Hi y'all! I know I have not been so active on this blog recently but I had an idea to try New Year's Resolutions for once. Since the upcoming year in the Gregorian Calendar is 2023 I decided to write down 23 different resolutions to try to work on in the upcoming year. In the interest of brevity I won't be sharing all 23 resolutions but some that I think are easily worth sharing.
1. Be able to play the bugle calls that are contained inside the Bugling merit badge pamphlet.
There are fifteen different bugle calls in the Bugling merit badge pamphlet that I can work on and I've been trying for years on and off to be able to play at least a few bugle calls. If I can successfully fulfil this resolution my plan is to buy either a metal trumpet or a plastic cornet since I have a pBugle from from the creators of pBone trombones that plays pretty well in tune and in the key of B flat. I say plastic cornet because with brass instruments I currently don't have ambitions beyond the bugle calls and even though cornet is a serious instrument like the trumpet I'm not sure I can shell out more money for a "for-fun" instrument. The metal trumpet should I go for it will be a symbol of my seriousness and a definite goal beyond bugle calls in the brass realm.
3. Complete a Sprint Triathlon
I enjoy running. I enjoy cycling. I enjoy swimming. So with those three disciplines in mind why not try to do an event that combines all three? It will be my first triathlon since the first time got disrupted by world events in 2020. Since it will be my first I'll be starting from a sprint distance event which if I do a specific tri in April it'll be 800 meters of swimming, a nine mile bike ride, and a 3 mile run. I'll have to quickly get started on training my swimming chops and regaining my cycling chops to have a good time at the triathlon.
11. Read at least 12 books.
I've been trying for a few years to complete this goal and I have a list of books to read but I just need to put my nose to the figurative grindstone and read the dang books! The list of must reads for me are these but not necessarily in order: I Am a Cat by Natsume Soseki, Sanshiro by Natsume Soseki, The Makioka Sisters by Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, The Spy in Moscow Station by Eric Haseltine, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, And Then by Natsume Soseki, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, The Origin of Species by Darwin, The Mathematics of Secrets by Joshua Holden, and Christianity... It's Like This by David R. Smith. Whoops! That was in order of month.
14. Memorize minor scales for clarinet and bass clarinet, two octaves.
I should in good conscience already have memorized these scales as a musician but it doesn't hurt to try again and actually memorize the minor scales. Luckily for me the clarinet and bass clarinet have generally the same fingerings.
16. Monthly Rewards
This is an unconventional resolution because most New Year's Resolutions require sacrifice to achieve but I have this unusual idea of rewarding myself with some item every end of the month. A few ideas include the Pusheen knitting kit (then I can learn how to knit), a Pusheen crochet kit (then I can learn how to crochet), and Pokémon Legends Arceus among other things.
22. Talk to friends and family more
I'm sorry to my friends and family that I haven't been as chatty as I used to be but one of my resolutions is to try to be a bit more active in keeping in touch. Of course it's possible that I may overdo it but that's not for me to decide, my only thing to do when it's decided that I'm talking too much is to hush up.
