Last year I found it so helpful to have my set of goals to give me things to focus on and work towards. While I didn’t manage to complete all of them, I did complete all bar one! So for 2022, I’m setting some new ones to keep that focus going.
Finish and publish A Place Where We Belong
This was the big goal I wanted to get done last year but it just didn’t happen. I put most of my efforts into completing my gaming backlog and reading in the first half of the year as I wanted to make sure I completed the easier goals first so I actually felt accomplished at having completed goals. Then in July I got Milo and any hope of getting writing done went out the window in favour of dealing with my new little bundle of energy.
As Milo is a bit more settled now and I know what I’m able to do with my year rather than just hoping I can get things done. So, this year is the year my second novel is going to get finished and I’m going to self-publish it. The goal is 2000 words a week to make sure the first draft is finished by June. I’ll then have the summer to edit it with a view to publishing it in October this year.
We’ll see whether I can actually manage it but I know it’s feasible. I’ve just got to stick at it and get it done.
Make the most of my Notts Operatic Society debut
I’ve been wanting to get back into doing Amateur Dramatics for a long time now but the right opportunity never came up. Way back in 2020 it was announced that Nottingham Operatic Society was going to be doing The Hunchback of Notre Dame in October 2021. That was the opportunity. So I auditioned and got into the society! Obviously then the pandemic hit and the production got postponed until October 2022.
So in 2021, I auditioned to be part of the production and I’m officially part of the Choir Ensemble for the show.
Honestly, I cannot wait. It’s such a wonderful show with one of the best scores Alan Menken has ever written. And the entire cast is so ridiculously talented. So I’m determined to make the most out of the entire experience and see where I go from there.
If you happen to be in or near Nottingham at the end of October 2022, why not come by and see this truly stunning show.
Performances begin
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Teach Milo 12 new tricks
As Milo gets older I need to make sure to keep him stimulated. Unfortunately he’s not able to do one of the things I was hoping to do with him due to his front legs, so I need to give him other things to learn.
I’ve definitely not been as good as I could’ve been with teaching him tricks, but he’s a smart boy so next year I want to do better at that. The plan is to teach him a new trick every month to give him enough time to learn and master each trick.
Read 12 books including The Poetic Edda and the Pearl Manuscript
I was so glad I got to get back to reading in 2021. It was great to read some classics I’ve never experienced like A Hero Born and War Horse, and revisit some of the stories I’ve loved over the years like His Dark Materials, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the Foundation Trilogy plus the achievement of reading the entire Canterbury Tales in the original Middle English.
This year, I want to repeat the goal, but this time make sure that two of those books include my limited-edition copies of The Poetic Edda and the Pearl Manuscript to act as my big achievement texts. I can’t wait.
Books to read
Clear at least half of my film watchlist
I really wasn’t sure what to do for my final goal. I feel like I’m relatively on top of my weight now even if it’s not necessarily the exact level I initially wanted to be at. I’ve cleared my gaming backlog and I’m on top of all of that now. Any other goals that I’d want to complete have elements outside of my control so they’re not reasonable to set myself.
So the only thing left is watching films. I’ve had a watchlist for a while now filled with films I’ve wanted to watch for ages, films I think I’ve watched but can’t really remember, and films that I feel like I should watch as someone who says they like films and are a bit of a film buff. There are about 130 films on that list (including the films I want to see that come out 2022). While I could easily aim to clear the entire list this year, and it’s not that far off the total number of films and short films I watched in 2021; I want a more realistic target to allow me the time to focus on my two other important goals.
So the goal this year is to clear at least half of the watchlist which equates to about 65 films. There’s definitely some classics in there, so I’m really excited to get started.
Films to watch
And that’s my list. We’ve had two pretty awful years, and I can’t help but feeling 2022 is going to be filled with more challenges, but still, I want to focus on achieving what I can and making the most I can of the year ahead.
We shall see what happens!
