2009 Goals

I don’t believe in resolutions, but I do believe in setting goals for myself and revisiting them every once in a while.

My techie goals in 2009 are:

1. Learn Python and Postgres. I’ve been a one-trick pony with PHP/MySQL for too long. I plan to accomplish this by writing a google app engine application in Python, and by using Postgres for the syslog reporting application that I’m building at work.
2. Launch two applications I’ve been working on for a while. One of them is an online game (one of two games I have on the drawing board), and one of them is a database for dog food ingredients and research. I’d be happy with a beta of both since they’re definitely long term projects.
3. Become more comfortable with unit testing and test-driven development.

In 2008, I made a couple of huge leaps personally. I paid off the last of my consumer debt, I stopped having bad interpersonal relationships, I acquired the tools necessary to save myself money by fixing problems with the house, my car, and and my possessions myself (instead of having to replace items or pay others to work on them), and I “got ahead” on paying a few important expenses like my car insurance.

My personal goals in 2009 are:

1. Finish paying off my debt to my parents, finish saving a six month net income fund, and start saving for a house.
2. Learn better time management skills.
3. Keep the house (especially the kitchen) a bit cleaner.
4. Spend more time training the dogs. See my dog blog for more info and a few dog-related goals.
5. Revisit these goals and update my progress on them at least quarterly, if not monthly.

Happy new year! My best to you and yours in 2009.