Goals

On Saturday, I decided what I was going to do in a year. I'm going to save all the money I can from my job, and when my lease ends (assuming I either got into law school or got accepted at the State Department), spend as long as possible backpacking in Europe. Maybe see if I can go through Turkey, maybe end my trip in Beirut (it’s supposed to be an amazing city, and being there after a bombing campaign would be mind blowing).

This got me thinking about what my other goals in life. I met one of my goals last year, being President of Phi Sig. True, I wasn't the best Prez in our history, but it was a goal I had for a few years, so accomplishing it was nice. But the rest are fuzzy abstract concepts in my head. So I've decided to write them down.

Keep in mind while reading this that I'm perfectly aware that many of my goals are probably unattainable. I like to classify my goals into two groups: Feasible and Very Unlikely. For example, a feasible goal is to eventually be a Senator (fuck Representatives). It’s hard, but possible. A very unlikely goal is to be President. Considering that only 42 people have been President in 250 years, I find it unlikely that I can ever get there. That doesn't mean I'm not going to not claim it as a goal, I'm just being realistic about it.

So what follows is the list of my goals in life, with some commentary.

1) Run for public office - Definitely feasible.
2) Win a public office - I think I can do it, but we'll see it.
3) Become a Senator (probably of Florida) - Possible
4) Become President - Unlikely in the extreme.
5) Learn another language - With my language skills, its going to be hard. But possible
6) Become fluent in Arabic - Unlikely. I should probably get on that.
7) Work for the State Department - Very very possible
8) Work for the CIA - Also very possible. It may be that this and the last goal are mutually exclusive. But if you're a CIA station chief, you work out of an embassy. Best of both worlds.
9) Go to law school - The option my parents are really pushing for. I want to do it, but I don't see it in my immediate future.
10) Go to Antarctica - After reading Antarctica by Kim Stanley Robinson, this has always been a goal of mine.
11) Spend a season in Antarctica - Unlikely, but I hope to pull it off. You don't get to know a place by just visiting it. Especially a place as primal as Antarctica.
12) Go to Mars - Heh. Yeah, like that’s going to happen.
13) Colonize Mars - If that happens in my life time, I'm the first in line to volunteer. I probably won't, but I'll still dream. Once again, I can thank Kim Stanley Robinson for this dream.
14) Climb a mountain - Not Everest, cause I don't want to die. Maybe McKinley?
15) Write a book
16) Write a book that does well with the critics
17) Write a book that does well with the critics and with the public (the hardest of the three). I know polls show that something like 70% of people feel they can write a book .I need a lot more practice writing. But if Newt Fucking Gingrich can write fiction, so I can I.
18) Travel a lot
19) Own a lot of land. Keep it natural.
20) Have a house with a library
21) Have enough books to warrant a library (my mom would argue that I'm very close).
22) Drink a beer on ever continent.
23) Drink a beer in every country (that’s what airport bars are for).
24) Be happy.