Resolutions

2020 has gone by in the blink of an eye; it turns out working from home and hardly leaving your apartment does very strange things to your sense of time. As the year comes to an end, I've found myself thinking about the things I want to do next year, the things I want to work on and the things I want to change.

Read more books

Despite having an abundance of time at home, I can't actually say I finished a single book this year. I have made some progress in Scott Lynch's Red Seas Under Red Skies, however it seems to lack some of the appeal of the previous book, which I enjoyed thoroughly. I want to read more books, and getting stuck in a book I'm not into is sapping any desire to spend time reading in the first place. Time to ditch this one.

In fact, I don't just want to read 'more books'. I want to read at least 12 books in 2021, and I'll write about them here. That's only one a month; surely something I can manage. To that end, I figured it was worth taking the time to read some of the classics (ahem, the fantasy classics) that I never got to. I've decided to start with Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series, which is only a little daunting at fourteen volumes. I'm a couple of chapters into The Eye of the World, and I've resolved to have this first book finished and reviewed here (insomuch as I have any authority to review anything) by the end of January. I'm not committing to the entire series as the twelve books to read this year, but I certainly want to get one or two under my belt.

Write more fewer Better Words

I want to be a better writer, and the only way to do that is to write more. Really, this is a major factor in getting this lil' blog up and running - it gives me somewhere to write. I'll write about the books I'm reading, the art I've seen, and the process by which this site and any other coding projects I work on take shape. I don't really expect anyone to read it, save for myself, but I want to write it all the same.

Code More Things

See again, this very website. I want to have a few projects finished and online this year, and this is the first of them. This domain is my playground, and I want to build my skills as a designer and developer in 2021.

Reflections

The end of the year is a time when everyone makes resolutions for next year, but it's also a great time to reflect on the past year and what has been accomplished. The pandemic still gripping the world has defined the year and limited our abilities to lead 'normal' lives, though I have been spared the worst of it. We've been under an endless barrage of crises ranging from political to ecological and it doesn't look like things are going to let up any time soon, however my company is flexible and have provided everything I need to work remotely, indefinitely if necessary. I have my health, job security, a kick-ass partner and a wonderful dog, and we live in the most beautiful city. Altogether, I have a pretty great life - and I never want to lose sight of that.