2022
goals
2022 was a huge and amazing year of growth, fun, failure, and achievement. Big travel, job success, a fantastic relationship, and getting attacked by killer bees upon discovering one of the prettiest caves in the jungles of the Caribbean. All in all, a year, and age, I'd be happy to live all over again!
Personal
-Main Goal: produce more than consume. Consume for the sake of production, largely or solely. Things to produce:
Website
YouTube
Medium Articles
Ropewiki
NSS article (?!)
Wikitravel guides
Update January 2023:
Crushed this one - lots of publication online, lots of productivity, networking, recognition.
Adventure Goals
-Main goal: advance in caving, towards the realm of Expert Caver. Take the L2 rescue course. Learn to bolt, even if it's by buying your own bolt kit. Learn to sketch, even if by buying own disto. Get to convention. Get in with an active grotto. Avoid the dreadful scary things, because they are not always fun. Help mapping, and exploration. Camp in caves. Become a respected caver. Cave abroad. Publish articles, hopefully in the NSS.
Also, get a drone and learn to fly it, take photos, take video.
Update January 2023
Aced most of this! Got the drone, used it to find new caves!Did not get in with a grotto (the Montana grotto isn't very active), did not learn bolting (no imperative need foreseen!). Definitely mastered sketching and cartography through many long hours and educational sessions. Got article published in the NSS, though not without some drama and like ten months of awaiting. Significantly grew as cavers.
Relationship Goals
-Continue making new friends, be respectful to all friends, give compliments. Two or more family visits. Get abroad with friends again.
Update January 2023
Made new friends. Stayed connected with a bunch of old friends. Went home once, maintained family relationships.
Health Goals
-Main goal: take weightlifting to the next level. Get a bodybuidling coach, work harder than ever, get educated on growth, flexibilty, endurance, injury prevention.
-Other goals: continue with nutrient-rich immune system-boosting diet. Go to dentist. Get blood drawn.
Update: January 2023
Met all these goals. I worked hard under an experienced bodybuilding coach for several months. Did not see any mentionable results. I increased efforts on squats, and did see some growth, including in endurance, but the efforts were so great (225lbs x 20 reps, 275 x 15 reps, 315lbs x 10 reps, with 2-3 minutes rest, followed immediately by deadlifts!) that I could not sustain it. I'd become so nauseous from the effort that I couldn't eat for at least an hour after each workout, negating any potential gains. Regardless, I kept up stellar health, avoided all injury, and felt great all around!
Career Goals
-Main Goal: Decide between a career that pays a lot or one in reproductive/public health. Lean towards the latter, but probably not at the expense of zero savings, low quality of life, and no money for trips. Carefully make the decision, and do your best to enjoy it. Remember, this October we will aim to sign a 12-18 month lease at a permanent address in preparation for Suhei's US citizenship.
Update January 2023:
Did not get any position in Reproductive Health. ER nursing pay rates went stratospheric, and I bit hard, went overtime, and saved and invested a lot of money. No regrets!
Travel Goals
-Main goal: at least four new countries. Minimal flights. Avoid night flights.
Continue to travel deeply. One national park at least, and one new state highpoint at least.
Update January 2023
Crushed travel goals. Plenty of time in summer exploring BC and Alberta. Made it to many new countries:
French Guiana
Suriname
Guyana
Trinidad and Tobago
Grenada
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Barbados
Saint Lucia
Dominica
Martinique
All the flying sucked, and if I were do do it again, I'd probably do more ferries.
We didn't get to any new national parks, but we did get to the rather anticlimactic state hghpoint of Iowa!