It’s time to say goodbye to 2004 and hello to 2005. This year was a really good one for me. Lori and I got our first pet, April, our loved and very spoiled beagle. I changed jobs, starting with Blue Line Innovations in April, which provided new and interesting challenges. In May, I presented my first peer reviewed paper at CCECE2004 in Niagara Falls. I got married in September, the biggest and best event of the year. We then celebrated our honeymoon in Barcelona in November, a much need and very relaxing vacation. And now we are just past Christmas, and waiting for the New Year.

It is tradition at this time of year to list a set of goals for the New Year, many of which are forgotten by January 2. To help me stay on task in 2005, I have decided to announce mine to the world via the Internet. This way, I can’t deny them later, if I happen to wander off track. So, in 2005, I resolve to:

1. Lose 40lbs. This may seem like I am setting my goals to high, but a couple of years ago I was able to lose 60lbs, I just didn’t keep it all off.
2. Limit greasy fast food to once a week. Hopefully the frequency will be less that once a week, but this goal is reasonable for now. I will be allowed healthy fast food such as Subway and Pita Pit.
3. Find a regular physical activity to participate in by the end of January. I need to be more active, I’m just not sure what I want to do, and so I am giving myself a month to figure out.
4. Finish my thesis in the first half of the year. It just has to be done; the whole process has gone on long enough.

There they are, my major goals for 2005. Check back throughout the year for updates as to how I am progressing.

-Brian

I know they have been doing it for a while now, but I really hate theaters playing commercials before the movie. Trailers for coming releases I totally understand, in fact I even look forward some of them. I have been know to make a final decision on whether or not to see a movie based on the trailers I will get to see. Commercials on the other hand are just wrong.

I know why the advertiser want the commercials played, where else do they get such a captive audience? It’s not like you are going to get up out of your seat and come back when they are over (like with tv commercials). They’re so loud and you can’t even ignore them really, you just have to sit and watch. Now, so will say, “there are only a couple, does it really hurt that much,” but that is not really the point. I am a big fan of movies and go see them quite regularly. I already put up with the fact that movie prices seem to increase more often than I change my socks. Or the fact that I have to pay $5 for about $0.10 worth of popcorn (I can get twice as much for just over $1 from a local rental store). You would think that the theaters make enough money as it is, but no, they need to sell commercial time to make even more. Maybe someday that money will go to price reductions on tickets and concessions. Okay, maybe not, but a guy can dream can’t he?

Okay, I’m almost done with the website changes. I finally have a layout and color scheme that I like. The title bar I can do without (it’s was a place holder for an old color scheme), but I have a couple ideas for a good one. This along with the addition of material I had on my old site will be added in due time. I will also be updating the blog a little more often. I’ve said this before, but I really wanted to to get the site design done first and that took a little longer than I had planned. Now that I have it done, I have no excuses.

Brian

BTW… The picture on the right hand side is my wife’s moblog. You can find random moments of our life there.