Ergo, I’m not going to reminisce about 2009, aside from these next paragraphs: it was a very interesting year for me, and it was within that crucible where I learned more about myself than I had ever believed possible. There are times where I feel that every part of my mind and body has gone through a kind of hell, seeing as half of it was self-inflicted and the other half inflicted by life. I’ve seen loved ones pass away (both human and animal), I’ve trusted people who were unworthy of my trust, I’ve rubbed shoulders with some of the people responsible for some of my favorite shows, and I’ve been more than sufficiently humiliated and disgusted enough where I contemplated just cutting myself off from the rest of the world.

Of course, there are going to be bright spots in all of this. With the friends I’ve come to know over the past year, and the relationships that have been established have remained beneficial—despite the metamorphosis of their nature—I’ve worked through many of the missteps and issues that have been thrust before me. Some of these, again, I’ve summoned unto myself because of my decisions. I’m not detailing them here on the public blog because, well, I’ll leave that for a story. Or a series of stories. I could write a book. I even may. It would be a comedy where the geeky savant is condignly flummoxed and besieged by faux love, overwork, played like than the best kept violin and subjected to dramas that are better experienced from an outsider’s perspective.

So, in working through many of these things, I’ve set up these goals for 2010 that I believe to be obtainable. I’m listing them here in order of their present importance. Feel free to laugh, as I cannot stop you from doing so, and accept this fact.

Get my stories published

Yes, I write. I’m unsure as to whether or not you should note this as a development, simply because everybody claims to be creative, but are typically inept at being creative. I feel that this claim needs to be elaborated on further, but not here. Later. Fodder for the future.

Other than e-mails, text messages, tweets, and the now-occasional entry on a Wiki (mainly Battlestar Wiki), I typically write short stories and I’ve plotted out a few novel-length stories back in the day. I feel that this is as good as time as any to start doing this again. I’m hitting short-story publishers as early as next week. And if that doesn’t pan out, I may just hire my own copy-editor and self-publish an anthology.

For those of you curious as to what I write, it is placed under the genre called “speculative fiction.” It’s not hard science fiction, as the science necessary for the genre isn’t my strongest point, and it’s not really “soft” science fiction either. The settings change as they can be present day, the far off future, alternate realities (and, honestly, all stories are some form of alternate reality), and the characters: a young boy who is an assassin, disgruntled explorers, a kamikaze writer, people stuck at a crossroads, a father looking for his daughter, and other fine samplings of humanity.

This isn’t to say that I’m not published, because I technically am, thanks to those wonderful Battlestar Galactica auction catalogs. I don’t receive royalties from the books, but you can buy them through Propworx.

I’ve also written a few comic books for White Eye Productions, a company that my friend Lawrence is working to get off the ground. Hopefully, it launches this year and that stuff sees the light of the day.

Establish my own business

Actually, I’ve started this process. It was official back in November. I started a company called FrakMedia! Productions, LLC. It is a web-design and Internet media company that’s already lined up a list of clients. It’s co-founded by my business partner, Shane Froebel, who I befriended as a result of Battlestar Wiki.

After the first of the year, I’m opening up a business bank account for it. Presently, Shane and I are finishing off the website, and between Shane’s expertise in programming and my expertise in getting things off the ground, I feel pretty good about it. Hopefully, I can turn this into a full-time gig so I don’t have to work three jobs. Whether this is accomplished remains to be seen.

Unwind some more

I’m getting back into the grove with the XBox 360, reading and so forth. I’d like to play more games, if only to keep myself sufficiently sharp and somewhat within the “geek” spectrum of things. Makes for better conversation topics, if anything.

Right now, I’ve begun Dragon Age, since it is from BioWare and I am a fan of their work, having played both Knights of the Old Republic games on the original XBox. (I have not played Mass Effect yet, but do intend on picking that up somewhere.)

Open up more

I’m reserved. I’m acutely aware of this. It’s a double-edged sword that causes problems in some of my relationships. I’m much better at conversing with folks than I used to be, but this is an area of opportunity I need to continually build upon. Most of this shyness comes from the fact that my nose was always in a book and I was accosted for being different back in my youth. I was always outcast and I never really understood why, until I realized that it was because of my intelligence and the fact that I liked things that weren’t “cool,” like science fiction and reading. This contrasted unkindly to other blokes who decided to wave their cocks around playing sports and phoning in their academic performance.

Not that I have anything against athletic endeavors, except that I find something very wrong with society when intelligence is scorned by those who would rather make sports the subject of their attentions. It is a subject that disturbs me and is the source of resentment that’s reverberated back into the time of my childhood.

Having said that, part of that process will be to work on this blog, and outline all the good, the bad and, perhaps, even the heinous that comes from the new year.

And with that…

I hope that everyone worthy of having a great and prosperous new year will have one.

Never surrender dreams.