It’s that time of year again. Here are some goals for the next 12 months. I actually ran out of projects in April, with 3 months to go, last time, so let’s be a little optimistic this time. What do I want to do in the next 12 months?
1) Get 1000 members in Manchester Nightlife
I set up Meetup group Manchester Nightlife in early June. I’ve since amassed over 200 members and ran 6 events. I’d like to make the group a lot bigger, make it more known both on the Meetup scene and off it. I’d like to get people to try out Meetup for the first time, for a proper night out as opposed to early doors drinks as many other groups do.
But how? I bet there’s a way of getting people to try out Meetup. Street approaches, encouraging people to download the Meetup app? Leaving comments on Reddit? Using Manchester – related hashtags on X (formerly Twitter)?
Any suggestions?
2) See more of Scandinavia
Copenhagen in April involved some superb museums, great food, Baltic swimming and cycling. See day 1, day 2, day 3 and day 4.
There are other Scandinavian capitals I’d love to see – Oslo and Reykjavik in particular – but they’re a lot dearer. I’m hoping to get to see more Viking museums.
Oslo has The Viking Planet; Reykjavik has Viking World (although their socials don’t seem to be active). Other museums pique my interest like, in Oslo, the Münch Museum (same lack of socials). In Norway’s capital I wouldn’t want to miss The Northern Lights, the fjords, observatory spots like the Sky Bar, hipster areas and fine architecture like the train station. Alternatively the Swedish capital Stockholm holds the Vasa Warship, an excavated and preserved 1600s Navy vessel, plus at least one Viking museum.
3) A third Viking project
Back in May to August, I tried to learn as much as I could about the Viking era and my family’s connection to it (the Tuckey surname deriving from the Toki Viking tribe). I spent a month researching, and another month cooking and working out in ways that Vikings would have done. In a third project, I’d do a lot more chin-ups and dips, as Vikings would doubtlessly have done. There were plenty of door frames and trees a thousand years ago. They would have used rocks for deadlifts (I’ll stick to the standard bar and discs). Axe cutting was a frequent exercise (pulley work at the gym can replicate this movement). Whilst doing this, I’d eat twice a day, follow recipes from the Eat Like a Viking cookbook and watch a ton of Vikings Valhalla and The Vinland Saga on Netflix.
4) See other parts of the world
We’re quite fortunate to be so close to mainland Europe and be able to dip in and out of countries, rather than have to go on an American-style backpacking tour. An occasional nosey around Skyscanner would throw up some feasible possibilities. I’m looking at this week’s offers and Naples, Milan, Verona and Venice are all under £100 1 way. Easyjet has other deals not listed on the aforementioned site: Belfast, Barcelona and Paris are some excellent destinations at their lowest prices.
Do I want to do this solo, though? Not wise when you have memory difficulties and unfamiliar places are a big challenge. Who would I travel with? It looks like, for the moment, I need to work on the new friendships I’m forming though Meetup.
5) Teeline for a month again
I’ve made a few attempts to learn Teeline shorthand over the years. I’ve used YouTube videos and a PDF guidebook and I’ve learned enough to make a decent amount of notes at conventions in order to put an interesting blog post together. Another bash at this would allow me to get more written down, use up less space in the book and read it back to myself with more clarity.
6) Learn nunchucks
Years ago, I trekked out to Decathalon in Stockport to buy some rubber-handled nunchucks. I dabbled around with a few YouTube videos to see if I could develop a bit of skill in them. What exactly I thought I’d use these Chinese martial art weapon skills for, I’ve no idea, although it is good for upper body fitness. It’s been my plan to focus on this for a month, and see what competence I can gain in it. I’ll upload a video at the end of that month.
7) Excess Month again
Back in November 2017 I tried a project in which I blogged every day as part of what was National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo. I did this on the theme of ‘excess.’ I’d had an idea in my head to fill the month with events, alcohol, drugs, food, parties, nights out and not much sleep. I couldn’t quite make things as exciting as I’d hoped. These days, I have a Meetup group and a full cupboard of alcohol. I could work to the theme of excess again: trying to fill my life with as much activity as possible, trying to be as busy as I can. Would I be able to create content every day? Unlikely. I’d rather not upload drivel just to say I’ve uploaded something, which I suspect is how people interpreted it last time. I’d also try to not put on weight like I did last time too.
8) Veganuary
Last January, the Veganuary challenge was already taking place by the time I noticed it was a thing. The task: eat only vegan food for 1 month. For my birthday last month I got Rukmini Iyer’s The Green Roasting Tin book. It’s packed with vegetarian and vegan recipes. I’ve dabbled in it recently and had some success. (Recipe reviews will appear here soon.) I’ll also make a lot of soup and roast veg. Looking forward to a few chip naans with ketchup. I’m also hoping for PBs in running, chin-ups and dips. Will I make the hallowed 72kg and fit back into my suits? I hope so.
9) Touch type for a month again
I’ve made a few attempts over the years to brush up on typing and improve my speed and accuracy. I haven’t done this in recent years, though. Being a little bit faster would make things more efficient in work, where I do a lot of minutes, and would make blogging quicker, giving me more time for everything else in my life. I managed to get 47wpm last time. 40-60wpm is regarded a good speed for office work, my line of work.
10) Get back into 30” suit trousers again
I’m likely to be in Tenerife in May next year. When / if I am, I’d like to be a little trimmer – trim enough to wear my suit trousers. Not that I’ll be wearing them there, but around that time I’d like to. If my waistline is small enough, the likelihood is I’ll be fitter too, meaning activities like snorkelling with turtles and perhaps cycling around the island should be a doddle. I know I need to be 72.2kg to fit 30”.
10 is a good number of targets. Some of these can be worked on simultaneously, others not. We are now 2 weeks into the year of being 42. I’m already working on this Olympic Workouts project, and making progress with chin-ups and dips. Deadline is 10pm, 8th September. After that, I’ll charge through one of these.
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