Friday, December 23, 2011

Next year's challenge?

The year end is approaching and while I’ll be so happy to be done with this daily blogging – and admittedly proud that I’ve made good on the challenge – I am fool enough to be looking for the next new year’s project.

I asked for ideas a couple of days ago and agree with the observation that I’m looking for an on-going project with measurable targets. And since I found the daily aspect of this blog the most difficult part, I also want something for which the targets are spread out more, like over a week, month or even the whole year.

Ideas I’ve been given, or have toyed with, thus far:

1) Go green – either by reducing household energy consumption by 15% compared to 2011 or by producing zero waste.
These ideas appeal to my values – but what makes them difficult is that I’m not the only person consuming energy and producing waste in this household.

2) Raise a certain amount of money for a charity of my choice.
Again, this one has a certain appeal. But I’m not so sure about the financial target because raising money for charity often means hitting up friends and families – and I usually feel guilty about doing that. If I could raise the money through some feat or performance – like a guy in Ottawa this summer who ran an impressive 7 marathons in 7 days – that would be different. But I can’t think of anything right now that I could work toward. Maybe for 2013.

3) Get a golf handicap under 18.
Given that I had to ask V what a golf handicap means and that I’m more likely to be found protesting the environmental travesty of golf courses than swing a club (sorry Doug), I don’t think this one’s quite right.

4) Write 100 letters.
This is one that I’m seriously considering, especially given my love of snail mail and my mission of saving our postal system. It also seems a nice counter to a year of internet writing.

3) Deploy one public art project per month. Public poetry and yarn-bombing most certainly count.
This is the other top contender (and V’s pick). Love it.

Decisions. Decisions.

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