Archive Title
Yoshimi 6/28/2008
Marriage 4/15/2008
American Dreadnought? 3/19/2008
Valentine's Made Simple 2/17/2008
Set Sail in '08 1/20/2008
The Last Thing I Needed 12/25/2007
The Wait is Over 12/16/2007
Boat Show Baltimore 10/14/2007
Waiting... 9/15/2007
Where to Live Part 2 8/21/2007
Energy Efficient Locations 6/12/2007
Dog Park Birthday 5/19/2007
Family Reunion 4/13/2007
Green Score 3/18/2007
NYC Comicon 2/27/2007
What I hate about America 1/21/2007
Suit Shopping 12/16/2006
Life Update 11/20/2006
Motorcycle Course 9/25/2006
A day in the life of Gwen 8/23/2006
WWJD Rant 7/16/2006
Buying and Selling Houses 5/17/2006
Going to Dallas 4/20/2006
Coping with Loss 3/23/2006
Jodie's Gone 2/23/2006
Goals for '06 1/13/2006
Prepping for the Holidays 12/15/2005
Lichen's Goring 11/14/2005
Getting Geeky 10/19/2005
Wedding and Reception 8/19/2005
A Column is Born 7/15/2005

Set Sail in '08

It is customary to look back at accomplishments and disappointments at year's end, and this has been the the custom for my column as well. Only this year, the last few columns have been about disappointments and I hate to ring in the new year with a glass half empty. Instead of reviewing recent activity I'm going to start with the post from January 2006.

That year I asked, “Was this year better than the last?” Everything was looking up back in 2006 and 2005 was a good year, but 2007 was not so good. Not at all, but 2008 is looking up. I think my career has really gelled and I see where my specific skillsets make a difference. I don't know if it will be enough, but I am making a difference. On a personal level, my isolation has become more and more pronounced. The Ithaca-3 is now only me, and my grandmother and grandfather are gone as well. My isolation is deeper than ever and the solution is not apparent. My friends have all gotten husbands and wives and children. Very few remain in this stage of life; I'm not literally the last maverick, but close too it.

Two years ago, I was concerned about buying the house. Check. Did that, now I'm ready to sell it. I was also concerned about gaining weight and thankfully that trend stopped. Dixie has mostly seen to that, with all her walking. I walk about 6 miles a day and usually jog with her quite a bit as well. I'm not running 3 miles a day like I did in college or anything, but I'm getting back to it, and it's fun because Dixie is there.

In 2007 I wrote up the CrowX and have been tracking my progress by that scale throughout the year, but I thought it was becoming tiresome and decided to vary my home page posts. I think the newly formatted home page is a large improvement, but the CrowX needs to be mentioned now and then. If you're keeping score at home, I've moved the sailing education to the skills section in place of birding and replaced Crownin panels with photography. That's really all that's changed as far as my goals are concerned over the past year. I'm still headed in the same direction with community, career, music, language, dating and my path to zero energy. Now I'm four years from zero energy.

2008 should bring my company great success and hopefully profit, while my mind is on far away places and making the boat plan a reality. I hope to spend this year learning how to sail and gearing up for techno-transiency. I'd like to buy a gun and get a new passport. I guess I don't really have a lot of short term goals; I'm thinking of 2008 as a year of transition and building.

Tell me of your plans for 2008.

Crow