Resolutions

Well, another year is upon us.

In retrospect, 2008 was an excellent year. Job is excellent, no worries about my future here. Home is likewise excellent with a loving fiancee who will become my wife this year along with my adopted, four-legged furry son. Life with a dingo is never boring. I call it toddler boot camp. And no, following my April wedding there will be no announcements about a new member of the Armed Canadian's shooting family.

Looking forward into 2009, I am not going to make predictions. It will be what it will be. I can tell you some things that will happen:

• My gun collection will increase modestly in size. Probably only 1-2 additions this year. Too many things like a wedding to pay for.
• On September 28, I will file my N-400 in order to become an American citizen. I am counting down the days.
• I would like to actually make progress on projects I've been nuturing and dreaming about for years.

There are things that I would like to do not out of any sense of resolution but because I feel lacking without them. I realized recently that I lack any real "survival" skills. Not in the sense of finding food, shelter or my way in a wilderness situation but in a practical sense. In a post-apocalyptic economic collapse or long-term civil unrest I find that I don't have much in the way of ability that would be useful in a practical sense. Notably, not much in the way of trade skills.

I loved shop in middle school and I took several years of mechanical drafting in high school. I enjoyed in thoroughly. I don't mind getting my hands dirty. When I had a motorcycle, I did all my own maintenance. It was a lot cheaper than having the dealer do it and I felt that if I did it, there was no one else to blame if something went wrong. Only another motorcycle rider can understand the direct impact that poor maintenance can have on a bike. A car breaks down and you can roll to the shoulder safely. A bike breaks down and you'll be lucky to make it to a safe stop upright and uninjured. Hence why I did my own work so there would be no one else to blame.

Plus, it was fun. At the time I was in the process of building an engine. Really not that difficult provided you read and pay attention. Such things appeal to the technically minded. I'd probably make a great mechanic.

Which is my problem. I have no skills I think I can barter for goods or services. Sure I can read and following a blueprint. You hand me a stack of lumber, a saw, tools, a blueprint and say "Build that", I will be able to. But that I think is a skill everyone has. I'd hope.

I feel a lack of worth because I can't weld stuff or machine my own parts. I'd really like to learn how but have no idea where to go for something like that on a casual learning basis. I could go to a trade school but they don't really offer night classes in welding. Same for learning how to turn metal on a lathe. If I knew how to machine and turn metal, I'd build my own guns from scratch. Just need someone to teach me the skills and the basics.

Same goes for reloading. Now there's a survival skill. I'd say the first cottage industry that pops up in the post-zombie hell will the local gunsmith/ammo supplier. Trade in 50 pieces of brass and get 10 loaded rounds. Something like that. I really need to learn how to reload.

In a sense, I have to. With skirmishing to look forward to this spring, I will be learning the basics in a black powder sense. I will be casting my own bullets and measuring powder for my musket. I am looking forward to that.

I want to grow the blog beyond 2nd Amendment issues. I have other passions in life. I look at Marko's site and I really want to follow in his footsteps and complete some significant fraction of the novels I have ideas for. Just for myself. I've alluded to this in the past and posted some snippets. There are at least four stories I want to tell. Getting published would simply be a bonus.

One commenter pointed out it was wonderful that I was looking to write in the tradition of Isaac Asimov and focus on the human aspects rather than the technical that a lot of science fiction tends to focus on. The fact the commenter even made the comparison I consider to be no higher compliment. I am certainly no Robert Heinlein or John Scalzi but to even think I might be able to tickle the bottom of Asimov's feet, let alone stand alongside him, in a genre sense to me would be enough.

But that's what these stories are really about. Sure, the technology supports them but it is fundamentally all about their experiences. I just don't know which character has a more compelling story. Alas, I don't think I have any great plot twisting, shocking or amazing endings that Scalzi or Richard Moragn might write. But think the characters and their struggles would be fun stories to tell.

I want to make some headway in getting back to personal software development. Before doing this as a career, I used to write code for fun. As the years have passed I've done less and less of it. My dream is to write the code framework that will allow someone to adapt any classical, hex grid based, paper-and-dice wargames to the computer. I have a shelf full of old games and a fond wish is to have the ability to play them solo on the PC.

Attempts have been made to do the odd game here or there by others but I want something grander. An easy-to-use framework that can be adapted to any game. Bring these old games back to life and introduce a new generation to old-style gaming without the paperwork hassle and information overload. Some that would make James Dunnigan nod his head in agreement. In my fantasy, I would find out that my coding framework or game adaptions were being used at the US Army War College to teach strategy and tactics.

And for those of you would understand this, I want to be able to play Renegade Legion from Centurion up through Prefect in a completely integrated gaming system. Then go from there.

If only I didn't need to work for a living.

Despite the election and uncertainty in the world, I think it is going to be a good year.

Have a good weekend everyone!