I've said before that one of the coolest things about having a personal blog is that whenever I say something or declare something I have to stick to it or else I'll have to come and admit my failure or change of heart, however you decide too look at it, to you, my reading audience with my tail between my legs. And if you've been reading you'd know I've had many of those moments, especially when it comes to relationships. And unfortunately, or rather unfortunately, however you decide to look at it, because I'm far from perfect, I'm sure I'll have a few more of those moments before it's all said and done. Tail moments withstanding, I love the new layer of accountablilty blogging has brought to my life. Knowing that I have to answer to you all (because some of you bitches read me like Ballroom Rockstar) gives me that extra push to accomplish my goals, even when I feel like giving up and that's such a blessing.
I also said that 2008 is to be "The Year Of Business" and even though this is only the seventh day of this new year I already have plans underway. And in the spirit of accountability I have created a new blog category called "New Year's Resolution 2008". In this category I will be tracking my progress on all the things I said I was gonna do at the beginning of the year. By the end of the year I plan to finish them all. On the last day of the month I will publish a blog post looking back over what I've accomplished that month. I think that this is a great exercise for you as well, especially if you are a fellow blogger.
One resolution I forgot to add to my original list was that I want to go out of the country this year. As much as I've done and as much as I've seen and as much as I know I have never been outside of the United States before. Well, I went to Canada once as a child, but we drove there and Canada, as much as I love her, shout out to all the readers from Canada, she's not foreign, foreign. She's our homegirl upstairs who we know we can call if we need to borrow maple syrup, or a decent strategy for health care reform, or a cheaper place to film movies and TV shows or Celine Dion.
Anyway, this year I want to go outside the US and Canada. The loftier part of me wants to spend a week in London or Hong Kong this summer, but I'd settle for a Carribbean island or something. I've got a few prospects, but before I pack my bags, I know my black ass ain't goin nowhere without a passport. Oh Lord, I know what that means. I hate dealing with municipal and government shit, having to stand on lines and wait for this form and that form, ugh, it drives me crazy, but I was determined to get this, my first mission of the new year done.
Friday, I stopped by the James A. Farley Central Post Office here in New York City to inquire about what I needed to get a passport (because I had no idea). The clerk told me that I all I needed to do was complete the form and come back with about $100, my state driver's license, birth certificate, and passport photos, which they take there. So I got my passport photos done right then, went home and rummaged through my folder of important papers and and shit for my birth certificate, which I realized I did not have. Ugh! I called my mother on Saturday and found out that she has it, in Virginia and I'm way too impatient to wait on her to send it in the mail. So early this morning I took my ass down to the New York Department of Vital Records and stood on the long ass line to get another copy of my birth certificate and this afternoon before work I went back to the central post office and stood on another long ass line to finally get my passport papers processed. In four to six weeks I will be free to criss-cross the globe.
It feels really good that I can already cross something off my new year's resolution list so soon into the year and I encourage all of you to go out and get your passports as well. So what, you don't know where you're going, I don't know where I'm going either. The point is that when the opportunity comes for you to leave your country, a trivial thing like not having a passport won't be able to hold you back. Even in a spiritual as well as physical sense by getting this done you are readying yourself for travel. By having your arrangements together beforehand you are enabling God or the universe or whatever you believe in to bring the opportunity to travel to you, because you are ready for it and you've put your intentions out there. Only if I could use that shit to find me a decent man...
Anyway, another thing I can cross of the list perpetually is my new savings plan. I'm starting off light by saving at least $100 every 2 weeks and putting it into my savings account as I get used to it I'm sure that the amount and frequency will grow. I'm even looking into opening one of those high yield checking/savings accounts. I wanna be smarter about my money. I make more than enough money to have a sizeable savings account by now and all I do is spend, spend, spend. I should not be living from paycheck to paycheck. Like most New Yorkers I'm a renter, I don't own any real estate and therefore I'm worth nothing. That's gonna change this year. At large my whole philosophy on money, people, my life and men is changing. It's all about balance, people. In the words of late 20th century, lyrical scholar Kimberly "Lil' Kim" Jones "Fuck niggas, get money..."
2008 New Year's Resolution List:
- Passport... check!
- 1st $100 in my savings... check!
==========
Playing In The Background...
"Get Money"
by Junior M.A.F.I.A.
from the album "Conspiracy"
==========
