Time is still the thing I value most in life, and I have still have shit luck with it. Given the limited amount of free time I find myself with lately, I'm having to really choose wisely when prioritizing the million things I need, want, and like to do in life. That's why I haven't written anything here in a year -- the less interesting things just don't make the cut. =/

I've read two articles recently that were extremely enlightening as far as understanding myself better....

(1) Science Behind a Bad Mood -- In a nutshell, I often find myself in a not-so-great mood, and what I took from the article helped me to understand why that might be. I frequently find myself sacrificing time to do things that are in support of others and not something I would prioritize myself. This can be extremely frustrating, and perhaps the reason why I find myself grumpy a lot. =[

(2) Working Memory Makes Time Fly -- This is a bit more difficult to explain briefly, but I think I have really good working memory. Ever since I was a kid I always thought time flew by so fast, and now as an adult, I feel it even more so. I also surprise myself sometimes by what I'm capable of recalling when I'm troubleshooting something software-related. I get really entranced in my work and am able to deeply focus on it such that if I've seen code behave a certain way at least one time, it's somehow committed to memory nearly indefinitely. This is surprising because if I don't put something in its "normal place" (wallet, keys, glasses), 30 minutes later I usually have no idea where it is. I'm not sure if I would give up the kind of memory I have for the kind I don't.

All that said, for my own edification next year, here's what's at the top of my priority list right now:

• Write codes: Namely for dpchallenge.com, but also less for sf4tube.com and other pet projects.
• Play games: A list of the 10 best games I played last year.
• Family time: Doing fun stuff with Chase, and trying to make Sharon happy when I can.
• House stuff: A total time sink, and rarely rewarding. I'm sadly too cheap to pay anyone to do anything I can do myself.

And some things that consistently don't make the cut:

• Writing a Letter: I've been promising my grandparents a letter for 5 months now, and even printed pictures out to send them, but I have yet put pen to paper. I may have to cop out, type one up, and print it out. My penmanship is terrible these days.
• Music: I can't remember the last time I learned a new song on the piano, and I haven't cracked the case of my guitar since I moved in October
• Movies: I love movies much, but I can't justify the time to watch them by myself, so I only watch them when my Mom comes to visit.
• Television: Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be caught dead channel surfing, but I do try to take some time to take in a good show every once in a while. I managed to catch Game of Thrones late last year and am excited to see the new season, but I'm way behind on other shows (Dexter, Justified, Modern Family) and don't want to think about adding anything new (Breaking Bad, Community).
• Photography: I did a little photo shoot with Chase in the front yard the other week. I miss it.
• Learning: I'd love to learn Japanese. I'd love to go to a technology school for a year or two and learn how to fix cars.
• Blogging: duh

There are probably another 25 things I could add to this list that, to no surprise, aren't coming to mind at the moment. I feel like if I could somehow retire at 35, I'd be able to accomplish all the things I want to accomplish and be content, but that's probably not the case.