PERSONAL FITNESS
1. Don’t die.
Still alive.
As always, I plan on living forever or die trying.
2. Lose 20 pounds.
I lost another two pounds in July, bringing my total weight loss to 37 pounds in 2023.
I won’t declare victory until I get through the year with sustained weight loss, but at the moment, the goal to lose 20 pounds, as well as my revised goal of 30 pounds, has been achieved.
Now that I’ve hit my new goal, I’m setting my sights on another 10 pounds, which would bring my total weight loss to 40 pounds. This might be difficult but not impossible.
I’ve begun the process of replacing my wardrobe.
3. Do at least 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and three one-minute planks five days a week.
I did not miss a single day in July.
4. Cycle for at least five days every week.
Done. I missed four days in July when I was on vacation in Washington, DC. However, I used a rowing machine during one of those days.
I also rode the bike (stationary and actual bike) two or more times on a single day for 18 days in July.
5. Improve my golfing handicap by two strokes.
My handicap at the start of the year was 17.6.
I played about a dozen rounds of golf in July, and my handicap is holding steady at 20.9.
However, I set a personal best of 43 for 9 holes in July, and I also shot a 45 and 46, too.
All excellent scores for me. Great improvement.
WRITING CAREER
6. Complete my eighth novel.
The book is about half complete, but I haven’t made any progress in 2023 as I focus on my nonfiction first.
7. Write my next Storyworthy book.
Work continues. A total of 13 chapters completed. Due September 1.
8. Write/complete at least three new picture books, including one with a female, non-white protagonist.
My agent still has my beaver-related picture book for review.
I’ve also started two new ideas. Short, incomplete, and very much in the rough draft stage. All of this must wait until the fall, but I feel excited about the ideas I have.
9. Write a new solo show.
Done. The show is complete and ready to go.
10. Perform a new solo show.
Done. Performed July 30 and 31. I’ll be performing one more time tonight.
11. Write a musical.
My friend Kaia and I are writing a musical that we will also perform, even though I cannot sing. She writes the music and lyrics. She and I write the story.
I need to write some of the story in order for Kaia to begin writing music. I haven’t done that yet because we are currently immersed in the solo show, but once it’s done, I’m hoping to turn my focus on this next staged project.
12. Submit at least five Op-Ed pieces to The New York Times for consideration.
No progress.
13. Write at least four letters to my father.
I wrote a birthday note to my father in March.
One letter has been sent in 2023 so far.
14. Write 100 letters in 2022.
Done.
Another 12 letters were sent in July, bringing the total number to 106.
Recipients included former students, friends, and two places of business.
15. Convert 365 Days of Elysha into a book.
No progress. There is probably a company that does this sort of thing.
16. Read at least 12 books.
I did not finish a book in July.
Eight books so far in 2023.
I’m in the middle of reading the following books:
“The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore
“Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products” by Nir Eyal and Ryan Hoover
“Tough Sh*t” by Kevin Smith
“From Saturday Night to Sunday Night” by Dick Ebersol
“Think Like a Monk” by Jay Shetty
“The Groucho Letters”
Eight books read so far in 2023.
“Sapiens” by Yuval Harari
“Life’s a Gamble” by Mike Sexton
“The Sea We Swim In” by Frank Rose
“Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah
This Will All Be Over Soon” by Cecily Strong
“Magic Words” by Jonah Berger
“The Science of Storytelling” by William Storr
“Slayers and Vampires” by Edward Gross and Mark Altman
17. Read TIME’s 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time.
I didn’t read any of these books in July. Reading will resume in September when school starts.
A total of 15 so far.
I’ve read many of the other books on the list in the past, but I am only counting those books that I have read in 2023 toward my goal.
18. Write to at least six authors about a book I love.
No progress.
STORYTELLING/SPEAKING CAREER
19. Complete the re-recording of Storyworthy For Business.
“Storyworthy” for Business is complete and available for purchase. Find it and much more at storyworthymd.com.
I want to produce a much-improved version of the course ASAP. Module 1 is now re-recorded. A lot more needs to be done.
20. Record the next Storyworthy course.
Done.
Two brand-new courses have been added to the Storyworthy platform:
Finding Stories
Anatomy of a Story
Humor: Volume #1
I’m proud of all of them. You should check them out.
21. Produce a total of six Speak Up storytelling events in 2023
We co-produced the Great Hartford Story Slam in July.
Three shows in 2023 so far:
- April 22 at the Connecticut Historical Society
- May 4 in partnership with Voices of Hope
- July 29 at Hartford Flavor Company
22. Pitch myself to at least three upcoming TEDx events with the hopes of being accepted by one.
Done!
I spoke at a TEDx event at the University of Connecticut in January. It went well despite a malfunctioning clicker that sometimes advanced two slides instead of one.
You can’t imagine how annoyed this made me.
Also, due to the delay in posting a TEDx Talk from more than a year ago, my University of Connecticut talk will not be loaded onto the TED platform for reasons I don’t quite understand.
I also spoke at a TEDx event in Natick, MA on April 13. It went quite well.
I pitched myself to TEDx events in Harlem, Roxbury, and on the campus of Yale University. Harlem has declined. I await word from the two others.
23. Attend at least eight Moth events with the intention of telling a story.
I attended one StorySLAM in July in New York. My name remained stubbornly in the hat again.
A total of ten Moth shows attended in 2023 thus far.
24. Win at least one Moth StorySLAM.
Done. I won the Moth StorySLAM in Boston on March 29.
25. Win a Moth GrandSLAM.
I competed in a Moth GrandSLAM in Boston in May and did not win. I also had to go first, which is not exactly fun or conducive to winning.
I was invited to compete in the Seattle GrandSLAM in March, but traveling cross country was not possible at that time.
I await invitations from producers in New York, Washington DC, and Boston again (where I have won StorySLAMs in the past year) when my turn comes up.
26. Produce at least 24 episodes of our podcast Speak Up Storytelling.
No progress.
27. Perform stand-up at least six times in 2022.
No progress.
28. Pitch three stories to This American Life.
No progress.
29. Pitch myself to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast at least three times.
No progress.
30. Send a newsletter to readers at least 50 times.
Two newsletters were sent in July. One storytelling newsletter and one Speak Up update.
A total of 41 newsletters have been sent thus far in 2023.
HOME
31. Clear the basement.
Progress continues and is going well. One more large piece of furniture to remove. Many more items need to be removed.
32. Clean and clear the garage.
A much-needed dumpster, a trip to the dump, or perhaps a neighbor’s tag sale will be key to completing this task, but it’s nearly done. There are large items that need to be discarded, and a pile of school supplies needs to be organized or eliminated, but otherwise, almost complete.
33. Furnish and decorate the studio.
Done!
34. Eliminate clothing not being worn and closet bins.
Just two bins left to go through with Elysha.
FAMILY/FRIENDS
35. Text or call my brother or sister once per month.
Done.
36. Take at least one photo of my children every day.
Done.
37. Take at least one photo with Elysha and me each week.
Six photos were taken in July. My best month ever!
38. Plan a reunion of the Heavy Metal Playhouse.
No progress.
39. I will not comment – positively or negatively – about the physical appearance of any person save my wife and children in order to reduce the focus on physical appearance in our culture overall.
Done.
I actually credit someone in my solo show for being better-looking than me, but it’s a joke, and there is no specific target of the joke.
40. Surprise Elysha at least six times in 2023.
No surprises in July. Eleven surprises so far in 2023, including:
- Half a dozen birthday cards, all handmade, scattered throughout her life on her birthday
- Tickets to the upcoming Lizzo concert
- A Pusheen Mystery Box
- Goodie bag of Trader Joe’s delights
- Coat from Canyon Ranch
- Visit from Kathy
- Surprise dessert delivered personally to her school
- Another surprise surprise dessert delivered personally to her school
- Another Pusheen Mystery Box
- Tickets to Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Tina Fey/Amy Poehler, and Jenny Lewis
- Flowers following Clara’s dance recital
41. Play poker at least six times in 2023.
No progress. It’s ridiculous since I love this game so much.
42. Spend at least six days with my best friend of more than 30 years.
No visits in July. Two visits in total in 2023.
MUSIC
43. Memorize the lyrics to at least five favorite songs.
I memorized the lyrics to “Lay It On Me” by Vance Joy.
I memorized the lyrics to “Come a Little Bit Closer” by Jay and the Americans.
I’m still working on Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” and “Renegade” by Styx (with Charlie and Clara).
Others, too.
44. Learn to play the piano by practicing at least three times a week.
Done.
MISCELLANEOUS PROJECTS
45. Learn the names of every employee who works at my school.
I learned the name of two paraprofessionals who will not be working in our school in September. Oh well.
But September is a great time to ensure that I learn the names of new employees.
46. Convert our wedding video to a transferable format.
Done! The wedding video, along with a great deal of other content, was successfully extracted from my ancient Apple laptop. The footage was not removed in perfect order, so some work will need to be done to reassemble the parts of the video, but at last, this goal has been completed.
47. Memorize five new poems.
No progress. But there is a show in Hartford called Other People’s Poems, where you read (and perhaps recite poetry) from memory.
I plan to attend in September.
48. Write to at least three colleges about why they should hire me.
I have begun writing the letter, though I’m starting to wonder if I would still want the job.
49. Complete my Eagle Scout project.
I’ve reached out to the folks who manage the cemeteries in Newington for assistance on this project in March.
No response.
Still need to reach out again.
50. Post my progress regarding these resolutions on this blog and social media on the first day of every month.
Done!
