Looking Forward to 2006
 

Resolutions? Plans? Hopes? Expectations? – What are you looking at 2006 to bring?

I’m bad at resolutions but I am looking forward to the New Year, some of what I hope to do:

The Metro-Swank Tour – ride the Metro to various swanky locations, meet up with folks, for cocktails, dinner, maybe an exhibit or a show. Now that I ride this thing practically every day, I want to explore a bit more.

Travel – It’s likely I’ll hit Chicago again, and there’s a conference in Texas I’ll probably go to. We’ve got no vacation travel arrangements in the works – but we always end up doing this sort of thing spur of the moment. I’m hoping our cash flow will enable us to take a trip to someplace we haven’t been before.

Work – This perhaps is my resolution, changes in my organization really left me in a funk about my workplace situation by year-end. I want to turn that around, which may mean ruffling some feathers. I’m hoping I can bring about the changes I want to make, and hope my allies in this effort continue to support me.

That’s it for a start, I’m sure I’ll add more items as the year approaches.

For me, 2006 is all about 2 things -

The Wedding - October 21st
The Honeymoon Cruise on the Magic - October 28th - November 4th

And until that month, it's bride stuff galore. :)

For Christmas I bought myself a treadmill so I hope to work out at home more often next year.

This year I decided not to make any resolutions...therefore, I cannot break any resolutions.

But, I've a simple plan:

I want to watch as many silent films as I can get my hands on. I'm going to make a list, and then I'm going to watch them all. Thank goodness for Netflix.

I can't wait to do my taxes. I'm getting a refund. I want to kill a credit card with it. Heh heh.
:)

I like this one, and I may adopt a similar one to catch up on some anime from the thread I started here earlier this year - I love exploring new genres.

Grrr, I'm not looking forward to 2006 at all.

I had three majorly fun events in 2005, albeit ones that cost a fortune. But in 2006, I've not only got to cut the spending waaaaaay back .... I've got to do something to grow up and plan for my eventual retirement in something like 25 years. That's precious little time to save up from, well, zero.

2006 is the year I have to start scrimping, get life insurance, sell my condo and buy a house (starting mortgage payments all over again - bah) and attend to some financial planning for the future which - as the onset of 2006 only proves - is coming fast.

Oh dear, I feel like I may be losing a partner in extravagance - well have to find more cost effective ways to keep the hedons flowing.

:cheers:

2006? I just want to take a bath today!

We actually have real travel plans this year. We're spending a week in New York in May, pretty much camped out on Broadway for the most part, I think. Then in September, it's the multi-day Worldcon in Anaheim.

I had resolved not to go to NZ in 2006, and then this little band decided they'd pop in for a concert, so now I'm heading over in March. The show is March 18, so I'll be in Auckland for that. I'll do some touring of the North Island in the preceeding week, and visit my sister, BIL, and the cutest nephew ever the week before that. I also will be getting a tour of Weta, which I am very excited about.

I haven't given it much thought, I rarely do prefering to take things as they come. So far, the only concrete thing I'm looking forward to is our trip to Alaska to meet our new sister-in-law and forthcoming brand new baby nephew. That's going to be exciting.

Don't worry. I'm going to work in the home mortgage biz in a couple weeks. By the time Steve retires his sugar daddy sonny (me) will have set him up w/ a nice home & a few pennies in the bank.

:)

Bring on the spending ! :D

Alaska. As for the rest....dunno. :) Each year is an adventure, it seems...

It looks like I'm going to have to move. Bah.

Move where? I just moved into a new apt., but in the same area.

The brother of a good friend has also been stalking them. The only place he's been out of the country is to a show in Canada, but he's seen them about 12 or 13 times (at least) in the States and has apparently gotten almost all of their autographs by hanging out by the outside stage door. When I had dinner with the friend last night, she mentioned that he's considering going to see them in Japan...

Yes, they're really good about coming out and saying hello. Signing things and shaking hands. The only one I haven't met in person is Larry. :)

My apt is going condo, which means I have to buy or get out. Buying this place would be incredibly foolish, which means I have to get out.

Yeech. That happened to a friend of mine. There are tons of these "condos" out there. I hope you find a better place to be.

Which reminds me - the other plan we have for this year is home/condo ownership. Once we hit July we can start seriously considering our options. Everyone pray that the market takes a dump! :D

Yes, there are tons of these condos around--I don't really see how they're going to sell all the units here. There's too many of them, and the buildings aren't new. The grounds have been neglected for several years, and they're just now starting to fix them up (too little too late, guys!). All the exterior lights around my building are out.

If I were to buy a home, I would buy one (preferably a house) in a much nicer neighborhood. Screw the convenient drive to work. I deserve better.

During our short stint of home hunting this year, we saw a bunch of those apartments-turned-condos. I would never in a million years buy one of those. They were, as you said, older, worn, and neglected. Plus, they looked and felt like apartments, with apartment style layouts, and apartment level ammeneties. Especially considering the prices they're asking out here for those, they were entirely unappealing.

That's what they did at our last apartment. They were pretty good for apartments, but there's no way I'd BUY one! My favorite part was at the information session where the high-pressure sales lady told the assembled gathering that we'd never be able to buy our own home unless we took them up on their "discount" for current residents, and that if we didn't sign on the dotted line we'd never be homeowners. Because apparently she'd decided we all looked impoverished. (Um, hello? Yes they're apartments, but expensive apartments in a very desireable suburb.)

So we went and bought a condo that was actually designed as a condo (it's a townhouse) and so we don't have to listen every time our neighbors take a whizz.

We're only an hour away from 2006 now. I hope that 2006 will be a year of personal growth and revelation. I'll work towards becoming better, stronger, smarter and happier. I hope for adventure, excitement, and serenity. I hope for travel and love and very little anguish. I want to experience as much as possible every day. I plan to live 2006 with drive and purpose and most of all hope.

I'm looking forward to a few new sig lines and avatars

We bought a mobile home at the beginning of 2005, and it has made life so much nicer for both of us - I can't wait to see what happens in 2006.

I'm either looking forward to or dreading a decission that I have to make some time this year. I'm being given the opportunity to choose my destiny, so to speak, at work. I can either stay the course and continue with the same main responsibility I've had since I was hired, or shift over and be responsible for a new area. It's not an easy choice at all. And it's not even one of those simple to categorize choices like, "Path A is easier while path B offers more updward potential." The risk/reward breakdown is pretty equal between them. One would initially be easier in the near term, crappier in the mid term, and 50/50 whether it'll be rewarding or crappy in the long term. The other would be initally kinda crappy, likely easy but very possibly crappy in the mid term, and only slightly more likely to be worth it in the long term. Ugh, the more I think about it, the less happy I am about having to make the choice.

Travel: to LA in February and late August 2006, both pleasure trips (with only a little work/hobby stuff in between)

Moving: Back to Northern California in May/June

Job: Who knows? I have leads and contacts all over the place in SF, so I hope that I will have no real down time. Gotta pay my bills! :-(

Health: On a new health regimen, good food, exercise and hopefully weight loss!

Culture shock will be moving back with my old roomie. Even if that is temporary, it's going to be very different.



Donna