What a month it has been so far. I am just starting to get used to waking up earlier for my new schedule at work. The last couple of weeks has been very busy and rather stressful. By the time the day has come an end, I have had nothing left in me for writing. I'm thinking that it will be a bit easier this week, so hopefully the blog will proceed with a new sense of regularity (I would say urgency, but I really don't have anything that urgent to say at the moment). The really nice thing about my new schedule is I am free at 3:25PM rather than 5:05PM.

In a way, it surprises me that we are already two weeks into the new year. Sometimes time seems to literally fly by (usually when I am not at work) and I find myself wondering where it went. Part of that is due to the fact that my job is more a study in endurance than something that I find truly interesting. When you are living just to get through something because it is something you need to do, there is not much time left for anything more fulfilling.

I still find myself hoping that someone will see my books on Blurb and I will be able to start using my photography as my means of earning money. I fully realize what a long-shot that is, especially since I have a rather small circle of friends and none of them can really afford either book, but there is that small glimmer of hope that something miraculous will happen. In the meantime, I make plans for my next photographic endeavor and restrain myself from checking back too frequently to see if anyone has bought either book yet.

We are beginning to plan out our camping trips for this year. At this point, we are thinking Zion in April, Great Basin in July, Capitol Reef in September, and Arches in October. We might even throw in a trip to the Tetons in June. It is all still in the initial planning stages at this point, so we'll see what actually happens. Right now, I would love to escape for a couple of days somewhere, but that is just not possible in January (work, of course).

I have decided that I need to work a bit more on being grateful, so I am going to start listing at least one good thing I have accomplished/done during the previous week. I will probably do this on Sundays, at least that is my plan. This week's accomplishment: I have made it through the first two weeks of January and I am still (relatively) sane. That may sound silly, but with my job, I consider that an accomplishment.

That's all for tonight. I should be back tomorrow. Hopefully.

I miss one day and see what happens?

Back around Thanksgiving, I decided I was too tired to write. That one day soon became two, and then three....and now the year is about to give it's final gasp and I am finally writing again. The good news (OK, for me it is good news) is that I have written much more this year than I have ever written before, though not as much as I hope to write in the future. This year I have actually managed to accomplish two things I have set goals to do in past years, but failed to achieve; I submitted three photos to the Utah State Fair, and I completed my book on Arches National Park. I also completed photo books on Nine Mile Canyon and Yellowstone, though they were almost strictly photos with little to no text. Next I might tackle one on Capitol Reef, sharing my impressions and experiences like I did in my Arches book.

And now, in the spirit of the season, I guess it's time to review that list I composed 364 days ago.

What I Plan, Or Hope, To Accomplish, The 2011 Edition

1. Exercise regularly. Merilee and I have a plan in place that begins on Monday morning. We figure if we work on this one together, it is more likely to happen.

This one was in jeopardy almost before it begin. On the first morning, Merilee was not able to even get into the pool it was so crowded and I slipped on some ice while walking outside and hurt my shoulder. We did manage to pick things up later by hiking after work, but then Merilee turned her ankle during a hike on a truly disastrous weekend (no water and we had to find out why from our neighbor, not from our landlords). Then she got sick and we have been fairly sedentary since, though I did spend a couple of days in Arches in October hiking like a madman.

2. Write in my journal at least once a week. I have never been good at keeping a journal, so this is a big deal for me.

Still not good at this one. I started off well, but soon let it go.

3. Finish my Arches book. The photos are almost collected, so I just need to take the time to complete the text and layout. Then I have to have the money to have a copy printed.

Done. Published through Blurb. Check out the links on this blog.

4. Write creatively. And I mean it this time. Compared to last year, this one will be a success as long as I do it even once, but I am shooting for more than that. I already have a first line; "It all began on a Thursday."

Other than the blog, this one went nowhere again. I'll try it again in '12.

5. Save enough money for a new computer. It doesn't have to be fresh out of the box, just new to me. I got the complete National Geographic (I love National Geographic!) on DVD-ROM for Christmas, but I have to have a Mac with an Intel Duo Core Processor running at at least 1.83 GHz in order to use it. I have an iBook G4.

No go on the new 'puter. Still using the same G4 laptop. I ended up upgrading my camera instead. Maybe next year will be a good one for a computer.

6. Pay my tithing. I did better this year, but better is not good enough. This has always been difficult for me.

Still working on this one.

7. If we make it to Zion this year, hike Angel's Landing.

Abject failure here. We made it to Zion, but I realized I was in no shape for Angel's Landing. Next time, perhaps.

8. Become involved in the community. I'm not quite sure what form this will take, but it is something I have thought about doing.

I helped out Friends of the Provo Library and wrote numerous e-mails to my elected officials.

9. Spend less time playing games on Facebook. I have already taken the first step on this one by quitting all of them. Aside from the fact that they were getting to be more frustrating than fun because they are so slow on my computer, I was wasting waaaaay too much time on them.

I had a relapse on this one, but I am back to no Farmville and virtually no Facebook.

10. Enter at least one photo in the state fair. I have threatened to do this for at least the last 10 years. Now that I have officially made it part of my goals, maybe I'll really do it this year.

I entered three photos. Not even an honourable mention. Maybe next year.

11. Continue to improve my photography. I figure I have to add one that will be easy for me to accomplish.

I would like to think that I have succeeded here as well. I'm always trying to improve. My fondest dream is to one day be able to support myself with my photography.

OK, so that about wraps up 2011. Next year I start a new schedule that should allow for a much more active lifestyle (I'm done at 3:25PM) and I hope other things will improve as well. Now I have to get to work on next year's goals. Happy New Year!

PS I finished War And Peace! It was actually pretty good, but the last 45 pages were a bit much. I don't read philosophy for a reason.

Photography

It looks like I will actually enter a couple of photos into the Utah State Fair this year. This is something I have been threatening to do for several years (as I mentioned back in January when I made my goals for the year), but it looks like this year will be the year. I received a little outside motivation today to begin moving things along. I know at least one person will be looking for my photos on display at the fair. I was given a new way to look at the whole thing as well. It is like being on display in a gallery. The exposure is the key thing; not winning a ribbon. Just being there where thousands of people can see my work will be a reward in itself. Now I just have to decide on what I am going to submit. That could easily be the hardest part of the process.

I also entered a photo into a contest tonight. It is sponsored by a local credit union and it relies a lot on votes through Facebook. I don't have thousands of Facebook friends, but it would be nice to have a decent showing. We'll see how that one comes out. This is the photo I entered.

Yesterday my copy of a photo book I had made for my dad arrived and I am still really pleased with the results. You can see it here: Yellowstone Photo Book. It helps motivate me to complete the Arches book I have been playing around with for some time now. There is something very satisfying about seeing my work bound in a book. It makes me want to see more, and to share more. I am obviously biased, but I really like the way my photos look. This October I have some definite areas I want to photograph in Arches, and then I can assemble everything and get it printed. I'm still working on text, but I can work on that while I gather the photos I want to use and before I get the last few.

Well, I better get this posted or today will be tomorrow and I will have missed a day in August. Until tomorrow then.