Be it resolved that...

I don't generally do New Year's resolutions. The turn of the year is simply a day, and its primary significance relates to my relationship with the IRS, really. Do I have enough deductions? Do I have my papers ready for the annual "pizza and Tax Cut Pro" evening with the kid's godfather?

This year, though, there are a few things I need to track, and just as I did several years ago on a different blog when I was seriously doing bike training, I'm probably going to use this space for public humiliation and approbation, as well as it being a convenient spot for me to find the notes I keep. So without further ado:

1) Health. I turned 40 in July, and it's felt like my body's falling apart ever since. I've gained ~10 pounds in the past 8 weeks - I'm at 165 pounds (!!!!!) and I'm up at least 15 since I was in Mexico City last summer. I'm thinking something else is going on there, though - I've not eaten that badly. I'll be visiting my doctor on the 8th, and expect a battery of tests, as well as the obligatory "Welcome to 40" mammogram prescription. SOOO not happy about that, but it's time.

2) Health - the bike. I have this awesome bike sitting in my living room staring at me. When I was riding >100 miles/week, I felt great, looked great, and was juggling everything well. Now I'm not riding, and the operative word is "blah". I did 30 minutes on the trainer a few days ago, and have a goal of doing it two of the next 3 days. (Snow/rocks in the roads - can't ride outside on the road bike right now, sadly.)

3) San Jose. This move could be reasonably smooth, or it could be a stressfest, a disaster, or could crash around my ears entirely, leaving me still in Portland and depressed at the failure. It's all a matter of planning. Now - I know planning. My job is all about planning, planning methodologies, and helping people plan multiyear, multi-billion dollar programs. If I can be disciplined enough to apply what I do at the office to what I need to do at home, even the complex stuff like selling the house and working out family logistics will be a piece of cake. If not... well ...

4) Debt. Oh wait - this "resolution" from years ago is a nonissue! Yeah - I really did it. Credit card debt is GONE. Years ago, my mom had told me that upon her death I'd be OK, but ... well, she lived. A LONG time. When she finally did pass in mid-October, my credit card debt was down to a couple thousand dollars. It'd have been paid off by December 31th anyway. I'm really happy that I did it under my own power, though. Still have the mortgage (which will go away when I sell the house), the car (haven't decided whether I should pay that one faster), and student loans (ugh - forever) - but just having the evil plastic done feels good.

Long. Boring. Sorry. If I don't start posting mileage, bike maintenance, and move planning info here, get on my ass, ok? For now, I'm off to shuffle some laundry and take down the Christmas tree. Maybe I'll even get my butt on the bike. We'll see.

And 2009 it is...

Oh, so many changes - writing about most of them at Facebook, but one of my resolutions (ha) for this year - especially for the next several months - is to keep this site better updated. For now - the superfast rundown:

1) I was not in Mexico for the Feast of Nuestra Madre (12/12) - and ached to be there.
2) The economy really sucks.
3) Yes, I'm still employed.
4) The economy - it's abysmal.
5) I have permission to work remotely all of next year should I choose.
6) The economy is terrible.

So - as a result, over the past several weeks I've made the decision that we're not going to be headed to Mexico next year. It's not a happy realization, not at all. However, as the primary income source for my family, and especially as the "safety net" for a handful of others right now, it feels ... foolish? selfish? imprudent? - to park myself out of sight of the corporate masters for such a long time.

And so we're going for "Plan B". Dates are still fuzzy, but at some point after school's out in the spring, the Kid and I will pile everything that's not previously been stored into a U-Haul and head to San Jose. My employer's headquarters are there, and I'm already there quite often for meetings or to conduct training courses. We have family there, although part of that family - the grad student - will still be in Mexico, doing PhD research. Getting to Mexico to visit will be simpler from there, though, so it's a workable compromise. Or so I'm trying to tell myself as a consolation, at least.

It's a big move. In many ways, going to Mexico for a year seemed simpler. San Jose may also just be for a year - or it could be longer. I won't say "permanent", because ironically, Mexico as a longer-term destination is looking more likely than ever. First, though, we have to get through the great recession - or worse. For me, my skills, my background - San Jose is as safe as it gets for that.

The photo above is from the Tech Museum of Innovation - one of the many cool places in San Jose. The Kid will be taking a couple of classes there this summer - similar to the ones he took at OMSI here in Portland. Good sciency stuff, good chance to hang with other geeky kids, and adjust to being there. I still have to sort out schools - I visited a parochial school a few weeks ago, and will check out a couple of other options when I'm back later in January.

Anyway - that's the news from rainy Portland for now. Still grumpy about the loss of the year in Mexico, but it's for the right reasons, and all will be well in the end.

A safe and happy 2009 to all of y'all. Pax.