It’s taken me a good long time to write this post, but resolutions are a big deal. I’m publicly declaring my flaws and shortcomings (some of them) and I’m detailing my plans to buff them out and measure up. I don’t think it’s necessary to wait until January 1 to start thinking about being a better person or about living a more fulfilled life, but according to a Marist poll taken in December now is the time that 48% of Americans adults start to rethink how they’re living. I’m taking some advice from Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training blog. He recommends writing down three short-term and three long-term goals per category. I did my best, but I’m not making resolutions for the sake of having three for now and three for later. Some of these resolutions came straight from a Men’s Health list entitled 14 Resolutions that Make You a Better Man.

Health & Fitness

Short-Term Resolutions

1. I will eat better. I will do this by eating more fruits and veggies and by munching on more whole grains. I’m going to increase my number of meals from 3 or 4 medium-sized meals to 5 or 6 smaller meals per day, and I’m going to cut out carbs after 8 p.m. What else? Vitamin supplements (Go! Go! Gadget Gummies!) and lots of water.
2. I will to go to bed after Conan, not just because Jimmy Fallon sucks, but because sleep is very important. Let’s be honest, nothing happens late at night that you can’t watch/read/listen to/deal with/whatever in the morning.
3. I don’t drink often, but when I do I will cut down by one drink per session. According to Men’s Health I’ll save 150 calories (if I’m drinking beer) and up to $5 a night. I have plans for that 5-spot. “Ten fewer beers a month means a yearly 5 pounds off your gut and an extra $600 in your wallet.”

Long-Term Resolutions

1. I will get my 6-pack back. I listed this under my long-term goals because this is really about changing my lifestyle. I’ve got the muscle, I just need to get on the right diet to shed the rolls and rolls of blubber that are keeping me warm.
2. Once I get right physically, I will get my weight back up to 175-180 lbs. with a body fat percentage of 6% or less. I’m a little worried about living on the road away from the gym for so long, but I’ve put together a great bodyweight routine that’s based on the 300 Workout. I’m in pretty good shape and I think I can handle this workout 3 maybe 4 days a week.

Personal Growth & Interests

Short-Term Resolutions

1. I will update blog more frequently. My goal is 2 or more updates each week. It took me a while to get it updated on the regular, which is good and all, but the regular has a tendency to look something like an update every week and a half. How exactly am I going to do this?
2. I will to write something every day. I keep a running list of ideas on my computer that I’m constantly adding to. It’s a list of monologues, scenes, lyrics, beats, everything. The idea is to write down these ideas before I forget them and to develop them further when I get the chance. The problem is I rarely develop them. Now I have a list of 450+ ideas, all of which I thought were killer ideas at one time, but now I’m having trouble remember what I thought was so good about them to begin with.
3. I will practice Spanish. You lose it if you don’t use it.

Long-Term Resolutions

1. How long have I had a guitar? And how long have I been less than mediocre on it? Far too long. And for that matter, I’ve had a keyboard in my room for years that I still can’t play. Well that’s all about to change. I will learn to play them like I learned to play my sax.
2. I’ve never been a big reader, but I will read 50 books this year. This is ambitious for me, but I’ll be done before I know it. One book at a time.
3. I will travel abroad. I don’t know where or when or if I’ll be able to afford to this year, but I’m putting this out there into the universe. I will travel abroad.

Personal Finance

Short-Term Resolutions

1. I blow a lot of money on iTunes every month and that just has to stop. I will set myself a $30/month limit on mint.com. That should help me get my spending under control.
2. A while back I found a blog post about a $5 savings plan. It couldn’t be easier: stash away a Lincoln every time you get one, and take a trip to the bank every $50. I did it before, I can do it again.

Long-Term Resolutions

1. I will put $5,000 away in the bank. I can do this if I stick to the $5 savings plan and I deposit one weekly paycheck a month (assuming that I find good work after my tour). Watch me do this. Watch me.

Career, Education, & Training

Long-Term Resolutions

1. I’ve been meaning to get back into voice lessons for a while. I can afford them now that I’m working again. And, you know what? While I’m at it I’ll get some dance lessons too. I will learn to sing and dance like Timberlake and Usher.
2. I will audition more. I have all the resources I need, I just have to make my calendar.

Family & Relationships

Short-Term Resolutions

1. I will to call my family more often. I need to deal with the phone and just call them.
2. This is from Men’s Health: “Every great thing has it’s golden age. Often that age is right now. Live there, not in some glorious past you’re probably misremembering.” Ain’t that the truth? I won’t be alive forever. Time to start living here and now.
3. I will make more plans with my friends and family. They won’t be alive forever, either.

Long-Term Resolutions

1. I will learn more about my parents. Now that I’m older and I know that my parents are people too, I want to know more about them.
2. I will strengthen a number of relationships in my life. Again, the people around me won’t be around me forever.

My friend Dalto showed me a great app called Freestyle last night at the Wooorthington holiday party. It’s perfect for all you rhymers out there. I suggest you download the app with the quickness. It’s free now, but it won’t be free for long.

So let me break it down for you. Freestyle keeps a catalog of all your rhymes. You can create new ones, delete dumb ones, tweak the ones with promise, you know, the stuff you’d expect. But wait! There’s more! Ever get hung up of the edge of a really great line? Or maybe you’re looking to take your rhyme in a different direction? You can double tap a word and look up some rhymes. Need more? There’s a built-in rhyming dictionary with some really creative solutions. But the best part? The beats. That’s right. Freestyle comes with 13 high quality, fully produced beats that you can flow over while recording your entire session.

Freestyle is the newest addition to my iPhone and it’s on the fast track to becoming one of my all-time favorites.

Michael Jackson and his music has always been a large part of my life. Some of my earliest memories of music are of his Bad album and of dancing around like him: moon walk, pop the shoulders forward, kick out the leg, spin around, rip open the shirt, grab the crotch, reach for the heavens, and scream. According to my mom, he was my first concert.

Mike, you changed the game. You broke all the rules. You helped craft the music we all listen to today. You inspired a generation. You gave hope to millions. You helped change the world by starting with the man in the mirror. You will be missed, but you’re spirit will live on.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ane6VJGlIMs

Even though there have been reports on twitter that Jeff Goldblum plummeted 60 feet to his death off of a cliff while filming Morning Glory in New Zealand, he didn’t. Jeff Goldblum lives on.