2015 New Year's Resolutions

It's a misleading title for this post - I'm not really making New Year's Resolutions. In  the close to 4 years I've been blogging, I've never written New Year's resolutions. I stopped making them in general because, to directly quote myself from 2012:
     "They have a lot of potential. I love the feeling of a fresh start, but never in my life have I successfully changed my life with a resolution. Too often they've made me discount my successes and blessings because I didn't succeed in some arbitrary guideline I thought I wanted from my year."

My planner. Journal J 2015.

In 2012 I wrote this post about things to look forward to instead, and in the following two years I never really wrote a New Years post at all.

I think this year I'd like to continue with setting just a couple specific monthly goals, so later I'm hoping to write a "January Goals" post.

However the main purpose of this post is to mention my New Years Resolution alternative: 28 by 28.

I made a pretty fair run at 25 by 25 several years ago, but never really continued it despite my best intentions in the subsequent years.

Since my birthday is towards the end of the year, I have almost a whole year to try to accomplish the 28 things on the list. I'll be applying the same guidelines I did before - this is meant to get me to try new things, but not be a point of stress. Things I don't get done will roll over into the following year and I'll be updating as it goes along.

There is nothing work or medical related on this list, and that is intentional. There is quite enough pressure in residency without putting it on a list like this that is designed to exercise other parts of my brain.

There is now a 28 by 28 page along the top tabs where I'll be keeping a record, and so here it is:

28 By 28

1. Read 4 books (for fun).

2. Update my "In Case I Die" letters. I wrote them in 2008.

3. Develop old disposable cameras.
4. Make another video for the blog.
5. Go to Machu Picchu.
6. Do a primarily strength-based workout for at least 2 months.
7. Do a 1000 piece puzzle.
8. Go to Yosemite.
9. Spend a whole day without any non-essential media (i.e. work email ok, cell phone games not).
10. Eat 1 raw meal a day for a week.
11. Change my gym membership to save some $.
12. Try a vegetable that's new to me.

13. Bike to Nob Hill.
14. Take Luna to a new dog park.
15. Learn to play a new song on the keyboard.
16. Try a new type of art.
17. Take the Railrunner to Santa Fe for the day just for fun.
18. Try a new type of tea.
19. Do 20 full pushups in a row.
20. Volunteer doing something that isn't medical.
21. Make a meal plan for dinners and stick to it for a week.
22. Watch at least 50% of the films nominated for a 2015 Best Picture Oscar.
23. Go to White Sands National Monument.
24. Take a non-medical class or workshop - online or in person.
25. Go to Carlsbad Caverns.
26. Grow something.
27. Try every Thai restaurant in Albuquerque [3 star or higher on Yelp]
28. Go camping.

I'm sure I'll be looking to you all for help and troubleshooting as I go along.

I hope you have a great year and fill it up with new adventures too.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.