all?

And I stop in mid sentence, in the middle of the most important thing they can ever hear.  And I pause.  And my mouth closes.  And I smile as I give up and say, “I can help you if you can just comprehend what I am saying.”

But they can’t, they haven’t lived long enough yet.  And it makes me sad.  And it makes me love them all the more.

Married with Children

• Shortly after HS graduation I had my heart brutally broken!  Thanks for that.  Welcome to the journey to adulthood.
• I started and completed college!  I squeezed a 4-year degree into 5 1/2 years!  That takes talent.
• I’ve become a husband.  I have been happily married (to the same woman) for over 17 years.  17 of the past 20 years.
• I’ve become a father.  I have 4 boys.  I have twins who are 15 and who are working at the cafeteria of the college I graduated from.  Weird.  They’re like little adults.  How did that happen so fast?
• I have built a career.  I have had over 10 different jobs, but only one career.  Even though my career has been in the same building for the past 10 plus years, the company has changed names 3 times.  I’ve moved floors 4 times.
• I’ve lived in 6 different cities in 3 different states.
• I’ve gained over 100 pounds!  BUT I was too skinny when I left HS.  BUT now I am overweight!  BUT I’m on a diet.
• I’ve lost contact with old friends, gained new friends,  and have reconnected with many of those old friends!  (Thank you Facebook)
• I’ve lost a parent.

Why all the talk of the past 20 years?  Well, because my 20-year high school reunion is in a couple of months and there is chatter on the web and Facebook.

Derin

• #3:  Lose a little weight
• #4:  Eat a little healthier
• #7:  Walk more with my wife

They go hand-in-hand right?  Well, I am FINALLY starting a diet.  I asked my doctor for some magical pills to help me lose weight and she prescribed Phentermine.  Remember Phen-Fen?  Phentermine is the safer ingredient.  Even though my doctor was quick to write the prescription she was also just as quick to say that I needed to eat right and exercise-or it simply won’t work.

I didn’t drop off the prescription right away.  I wanted to research it a bit.  However, my wife, who has lost 45 pounds and was VERY excited at the prospect of me losing weight, dropped it off for me.

I didn’t pick up the prescription right away.  I really like food.  But, I finally picked it up on Saturday, April 9th.  And I did do some research.  It is best to only use the drug for a couple of months and to eat right and to exercise.

I didn’t take the prescription right away.  OK, I waited a couple of days.

I popped my first diet pill April 11th, Monday morning.  I had a banana for breakfast.  I had a BUMBLE BEE® Lunch on the Run™ Tuna Salad – Complete Lunch Kit for lunch and I had another banana and apple for a snack later.

No matter how you look at it there are expenses involved in dieting.  Diet Pills aren’t $5.00 at Wally World.  Nice, neatly packaged diet food is gonna cost you.  If you buy all that you need and prepare it and put it together yourself then it is gonna cost less money, but it is gonna cost you in time-time it takes to shop and time it takes to prepare.  Walking takes time.  Planning takes time.  Fine.

I’ve been looking for ways that will help me diet.  Hopefully the pills will help motivate and produce some immediate success.  My wife is pretty exciting and is definitely trying to motivate me.

I have created an entire Android “scene” for my HTC Evo simply named “Diet”.  I have downloaded a bunch of diet applications.  One I am seriously considering is the Diet2go Android App.  It lists many, many different short term (1-8-day) diets, details what to eat for each meal and snack and even produces a handy dandy shopping list.

I am starting my third week and I have been pretty good.  I am eating better, taking the pills during the week and skipping the weekend to get sleep!  A very noticeable side-effect is loss of sleep.  I feel more awake most of the time, not jittery though.  And I feel less hungry!  That is great!

I have lost a few pounds, and I am eating healthier (#3 & #4 check) but more than anything it is a start.  I have walked around the block with my wife once-about 2 miles.  I will add walking more permanently soon.  When I start walking with my wife I plan to try out the CardioTrainer app.  I’ll keep you posted.

Ugh. Not yet.

New Years Resolution #1:  Spend less time on Farmville
I have not played Farmville yet this year, nor have I replaced it with Wizard 101!  Woo hoo!

New Years Resolution #2:  Finish getting CISSP Certified
My paperwork was verified.  I can officially add CISSP behind my name!  All I am waiting on now is to receive the actual certificate in the mail!  YAY!

New Years Resolution #3:  Lose a little weight
Ugh.  Not yet.

New Years Resolution #4:  Eat a little healthier
I really like food.  I won’t admit to being addicted, but I do have an emotional attachment.

New Years Resolution #5:  Spend more time with my boys
Apparently 15-year old boys do not wish to spend time with their dad.  HOWEVER, they do wish to gain driving experience.  Power to the dad!  We have also talked about driving around and finding geocaches (look it up).

New Years Resolution #6:  Read more with my wife
I read one book this year.  Maybe that should count as resolution resolved.

New Years Resolution #7:  Walk more with my wife
The year is still young-ish.

New Years Resolution #8:  Photoshoot at least once a month
This is an easy one that I am failing to do.  But boss also wishes to do this more, so I think this will be on track shortly.  I missed a great chance at Gardner lake when it was still mostly frozen over-a gaggle of geese!  It was pretty cool.  Seize the day people!

New Years Resolution #9:  Blog at least twice a month
How many spaces after the period ending a sentence?  WRONG, only one?  What the heck?  Yeah, I’m not unlearning this one easily.

New Years Resolution #10: Take up a hobby
More like hobbies, plural.  Photography, security (CISSP CPEs-continuing education), social media management, learning more web page coding (SEO, connecting to a database, shopping cart) blogging.

New Years Resolution #8:  Photoshoot at least once a month
I have taken a couple of photoshoot field trips with my boss.  I have taken a few pics at Erie Miller Nature Park, Shawnee Mission Park, & the Mahhaffie Farmstead.

New Years Resolution #9:  Blog at least twice a month
Check, and I started 4 new blogs to promote the Kansas City Woodworkers’ Guild.

New Years Resolution #10: Take up a hobby
It seems I am deciding on Social Media Management.

• New Years Resolution #1:  Spend less time on Farmville
• New Years Resolution #2:  Finish getting CISSP Certified
• New Years Resolution #3:  Lose a little weight
• New Years Resolution #4:  Eat a little healthier
• New Years Resolution #5:  Spend more time with my boys
• New Years Resolution #6:  Read more with my wife
• New Years Resolution #7:  Walk more with my wife
• New Years Resolution #8:  Photoshoot at least once a month
• New Years Resolution #9:  Blog at least twice a month
• New Years Resolution #10: Take up a hobby
  

  FarmLess

New Years Resolution #1:  Spend less time on Farmville
I wasted way too much time on Facebook’s Farmville last year.  Yeah, I have over 3 million dollars, the largest farm you can get and lots of everything, it is time to move on from the farming version of hunting and gathering.  Of course my end goal is to waste less time, but I am already testing the waters out on Wizard 101.

New Years Resolution #2:  Finish getting CISSP Certified
The hardest part in becoming CISSP certified is over, I passed that blankety, blank exam.  But now I have to jump through a few more hoops.  One is getting my resume updated and detailed to ISC2′s standard.  I am also gonna strive to put together a total of 4 resumes-biographical, technical, project managerial and managerial.   I have always liked playing with different resume styles and layouts.

New Years Resolution #3:  Lose a little weight
I can easily stand to lose 100 pounds, but I also am thinking realistic.  So here goes, the goal:  25-50 pounds.

New Years Resolution #4:  Eat a little healthier
One of the ways I plan to lose 25-50 pounds is to use an (free) Android phone app I got that offers different 3-7-day diets, complete with shopping lists.  I thought that might be a cool and tastey method, instead of holding to just one, long diet.  Another method I may try is just counting calories.  And doing some exercise, maybe with the Wii Fit.

New Years Resolution #5:  Spend more time with my boys
My twins will be 15 in a couple of weeks-they are freshmen in high school, weird.  The time just flies.  I wanted to do so much with them.  I wanted to build them a tree house.  I wanted to have long talks about life lessons.  Play more video games.  Teach them how to drive.  Have deep theological and philosophical discussions with them.  Of course there is still time, but it involves being extremely intentional.

New Years Resolution #6:  Read more with my wife
Check.  Minnie gave me a copy of Orson Scott Card’s new book, Pathfinder, for Christmas, I am on page 596 of 662.  Awesome book, by the way.  I just LOVE OSC (start off with Ender’s Game, go, NOW!).  I will do my best to offer reviews as I check the books off the list.

New Years Resolution #7:  Walk more with my wife
I dread thinking about this one.  I have never been a walker.  I hate the cold.  But, I like the idea of spending quality time with my wife doing something that will be healthy for both of us.  I am also gonna use my Android phone to track miles and calories burned, I love technology!  I love my phone!

New Years Resolution #8:  Photoshoot at least once a month
I have this really great digital camera, a Canon G10.  It has all these dials and settings and it is just a great camera.  It is what professionals use when they just want a simple camera and not a huge, top-of-the-line professional camera to lug around.  And most of the time I have the settings on “auto”.  I’d like to change the settings,  but I don’t know what they mean!  I’d like to learn more about photography and take more cool pics.  I also have this cool phone, have I mentioned that, that makes sharing pics extremely easy.  I also would like to post a video or 2 on Youtube!  I may use MS’s Movie Maker!  Ironically there are tons of youtube videos that teach you how to make youtube videos with Movie Maker.  Come on, that’s just cool.

New Years Resolution #9:  Blog at least twice a month
Check.  If I am not posting here it is because I am posting here:  http://inchdeepmilewide.wordpress.com/ I plan to use this blog to hold myself accountable.

New Years Resolution #10: Take up a hobby
I am hopefully setting myself up for success for this one.  Photography is one, security is another, but I am also getting roped into acting as a social media manager for a woodworking guild, so that may include the learning of what it means to be a social media manager as well as working with wood!  Win-win! 

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