Each year I state that I cannot believe how fast the year has gone by, and 2010 was no exception. It just seemed like yesterday when I was sitting in my study typing up my goals for the year. Now that I look back, like so many other years, I am surprised at all the hidden and wonderful things that sprang up during that time that I would never have guessed.
So big for 2010 was going back to school. I had talked about returning to GVSU for more than 10 years but I never did anything about it. Last year I finally made the move and signed up for two classes — Never an A student, I just wanted to complete a Bachelors degree. I surprised myself by getting two A-minuses. That did well for my confidence as well as my lowly GPA.
The other big shocker to 2010 was when in July I started messing around with Civilization IV as a modder. I never thought I would be able to do that — even in my most wild imaginations, I thought at most I would tweak a few units. But six months later I have a marvelously huge mod called ExtremeMod that will be debuting its third installment here next week.
Third, 2010 also was my 10 year wedding anniversary which Cherry and I went to Sutton’s Bay in early March and spent a wonderful week in a mansion all by ourselves — eating, swimming, and going on a ton of tours. It was a bit cold but we had so much fun!!
So what will come in 2011? Who knows, as long as I keep my mind open and my creativity flowing. I have some ideas formulating now on games both RPG and computers. I am also very excited about finding out exactly how long I need to go to finish up my degree. And there is always a chance of a new position or job opening in the future.
So without further adieu here is my predictions & goals for 2011:
Reading: I say this every year, but I just never read enough. I waste too much time on the computer and too much time playing games. Not going to put a specific page count or book count any longer, but I think it would be nice to look back on 2011 as the year I rediscovered books.
Game Design: With the re-release of V&V (Villains & Vigilantes) I am proposing several new modules as well as talking to Jeff and Jack about releasing my old modules again. I am also returning to my roots and pulling out some old game designs and trying to finish my Bloodbath game this year and hopefully putting copies up for sale on Lulu (or is it hulu); of course, I could also say that about Phantasm Adventures, too. I will also be continuing to mod my Civ IV game and I would think it would be interesting if I could learn a bit of programming along the way to augment that.
Game Nights: I am looking forward to my weekly game night with Joe and Wade, and this year I hope to add maybe 1 person. Or better yet, it would be so fun to return to table-top RPGs somewhere and host or play a game for a couple of months.
Career: Now that I am back to school, I want to concentrate on finishing my degree and then make the decision either to push on to a Masters or even a PHD and become a teacher. If that is not to be, then I would still like to expand my opportunities into other areas and perhaps other IT fields.
Education: Like I said above, finishing my BA is critical. Though I admit I probably will not finish my BA in 2011, but more like late 2012. I would also like to take some At Home courses including a language (not a computer language but a spoken one) and perhaps just become a bit more studious.
Old Habits: Old habits are hard to kill, but this year I would like to move away from constantly playing MMOs and put in no more than 6 months into the games — maybe every other month.
Health: Less trips to the doctor and just more excercise — If I can do that, I will be satisfied. Last year seemed like I was constantly going to the doctor and they never helped me out. In the end, I still had allot of pain and nothing to show for it except bills. Eat well, Sleep more, and exercise!!!
Some other things I am looking forward to this year is possibly the release of Diablo III. If this game does come out, I want to get my hands on it and start modding it — if they allow such a thing.
I am also perhaps looking towards the end of the year to getting a new computer with Windows 7.
I am so backwards in the phone technology that another goal this year is to get some fancy Iphone or Droid and learn how to use it. I know that seems minor, but this year I will be exceptionally tight with funds and something like this will be more of a dream than anything else.
Have fun!! That’s my final and most important resolution; next year when I look back on 2011 I want to smile and think of all the great fun and rewards that were made possible by exploring and having an open mind. I look forward to the surprises that this year will hold and the most marvelous thought is that I don’t even know what they could be. Even if I tried to guess, I could be so far off the mark, so I will just get on board and wait for the ride to begin (which by the way it looks around here it will be any moment)!
Yaahhooooo!!!!
Troy Christensen
January 3rd, 2011
9:06 AM
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