Will be a year of a lot of things. I try to stay away from the “New year for changes” etc bullshit. You shouldn’t need an arbitarary calendar day in order to get going on the things you want to change or do.

However I do know a few things are happening.

1. I’m going to quit my job.

I’m going to attempt to transition some of my side work into something more tangible and sustainable. The whole, “jump in” mentality is calling, and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten into gear when my back wasn’t against the wall, and quitting my job will force me to do that. I’ve got a few books in the making of which I might’ve mentioned here a time or two, and a few other side businesses I hope to expand as well as some other thoughts on replacing my current income. Exciting stuff.

2. I’ll publish that book. I kind of mentioned it already, but it’s going to happen in the first half of 2022. My original plan was to get it ready for the holiday season, but once I accepted I shouldn’t rush it, and let December roll by, I no longer feel beholden to a deadline. Life got in the way, as it does. As with my last two sudo-attempts of years’ previous, the editing process is the most painful, and makes it no fun, I want it to remain fun, so I needed to put it aside to focus on other whatnots.

3. I’m finishing this bare space above the garage. Framing it up for my own space, as I used to have. It’ll be nice. When we moved, I was gung ho to do it, then got distracted, then decided I’d hire it out, and now I’m full-circle back to deciding to do it myself, which I’ve actually made quick work of in a short matter of days already. My days currently are busy, but with the cold coming in, that propane heater feels mighty nice. It won’t be done until Spring at best, but it’s fun, and i’ll finally have a proper (a loose term) recording space of my own, right at home, as I’ve always dreamed. It’s going to be great.

4. I bought an old car I’ve been tinkering on these last 4 months. This has also been lots of fun. However in the cold, not so much fun. I don’t have a proper heating/cooling solution in the proper garage area, so it gets mighty cold. I did buy a small electric heater, but I’d need 3-4 to make it remotely comfortable to work in. Lots to think about. The goal is to finish it by spring time, or whenever the snow around here decides to melt, which seems to be every few days these days. Anyway, it’s been quite an undertaking, and I’ve been arbitrarily documenting the process of figuring everything out with my amateur, yet willing mechanical senses. Thankfully there’s an incredibly helpful forum dedicated to the car of the 70’s and it’s got over 20 years now of knowledge which I tap into frequently. It’s very much a- buy a few parts- slowly fix, buy more parts, slowly fix, troubleshoot, take a apart, fix again, buy more parts, and so on. I’ll make a monster order, then realize I’m still missing a piece to the puzzle I must wait for again. But with the cold, the above/loft space is taking precedent.

5. Put out another record. It’s been almost 4 years now since I’ve done that proper. I’ve always been making music, and releasing it online, but haven’t put together a true collection since 2018. Not that I’m going to promote it or anything, but with this new space on the horizon, and my slowly growing collection of high-quality gear, it’s time. The last three were mainly acoustic affairs, embracing the simplicity and precarious situations and surroundings I found myself in. But now I’ll have a controlled space. Drums. I’ll be able to record drums. Sure, I can now, but the space I currently rent is now over an hour away since we’ve moved, which completely kills the creative mindset I might have heading into it. By the time I arrive, I feel weird being so far from home, it doesn’t feel personal, or mine; not a great setting to be creative, especially if I don’t have the material prepared, as I need to ship some equipment back and forth. If I forget something, a cable, a wire, a stand, it renders the entire trip useless, and that’s a long way to drive, a lot of mental fortitude to sift through in order to just be creative. This new space above the garage will eliminate the barriers, the literal distance, and shorten the time between, “that’s a nice idea!” and running out to record it. That’s always been the dream, and now it’s upon us. Or me, I guess.

Well that’s it I think, I’m sure more will come. They pass so fucking quickly now it seems. I’ve got to get off my ass and move.

I’ll be 30 in March, god help us.