Plans for 2014

"These are not resolutions."

I wanted to start my post like that. Well, my post does start with this, but I wanted to not use quotation marks.

These are resolutions, though.

The term goal seemed to be better suited for the topic I was to write about: my plans for 2014. "Resolution" has grown on me, however, as the word is stronger than goal. Goals are permeable but resolution has a firmness that I like. Now, resolution will be the apt word.

"Resolution" is a stigmatized representative of hopeful objectives that many people consecrate at the beginning of the year. Due to this stigma, many people reject resolutions as sentimental, corny, asinine, and ridiculous out of cynicism and self-deprecation. Self-improvement is seen as sentimental by those bitter and pessimistic, but I believe in self-improvement. Admittedly, I am an individual committed to self-improvement in the most...unsentimental...way possible.

People fail to realize that a resolution is undeserving of any stigma. It is not a resolution's fault that it often is left behind. A resolution requires patience, work, tactics, and determination.

All of these elements necessary for a resolution's accomplishment were learned upon me by being a theatre major oddly enough. A professor of mine would start us in some career minded classes by writing down our life goals. For him, writing down an idea creates a permanence. I agree, especially as a writer. Writing something down (or typing them in this case) creates life out of that something. It's the true birth of an idea, allowing the idea to walk upright.

I write down my resolutions, my plans for 2014, in order to give them a tangible existence. Sharing them online through this blog enhances the existence of these goals, and therefore the initiative to accomplish them.

That's the objective of this post.

Perhaps that's waxing too poetic. Really, I just want to write down my goals so I can look at them to know where I should be (ie prepare for self-indulgence).

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There's the 30 List. I've mentioned the 30 List previously in my South American posts. The 30 List was created out of watching How I Met Your Mother and the episode "Murtaugh List." My desires and goals, the idea of where I would like to be in the most basic form by the age of 30, is contained in the 30 List.

If something on the 30 List becomes possible in any given moment or year...it needs to happen. For example, if My Bloody Valentine by some chance in hell tours somewhere in the Southeast...it needs to happen.

Namely my 30 List deals with one of my primary objectives in my twenties: travelling. Last year I tackled Machu Picchu off my list. That's one of 7. I have in the remainder: "touch Stonehenge" (UK), go to Canada and Mexico, visit Grand Canyon, see the Yunnan province (China), see Mt. Fuji and Cherry Blossoms (Japan) and to see the Mediterranean Sea (preferably through Spain). I've replaced visiting the Pyramids of Giza due to the political situation in Egypt (plus it could be placed under the Mediterranean Sea goal) with the Yunnan province. This list represents the very basic, the 101 of my travel interests: the essentials, the nations I've held lifelong fixation and passions for due to my interest in their cultural wealth (art, films, food, etc) and their ideal trekking opportunities.

What's next on that list? More than likely, the next option will be something basic. The opportunity to backpack for an extended period of time will be limited, which is fine. There's a lot of changing/shifting to commence early in the year, so finances and time will be limited until later in the year.

For the next two years I really wanted stay local, which means primarily focusing on North America and/or the British Isles. This year I should be able to take care of the Grand Canyon. How? I think if I can plan this for September/October, it's something that is best for weather. What I want to do is combine the Grand Canyon in a trip involving California. I think if I can fly round-trip to Las Vegas or Los Angeles I can see the Grand Canyon, see San Francisco, as well as Yosemite and Carmel-by-the-Sea, and do as much trekking as I can get my hands on.

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I also have, in conjunction with several goals off the 30 List, created a document called Phase 2. When I graduated college I had Phase 1. This involved exploring other work opportunities outside theatre, figuring out what I should get a graduate degree in, backpacking, and writing. I thought I would start graduate school in August and be moved out by then, but the problem with Phase 1 was a lack of discipline because they were festering ideas more than a coherent set of written goals.

Phase 2 has been written down and it delineates my next two years. I broke down my phase into 4 essential goals. The BIG one is moving out, something that I will be able to do with the new job I will begin on Monday, actually. This job will enable me to develop a substantial income to move out with a relative amount of stability. In my original Phase 2 treatise, I set February 2014 as a deadline to move out. I think that's practical and feasible, with the second week of February as an ideal time.

The second one is to gain my Master's of Library & Information Science. I begin that in two weeks. I'm going to try with 9 hours in one semester and see how difficult it is, and whether I need to scale back or not. I want to get my Master's of Library & Information Science by December, 2015. This is a reasonable goal and so far seems to be going well. How successful I am with this degree will depend on internships and projects I can accomplish. Right now, because of the job, I am limited in the ability for working with internships. Therefore I have started volunteering with the Clarkesville Library where I aim to help with collection development and also with the Genealogy Heritage Room. I want to digitize some of the microfiche we have to create a database for retrieving specific documents in ancestral searches. This would involve learning about digitizing microfiche, creating databases, and software development. I am hoping that next year I can look into a great internship opportunity, but I will look for others that I can work around.

The third part of Phase 2 is continuing to make short films and write. This one will take more importance this year. Last year I was prepared to commence on a short film but unfortunately it took a dip as I had my trip to focus on. This year, I intend to be more steadfast in setting my course in filmmaking and writing. Right now I have a draft for a full-length screenplay. It's rough, but I can revise it during January and February to prepare it for the Nicholls Fellowship, but also I will submit it to any screenplay submissions. My hope is to have a demo reel of four directed short films by 2016, as well as three full-length screenplays. I think for 2014 I can write at least two full-length scripts. Plus I want to revise my pilot script to submit to the Austin Film Festival.

Speaking of film festivals, a piece of that third part is going to more film festivals. I've already put myself on an email list for volunteer opportunities for the Atlanta Film Festival. The big one for me will be the Austin Film Festival. I hope to be able to attend at least a weekend of the Austin FF. It would be great to also go to the South by Southwest Film Festival, but another festival that I want to submit something for is ATHFest.

The last part of Phase 2 involves saving up money for travelling and moving away from Georgia. This is really for the latter part of Phase 2, so not so much this year. Part of travelling West, however, is taking into consideration where I can move. My 30 List details how I need to live somewhere outside Georgia to get perspective on whether or not I want to settle there. California is on my list of places I wouldn't mind living, alongside Austin.

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Trying to live up to Phase 2 and the 30 List will make 2014 a busy year.. Hell yeah...I think.