After an epic end to 2017 with my new niece Dottie Rose Davies being born, it’s time to look ahead to the next 12 months!
A lot of people mock New Years resolutions but I think if it’s an opportunity to stop and think about what you have got up to in the last 12 months and what you want to do or do differently in the next 12 then that’s good right? The alternative is to coast to when you’re 80 before it dawns on you that you wish you had done this, that or the other!
I am kicking off my year in what has become a bit of a tradition now, watching my hockey team (The Islanders) in my favourite city in the world… New York. As per usual it is snowing and freezing but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I suppose as I have mentioned the Islanders I may as well start off by saying I want to continue my quest to see the Islanders in all 31 teams arenas and I aim to go to 4 new ones in 2018. I am cheating a little because on this trip I am visiting 2 so that leaves 2 more by the end of 2018 which would take my total to 11. I really hope the draw is kind in June and I can hit Vegas and Nashville.
Obviously having taken the start of the year off I want to get a new contract as soon as possible and I want to try and work as much of the year as possible without too many massive breaks/holidays. I really want to be in a position where I can comfortably buy another house by May 30th 2020 without disrupting my buffer and comfortable living. I know I have previously set other dates but I think now I want to be realistic and May 2020 sounds like a good time to be able to sort out my current place and also get the necessary things in place to get a house to add to my current apartment.
Having said that, I do need to continue my mission to scratch off all the countries in the world. I am going to try and hit a modest 5 new countries this year which I actually think will be tough because I want to work the majority of the year. I have Cuba in the diary so that is one and I cannot wait to travel around there in the summer. So, I have to find 4 more somewhere and with bank holidays being taken up with Spurs (A) and taking my Godson to Madrid I am probably going to struggle but we will see!
I desperately want to do the next level of my French in the language centre Birmingham but that all depends on where the next contract is. I would really like to be able to live in my own place on the next one and travel to the client but as always, I will go where the contracts that attract me are.
I already mentioned Cuba but after travelling and my contract living away from home, my absolute priority is #operationdontbeafatbastardforcuba so when I am back from NYC I am full steam ahead on that and again, I hope to have a contract nearby so I can get back to work with my PT.
2018 is the year Tyson Fury returns (my favourite boxer by a country mile) and I vow to go to every single one of his fights in the coming year. I just cannot wait for him to reclaim the entire division and I hope at some point I get to see him knock AJ’s block off!!
I am once again making it my mission to read 1 book a month on the kindle, it’s really not that hard but dragging myself away from the laptop work or personal is. I’ve kicked off January by starting and finishing the really good ‘Finding Gobi’ and I would recommend you read it.
In 2017 I wanted all credit cards gone but was left with one so I’ll need that one cleared this year which shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
I really need to look at doing some charity or voluntary work. I keep harping on about the giving to charity etc every year but I think giving time is often far more charitable than a few quid here or there. I am on the hunt for opportunities in Birmingham to do something IT related. I have found a scheme where you can go into Old people’s homes and help them to use iPads to contact relatives etc, but after showing my 55 year old father who is pretty tech savvy how to use his new one for Christmas, I am not sure I can cope with people over 70!
Again, hoping to be back in Birmingham I want to get back involved in Birmingham Round Table. This will all depend on my location and whether or not my next contract is commutable.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is out this year which is pretty exciting, I am not a big gamer at all but this deserves a mention! The best game ever was the first, and if 2 is anything like the first then it is going to be mind blowing!
Football is stressing me out big time, I would love to be able to declare 2018/2019 season a football free one but I doubt that is very realistic, so we will see how that goes!
I really want to catch-up with the uni folks again this year we caught up not too long ago. They’re all sprogged up now so it’s not going to be easy but am sure we can all make it happen!
I am looking forward to taking my Godson away to Madrid for the weekend in April/May when we’ll be going to see Atletico play. I drunkenly promised to take him away when at his Uncle’s wedding and he doesn’t forget, and I do not go back on promises so we are all booked up!
Sister Act (where they play the movie but with a live gospel choir) is in the diary around my mother’s birthday and Tiesto is in the diary for May which will be class (two ends of the musical spectrum right there). Unfortunately Peter Kay has cancelled on us all which was also for May.
The new SASCO Wallplanner is up so when I am back from New York I will be trying to fill it but the priorities will be work and weight when I get back. I definitely want to rack up a couple of Michelin starred restaurants after failing big time in 2017 and a couple more days at the races would be great as they were brill in 2017.
I hope everybody has an amazing 2018, stop thinking about it, wishing it, make sure you do it or at least take steps to do it in 2018. I am a big advocate of the leap of faith and actually when you think about, the risk is never as huge as we stir ourselves up to think. DO IT!
Happy New Year!
