2020
goals
2020 was the year of the pandemic, and made for an unpredictable year. It involved a grueling nursing job dealing with the pandemic, fantastic canyoneering exploration successes, and the first time in a while of not going abroad. Needless to say, we were excited to move into 2021!
Personal
-15 pages of nonfiction books per day
-January: Beneath The Cloud Forests
-February: Tools for Grassroots Activists
-March: Never Split the Difference, Contagious
-April: Beyond the Deep
-May: River of Lost Souls
-June: Staring Down the Wolf
-July: Systems Thinking for Social Change
-August: The Kolob Tragedy, My Life as a Mexican Pirate
-September: Upheaval
-December: Alpine Caving Techniques
-Reflection entry at least monthly
-By September, I 'ran out' of role models to thank, and started becoming an equal. Some no longer interest me, while others I feel I am now alongside I am increase my aims and achieve more. Indeed, I've received many email thanks and asking more about my exploration publications.
-Get an radical haircut
-MET. Got a mullet.
-Make a new friend
-Partially met. Made a new friend, but he cancelled around seven trips we had planned together and showed up for two.
-Give at least one compliment per day
-FAIL. The times I did give compliments, mostly at work, were very well-received.
-Buy a real camera, and learn how to use it, and display photos
-Met. Several dozen hours of practice and YouTube instructional videos took me where a GoPro never could.
-Be punctual
-Met. We strived and nearly always arrived on time for any meeting or event with anyone.
-Start financial investing
-start a retirement account
-Met. I aimed to max it out, but my work didn't but it as much of my paycheck as I anticipated.
-invest in stocks
-Fail. Decided not too - I don't want to get addicted to checking stocks, the market is volatile with Covid-19, and my next big plan in life, wholly undetermined, may require lots of savings.
-keep an emergency fund
-Met. My savings is around $75K by the year's end.
-Maintain a list of Lessons Learned
Adventure Goals
-Canyoneering Course
-MET. Canyon rescue and advanced anchors, Phoenix, January
-Caving Course
-FAIL. I was actively looking, but Covid-19 happened.
-Canyoneering Certification
-FAIL. I was actively looking, but Covid-19 happened.
-Caving Event
-FAIL. I was actively looking, but Covid-19 happened.
-Canyoneering Event
-FAIL. I was actively looking, but Covid-19 happened.
-Per price and realistic-ness, buy and use a drone
-PARTIALLY MET. I didn't buy one, yet, but I learned how to use one, specifically for exploration purposes, with a friend
-Exploration of multiple Navajo slots
-MET. Kaibeto Canyons, February, March, October, November
-Maintain a Weekend Trip List
-MET
-Climb a state high point
-MET. King's Peak, Utah, July 2020
-Learn to flyfish
-started in July 2020 after buying a kit and watching videos
-Take/go on adventures with new people
-MET. Although not as many as I'd like, we did a lot, and met a lot of interesting characters.
-Buy a second vertical set
-MET. Bought in February
-Complete a rappel over 60 meters
-MET. Sundance Canyon, June
-Packraft
-MET. Verde River, January
-Prioritize short approaches/exits
-MET
Relationship Goals
-Wedding in Mexico
-FAIL. COVID-19 derailed this aspiration.
-Get Suhei's green card
-received February 15
-Get self a wedding ring
-Fail. I never made the effort
-Weekly calls to parents and nanny
-Partially met
-Try best to get family abroad again
-FAIL. Not much effort made due to COVID-19
-3 family visits
-FAIL. Despite COVID-19, I could've pushed to spend a week in PA, but didn't.
-2 Nanny visits
-FAIL
Health Goals
-Continue gym routine of deadlift, squat, bench, press, and accessory exercises every week
-Met. Although, like every year, sometimes going to the gym sucks, I often enjoy it. This year included a record deadlift of 471 pounds, and nearly all workouts occurring in a garage gym, in extreme heat and subfreezing temperatures.
-Spend extra for healthy food
-Partially met. We had a few 'organic-only' trip, and we spent extra for organic fruits and veggies, but the meat I eat is not organic or as healthy as it could be.
-Greens and eggs daily
-Met.
-Stay hydrated
-Met. I take a bottle of water everywhere.
-Routine blood work and doctor
-Fail. It's too time-consuming to figure out my work insurance, and make a doctor's appointment months in advance, and drive three hours to Flagstaff on a day off to see a doctor when I'm not sick. I still should, but I didn't.
-Keep list of foods to investigate
-Fail. Never made the effort. I do, however, read an article on nutrition maybe once per week.
Career Goals
-Last a year in as a Public Health Nurse in Chinle
-Met. Not easy. Multiple times each and every day I considered quitting. I stayed partly because of the money, but largely because there's nowhere we can go due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Working in the ER would pay more, but I'd have to wear PPE, and risk getting COVID-19.
-Push for contraception education project daily at work
-Partially met. I relentlessly demostrated and expressed need for better contraceptive education in the community, but bosses and coworkers has no interest, I was told things like 'The world needs more babies', and the pandemic overtook all other healthcare needs
-Gain any available certification in MCH, STIs, etc.
-Fail. There weren't really any certifications. I did try to get more experience in any field I could, but nearly everything was only regarding coronavirus.
-Print five ideal job descriptions to put on wall and work towards requirements
-Partially met. I had the job descriptions, but zero progress.
-Contribute ideas to overpopulation organizations
-Met.
-Start 3 websites for overpopulation:
-Youtube
-Fail
-Fail
-domain
-Fail
-Find objective way to measure effectiveness of birth control promotion
-Fail
-Join an overpopulation-specific organization in some productive capacity
-Met. Elected to World Population Balance board in March 2020
Travel Goals
-Four new countries
-Fail. Due to Covid-19.
-Focus on skill-specific expeditions
-Met. While we didn't go abroad, all trips on our time off involved technical skills and improvement of skills.
-Visit places at ideal time of year
-Met. North in summer, south in winter, nearly consistently.
-Minimize flights
Met? I never even got on a plane, though I dream daily of travelling again.
-Pack minimum
-Met. On all of our trips, I pushed for minimalism.