So every year millions of people make “resolutions” for the coming New Year. While I admit I used to practice such hypocrisy, I have since changed my ways. I have decided that I am going to set 10 goals for myself for 2010. I will begin on 01/01/10 and I hope to have them completed by 12/31/10. The difference between “resolutions” and goals is that goals have an end. Resolutions are usually very vague and easily forgotten about. So here are my goals for 2010 (in no particular priority).

#1 – Learn to play the guitar. I currently have an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar. I can pretty much play a single scale on them, and that is it. I am going to take the time and actually learn. I may even take some lessons if I find the right teacher (learning from good friends never works because we end up messing around and too much joking). I am not sure what will actually constitute the “end” of this goal, other than being able to play a song or two that is NOT taught to my daughter in daycare.

#2 – Learn another language. Much like the guitar, I am not sure where the end is on this, but I would like to be able to at least stumble my way through a conversation. The biggest problem with this one is that I am very interested in about 5 languages. Spanish is probably the most practical and I did take one year in high school. Not that I remember anything at all. German would be the next choice, since I took it in high school, and unlike Spanish, I remember a little more, but not enough to be dangerous. Gaelic is very intriguing to me due to my Irish roots. Vietnamese or Mandarin would be fun so I could tell if the people are talking about it me when I pick up my takeout food. Last would be Arabic. I will not lie…If people are planning to take the plane down that I am on, I want to know it. I also think there could be a good market for this knowledge.

#3 – Get to 200 pounds. This is the most straight forward goal. I want my “walking weight” down around 200 pounds again. In the winter, I usually come in about 240. During the summer volleyball season I am usually around 225. I need to get things back in order to feel better about myself and make sure I am around to annoy my friends and family longer.

#4 – Blog once week. I have been bad about this for a long time. I have decided to NOT re-do my website (www.mickulz.com) this year because I always use that as an excuse. I need to put my thoughts down. Not that I think the world needs to know my views on everything, but it is more like therapy for me.

#5 – Return to the AVP. It has been 12 years since I played an AVP sponsored event. It is not like I did well then, but it was something that drove me. It is also not like I expect to do anything, but I miss being a part of it. I am not sure playing in a qualifier or two is what I want (or need). My thoughts are now turning towards beach coaching and the huge gap that is there.

#6 – DJ Mickulz Pajama Jams. It has been 3 years since I “retired” from DJing. I have recently started getting the urge to do it again. I am not talking about doing a full time gig like before. I like having my weekends free. I am talking about maybe doing a night/event once or twice a month. The only way I would ever considered coming back full time is if it was a Friday Happy Hour gig in a cool bar or deck. I do not want to get home at 4 am every weekend.

#7 – Write more poems. It has been a very long time since I sat down and wrote some serious work. I always had an easy excuse of “I have 200 already that still are not typed”. The problem is I have to write everyone in pencil, and then I type it. I just like having them in my own hand. I would consider 12 new ones a completion of this goal.

#8 – Get my degree. This will be the easiest to do. I will officially get my degree in May. Then, I will be getting my next degree in December of 2010. After that, I need to decide where the next step is going to take me.

#9 – Drum more. I have not picked up my sticks in a serious manner in some time. I still have my sticks and two pads, so I should use them. If I get back in to it, maybe I will actually set the kit back up and fix it. Along with this one is another goal (I will make it 9.5).

#10 – Catch some marching shows. I have not seen a marching band competition since “Sounds of the Patriots” in 2003. I still have a lot of friends who I taught with or against that still do it, so I should go throw my support. For this to be completed, I will need to see at least 2 shows, but I am pulling for 3. I may even hit up a practice or two. I miss tuning the bass drums and the rush of the show.

#11 – Get out more. The funny part is, I am not home a lot. That is because I am always doing something with volleyball. While it is my biggest passion, I need to do some other things. I need to visit my old friends from the bar days, maybe catch a movie in the theater, or hit Atlantic City more. I also need to do one of the following: Dorney Park, Renaissance Faire, UFC event, or a concert (in a stadium).

#12 – Finish my movie script. I have no idea what I expect to come from the script, but if I do not attempt it I will kick myself in the ass for not trying. I admit, it is a LOT harder than I expected. First I am learning HOW to write it. Then I will begin to write it. For the bunch of you who keep asking me what it is about…I am still not telling. Maybe after I have some stuff down and copyright it…We will see.

So there is my goal list. You will see that there are some things missing like: being a better father, husband, brother, son, and all that. I think this is something that can (and should) always be worked on, so it should not be a goal.

Also, there are no “coaching” goals on there. My goals are always the same for all my teams, so there is no sense putting them on the list. I would like to bring a MPC to the girls’ side, so we will see how hard they work this off season.

I guess the next update on this will be 12/31/2010 to see how I did. I feel good about all these goals, and I think I can actually hit them all. Good luck to everyone in the New Year, and all the goals and resolutions that you set for yourself.