Sebbylite

I play a lot of pick-up basketball at the gym I go to, mostly because I can’t really see a game and not play in it. But also because I love playing basketball and I feel good during and after playing.

The gym I play at has a pretty good game too. Usually there are only 1-2 “chumps” out there at any given point in time, and everyone can at least catch the ball on a consistent basis. And of course there are also the guys that can actually play, and are usually the reason why a team wins and stays on the court for 5 games in a row. These are also the guys that I like to guard. Let’s face it, I’m not an offensive powerhouse on the court. But I realize this, so I do what I can do (rebound, make lay-ups, and play defense). The main thing I do is play defense, because that part is the most fun for me. It’s a challenge on a more personal level than the 5v5 game, it’s you against him, and it is your job to ensure that he doesn’t score. And I take that seriously, because it’s fun to beat guys who think that they are the hottest shit on the court since they first started making pumps.

Anyway, back before they switched ownership of the gym, there was a little bit different crowd that went to play. One guy in particular I always liked playing against, because he was good. Not only was he good, but he actually tried when he was out there, unlike a lot of guys who just dribble down the court and shoot from just past half-court because they are lazy. It was always a big challenge for me to play against him: he was strong, a good shot, quick, and didn’t lose the ball that easily. I’m sure that he didn’t give two rabbit farts about me, but I always knew that if he was there, it would be a good game.

Then I saw him outside of the gym about 2-3 weeks ago, and lost all respect for him. Why, you ask? Well, he was walking across the street while I was driving, and he was following behind this tiny pug with a pink jacket on. I could hardly keep myself from laughing out loud at him. Because even if it was his girlfriend’s dog and he was just taking the pug out for a walk, as soon as you get out of the house you take that damn jacket off and stash it in your pocket until you get back again.

Like I said, he hasn’t been back to the gym to play that I’ve seen since they changed ownership. But if he did come back, I’m not sure I could take him seriously anymore.

I’ve never been a fan of New Year’s Resolutions (honestly, how can you improve upon perfection?), and only partly because I don’t feel like change is necessary just for change’s sake. While I agree that it is a good idea to take stock of yourself and how you are living your life, and then making the necessary changes for a better physical/mental/emotional life, why does it only happen once a year? Why wouldn’t it be a regular checkup, just like you do for your car? Every 3 months or 3000 miles, get an oil change and update your goals list to make sure that you remain on track and motivated. That sounds much better to me.

And that is also the reason that I like this site’s idea. Basically, instead of a New Year’s Resolution, you create an honest list of goals that you would like to achieve. And the list spans about 2 3/4 years, so you can add in goals that will take a little time to come to pass. Then every few months, you can update your list and see where you stand.

Probably the biggest issue for me is coming up with 101 goals that I actually want to accomplish. I know that they are out there, but coming up with them all at once is a little beyond me. Plus I feel like if you saddle yourself with a number (hmmm, “saddle yourself”…there’s something else I can add to the list), you’ll end up adding crap goals that are either too easy (wake up for work tomorrow morning), or so ambitious that you won’t be able to accomplish it even in the timespan (become President of the United States). So I’ll start simple, with this partial list:

1. Go back to Mars (Best. Tournament. Ever.)
2. Pay off credit card debt
3. Get new computer/laptop
4. Find a hotel and rent a room by the hour
5. 15 hikes in the Cascades/Olympics (2 done already)
6. Start yoga
7. Start writing letters to Ty again
8. Stay clean shaven for a month or more (started 1/20/08, finished 2/20/08)
9. Frame my duck
10. Go to more drive-in movies
11. Redesign and get my tattoo redone
12. Go see a live play, somewhere nice
13. See an opera
14. Defragment my laptop(did 2-3 times, computer is still slow)
15. Update my “States Visited” list, and try to finish that
16. No caffeine for 2 weeks
17. No alcohol for 2 months
18. Go to either Teatro Zinzani or Cirque de Soleil
19. Learn how to snowboard
20. Get a job I like and can grow with
21. Fix/tune-up/get a new bike, and ride it more
22. 100 push-ups in under 5 minutes
23. 4:30 mile
24. Get more flexible
25. Visit an art gallery during an art opening
26. Do the tourist things in Seattle that I’ve never done
27. Complete 2 of the things from my idea notebook
28. get 8 hours of sleep or more a night for a month
29. See more Sounders games
30. Take a boxing class/lesson
31. Design, develop, and implement a website for myself
32. Learn Javascipt/DHTML/AJAX
33. Learn Coldfusion
34. Deal with my crappy Wells Fargo IRA and retirement accounts
35. Take a dance class
36. Organize my music in iTunes
37. Start and finish 2 woodworking projects
38. Get laptop power supply checked out, then run sysclean
39. Clean out garage, and make it usable

As you can see, I’ve got a pretty good list started already, and I’ve even got a start on a couple of them. As for the rest, well, hopefully I’ll be back to update this list with new info every couple of months. And yes, I’ll take pictures to post of the “dance class” I take, because it’s going to be pretty amusing. I already feel sorry for my instructor.