Resolution update: June 2021

PERSONAL FITNESS

1. Don’t die.

Definitely alive, unless of course we’re all living in a digital simulation.

Which is more than likely…

2. Lose 20 pounds.

Lost 4 more pounds in June. 10 pounds overall.

Credit lots of cycling and swimming, plus the replacement of our NordicTrack at last.

3. Do at least 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 3 one-minute planks for five days a week.

Done.

4. Cycle for at least 5 days every week.

Done! 26 days spent cycling in June. A total of 22 rides IRL and 4 rides on the NordicTrack.

5. Set a new personal best in golf.

This is tricky.

First, I tied by best round ever last weekend with a 9 over par 45 for 9 holes.

Bogie golf.

But I also managed to shoot a 5 over par 36 on a par 31 executive course. I also shot a 7 over par on the same course the next day.

But do I really count those scores as personal bests considering the shortness of the course?

I think not. I consider it an achievement to shoot as well as I did on those days, but I’ll judge my personal best on a regulation course.

I think.

WRITING CAREER

6. Complete my seventh novel before the end of 2021.

Progress continues on this novel, but there is a twist:

My editor may want a memoir that I wrote three years ago about a summer spent playing golf instead of the novel in progress, which would force me to put aside the novel for a time and focus on getting my memoir into shape.

Nevertheless, writing continues.

7. Complete “Someday is Today” before the end of 2021. 

Progress continues. Due in August, and get this:

Even though the book isn’t finished yet, I’ve already been sent cover proposals.

Talk about pressure.

8. Complete “Storyworthy 2” before the end of 2021.

DONE! I sent the first draft of this book (it might be two books) to my agent for her review. Given that I finished another book on storytelling before the book I have under contract, I may need to wait a bit before we sell Storyworthy 2, but it looks promising.

9. Write/complete at least three new picture books, including one with a female, non-white protagonist, and one protagonist who is not neurotypical.

I’ve begun writing my first and second picture books of 2021. One is nearly finished. The other is outlined. Excited about both.

10. Write 40,000 words of a memoir.

Progress! Nearly 9,000 words written! 2,000 more in June.

11. Write a new screenplay.

No progress.

12. Write a solo show.

Work continues in earnest. I haven’t met with my collaborators since March, but it’s simply because I’m making solid progress and want to wait until I stall out to meet with them. I did, however, review the show with a producer who offered a couple good notes and loves the idea.

13. Write a musical.

My partner, Kaia, and I have shifted away from our original idea to a new one, and work has begun with greater earnest. The original idea is still good, but this one is just as good or better. It’s also the topic of my new memoir, so there is some serious synergy between the two projects.

Also, Kaia is seriously jazzed about this.

14. Submit at least five Op-Ed pieces to The New York Times for consideration.

Two pieces submitted and rejected by the New York Times. Two in total in 2021.

15. Submit one or more short stories to at least three publishing outlets.

No progress.

16. Select two behaviors that I am opposed to and adopt them for one week, then write about my experiences on the blog.

No progress.

I still need to write about my experiences with ASMR and my reading of 50 Shades of Gray from last year.

If you have suggestions on something I should try or adopt, please let me know.

17. Increase my newsletter subscriber base to 6,000 (from 4,497).

I added 42 subscribers in June for a total of 4,822.

If you’d like to sign up for my newsletter, you can do so here:

18. Send a newsletter to readers at least 25 times (every other week). 

Three newsletters sent in June.

A total of 13 newsletters sent so far in 2021.

Still on pace to hit my goal.

19. Write at least six letters to my father.

Two letters in total sent in 2021.

20. Write 100 letters in 2021.

A total of 9 letters written and sent in June. Students and friends.

A total of 48 so far in 2021. Almost on pace for 100.

21. Convert 365 Days of Elysha into a book.

I’ve hired an assistant and passed this task onto her. Given that I have no eye for design, she will ultimately do a better job than I ever could.

22. Complete and release my limited episode podcast on “Twenty-One Truths About Love.”

DONE. Completed and published. You can listen to the five episode series in the Speak Up Storytelling feed.

STORYTELLING/SPEAKING CAREER

23. Produce a total of 6 Speak Up storytelling events.

Elysha and I produced our fourth show of 2021 on June 18 in collaboration with two other Hartford-based storytelling shows.

We’ve also partnered with The Hill-stead Museum in Farmington, CT for our first live show in more than a year, outdoors.

August 18 with an August 19 rain date.

24. Pitch myself to at least 3 upcoming TEDx events with the hopes of being accepted by one.

DONE! I pitched talks to TEDx events in New Haven, Boston University, and Salem University.

I await word.

I will be speaking at TEDx Berkshires on July 24.

25. Pitch myself to Master Class at least three times in 2021. 

One pitch made so far in 2021.

26. Attend at least 5 Moth events with the intention of telling a story.

DONE! I attended one virtual Moth StorySLAM in June, bringing my total to 8 events in 2021.

I’ll be attending my first LIVE StorySLAM in July. My first in almost two years!

27. Win at least one Moth StorySLAM.

DONE! I won my 51st Moth StorySLAM in February. Certainly not the same as a live, onstage StorySLAM, but it’s always an honor to tell a story to an audience of any kind.

I also won the story slam at the International Festival for Arts and Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut in June.

28. Win a Moth GrandSLAM.

DONE!

I won my seventh Moth GrandSLAM in May.

I9. Produce at least 25 episodes of our podcast Speak Up Storytelling.

No episodes produced in June. A combination of factors has kept us off the air in May and June.

A total of 13 episodes so far in 2021. Still ahead of schedule.

Also, my assistant may be helping with the editing of the show, which could make the job much easier.

30. Perform stand-up at least 3 times in 2021.

No progress, but my friend, David, has a solid 5-10 minutes of material and is ready to give standup a shot. As soon as open mics are running again, we’ll be there, ready to perform.

31. Pitch at least three stories to This American Life.

No progress.

32. Pitch myself to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast at least three times.

One pitch made so far in 2021.

33. Produce at least 12 new videos for my YouTube channel in 2021. 

No videos produced in June. One video so far in 2021. But I will be recording content for a new business that I am launching with a partner, so this may need to wait.

Also, my assistant will be digitizing content on DVD’s that can be uploaded soon.

34. Explore a means of producing my storytelling instruction asynchronously for an online platform.

DONE! Partners found. Contracts signed. We are on our way!

HOME

35. Print, hang, and/or display at least 25 prints, photos, or portraits in our home.

This has very much become an Elysha job, so my job is to nag her about getting it done. I have so many incredible prints given to me by Elysha that remain sitting in a box.

Kind of killing me.

Elysha has secured the services of someone to assist with this job in June.

36. Assemble an emergency preparedness kit.

DONE! I purchased a pre-packaged survival kit and have since been added needed items, including a seed kit, survival straws, emergency blankets, N-95 masks, duct tape, and some personal items. I may continue to add to the kit as I learn about new options, but the kits are officially ready to go.

37. Clear the basement.

Several items removed every week in June along with trash pickup.

Incrementalism at work.

I also learned that I might be able to request a second trash bin from the town, which would help a lot.

FAMILY/FRIENDS

38. Call brother or sister once per week. 

No calls in June. No calls  in 2021.

I am a terrible brother.

39. Take at least one photo of my children every day.

Done.

40. Take at least one photo with Elysha and myself each week.

Photos taken in two of the four weeks of June.

I’m really failing at this goal so far.

41. Plan a reunion of the Heavy Metal Playhouse.

No progress, but an online reunion feels quite doable now.

42. I will not comment, positively or negatively, about physical appearance of any person save my wife and children, in 2021 in an effort to reduce the focus on physical appearance in our culture overall.

Done. Piece of cake.

43. Surprise Elysha at least six times in 2021.

DONE!

In June, I surprised Elysha with Springsteen on Broadway tickets for July. I also sent a cleverly designed card to her school, timed to arrive during the last week of classes. I also cleaned the litter boxes for her during her last week of school when things got busy.

I handled the litter boxes for years with our previous cats, so she agreed to do them when we adopted Tobi and Pluto.

Three surprises in June. A total of 7 so far in 2021.

In addition:

I surprised Elysha once in January by sending flowers to her while at work on her birthday. They were reportedly some of the best flowers she has ever received.

I surprised Elysha with a Pusheen knit hat in February. It was actually a replacement hat after the one I purchased for her birthday did not fit.

I sent Elysha some especially awesome flowers in May that caused her colleagues to comment repeatedly about the quality of the arrangement.

I surprised Elysha with weekend plans on Martha’s Vineyard for later this summer.

I also have three surprises hidden in the house for Elysha, just waiting for the right moments to be revealed.

44. Play poker at least six times in 2021.

Two games so far in 2021.

Two scheduled but cancelled games because of poor attendance.

45. Spend at least six days with my best friend of more than 30 years.

Bengi and I Dj’d a wedding in May.

One day spent in 2021 so far.

NEW PROJECTS

46. Play music in class.

Done.

I wish I had played more, but we listened to several musicians during the 2020-2021 school year.

I will continue this in the fall with my new batch of students.

47. Learn to play the piano by practicing at least three times a week. 

Done.

I averaged a little more than 3 days of practice per week in June.

48. Convert our wedding video to a transferable format.

I’m passing this assignment off to my new assistant. Perhaps she will have more luck than me.

49. Memorize 5 new poems.

I’ve memorized “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Admittedly I knew more than half of it before I began, and I will continue to need to reinforce it before I am sure that it’s committed to memory for good, but it’s essentially done.

I’m still working on “In Flanders Field” by John McCrae. For the fourth month. I nearly have it.

50. Write to at least 3 colleges about why they should hire me.

No progress.

51. Understand Instagram better.

No progress.

52. Complete my Eagle Scout project.

No progress.

53. Post my progress in terms of these resolutions on this blog and social media on the first day of every month.

Done.