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I don't make New Year's Resolutions. I haven't for a very long time. However, I do like to set a few goals for the coming year. "What's the difference," you might ask. Not much really, it's just that resolutions leave a bad taste in my mouth. They are made on the spur of the moment and then no attempt is made at following through. So instead I think about what I want to accomplish and make goals to guide me through the year.

This year is quite a departure from the last few years. hollyqueen has made living life a joy again. My divorce is settled and done. I'll have some free time available while hollyqueen is going back to school. Finally, I want to learn something new this year. So, without further ado, here is my list of goals for 2004.

1. Fix my financial situation. Years of a bad marriage and poor behavior on my part have really wrecked my credit rating and history. I've gotten a lot better, but I need to make a list of the outstanding items from my past and take care of them. Interest rates are so low it's insane to not look at buying a house and I want to provide a good home so hollyqueen and I can have a place to share and raise children.

2. Clear out the clutter in my life. During my last marriage I was reaching for straws to be happy. So I picked up a lot of hobbies and bought a lot of things I never touch now. I've pared down my list of hobbies and I'll be going through the stacks and stacks of stuff and culling out the things I don't need anymore. Keep an eye here, as I'll offer things to my friends at a deep discount before going to any auction sites.

3. Become active in the local Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) organization. I played a bit during a couple of simulated emergency events last year and had a grand time. One of the nice things about working with ARES is that I don't need large antennas or really expensive radios. All of the practice, and heaven forbid real, events simulate emergency conditions so we use a lot of battery based, portable equipment. Just the thing for someone who lives in an apartment. This also satisfies my need for learning. Washington County ARES has a lot of classes and training in the schedule for 2004. I've already enrolled for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) classes offered by Beaverton and I'll sign up for the Emergency Communications course when they open registration on January 5th.

4. Read more. I used to read a lot. I haven't as much in the last few years and reading my gift from hollyqueen has reminded me how much I like to read. I have stacks and stacks of books that I meant to read, but never got around to starting them. First, I'll finish my gifts because I want to and I can't put the book down, then I'll go to work on the stack.

5. Go sailing. When hollyqueen and I went to Victoria last year we were able to go sailing on the THANE. It wasn't the best day to sail, but I had a blast and really want to sail some more. There has to be some sailing possibilities near by that doesn't involve giving up every Saturday or other extreme demands.

So there you have them. My goals for 2004.