Letters to Grandma

Hi Grandma,

It was nice talking to you on my Birthday.  Please thank Skip when you see him.  Wow, it has been an amazing couple of weaks.  On the negative side, my car got hit when I was in a U-Turn because she couldn't see the other side of a truck also making a turn.  No one was hurt and no one got a ticket (well she did for missing a tail light but...) I was worried they were going to declare my car a total loss, but they were able to fix it.  In fact, they were also able to fix a mark that an idiot made in a parking lot on the other side of the car.  Progressive is a great company.

Then, as if that weren't enough, the Friday before last, I went to work and bit into some candy and swallowed my filling!!!! Needless to say that was a bit disconcerting.  What was worse was finding that our dental insurance didn't cover caps/crowns less than 5 years old.  What's the point of having insurance if they don't cover stuff like that? There needs to be a law, but good luck with something like that in this country.  It took a hundred years to even start on Health Care.  So I flew out to Atlanta at the last minute.

We also got really lucky with finding a moving company to take the table Skip had given us, along with three couches that my friend Wayne had given us.  Still, it took some time to run the logisitics to make it all work.  It was an interesting experience to say the least.  The movers were good people but three of the chairs (antiques) are in pieces and we're hoping they can be fixed.  I'm still assessing the damage.  The apartment is a good size but it can't easily store things we're not using since there isn't really a "crawl space."

We got a rediculously good deal on tickets to Pairs, so we got those three months early.  So, basically things have been a it tight this month money wise with all of that, but since we both have jobs we're relatively OK.  I had some bad luck with my podcast which is a bit like a radio show but with the internet.  I just can't seem to catch a break, and sometimes getting feedback from people who seem to have otherwise strong opinions on things don't want to...I dunno...not hurt my feelings or something? But that ends up being worse than no feedback at all.

Anywho, right now we're at the beach and Julia is watching tennis on a bar television so we can hardly complain too much.  In fact, last night we went to a FANTASTIC jazz festival so we're really enjoying Miami and the jobs we both have seem to be working out so far (So far so good) so I'm not complaining.

Love you and will write later.

Love,

Tom

Letter to Grandma

Dear Grandma,

Hope you are doing well.  Things are going well here in Miami.  We are still unpacking.  I understand that they have quarantined you again.  I am very sorry to hear that.  I hope you get better soon and that things go well.

We greatly enjoyed our visit last November.  I hope you enjoyed the book that we got you.  Miami is very interesting.  Aside from the weather, there are a lot of fanastic cultural events here.  Our jobs are going well.

We had a bit of a situation with a table that Mom and Skip gave us.  It took some figuring out but we are going to have some movers bring the table from Atlanta to Miami along with some couches that have been given by some friends of ours.  (They were at our wedding).  We hung out with them New Years Eve and it was quite fun.

We try to go to the beach at least once a week, though with the random rain that can be hard sometimes.  And the traffic! You would not believe...

I hear from Mom and Skip that they are well, though Mom needs to bite the bullet and produce her own play.  I think she will soon enough.  I have set a lot of ambitious goals this year, which should be interesting.  I'll send you a copy of my books once I've finished making them on Amazon.

Love you and will try to mail once a week.

Love,

Tom

Goals for 2016

Physical
Primary: Have and use a gym membership the majority of the days of 2016.
Secondary: Lose 20 lbs after first weighing of 2016.
Tertiary: Blood Mastery

Mental
Primary: Complete a Short Film
Secondary: Do two "Core" Tech projects plus 6 minor projects towards "Tech Mastery"
Tertiary:  Complete at least 5 sculpture projects, each of increasing skill

Social
Primary: Be in a play or audition for at least 5
Secondary: Find a long term political organization I can join and actively support
Tertiary: Join a local literary group or writer's circle.

First Life
Complete Dads

Second Life
Complete physical book for Spiders in the Sugar Factory

Third Life
Be in one play or audition in five.

Fourth Life
40 hours of research to find project 2 and join the appropriate Org

Fifth Life
Step up the stars

Sixth Life
Start the blog

Bonus
Write 25000 words per month
Complete Julia's Novella (20K)
Finish Spiders in the Sugar Factory
Actively Keep the Blog Active
Actively Keep the Podcast Active
Attend Timegate w. Sentinel Crew
Visit Paris
Visit a Caribbean Island
Visit w Mom and Skip at Least Once
Find a Journalistic App
Complete Outline for Cults within Cults
Complete Forever West physical book
Complete Audobook for

Couple Goals: (In no particular order)
1) Get to Duo Linguo 100% together in Spanish
2) Become Parents
3) Take a Dance Class together
4) Eliminate 70% of our Credit Card Debt
5) Establish Reserves at Proper levels
6) Furnish the Apartment
7) Visit Paris

Life Goals - "At some point"
1. See the Louvre.
**2016.
2. Travel around the world on a one way trip. Japan, Australia, India, Egypt, London, Italy and Hawaii.
** Goal to see all by 2021. Egypt not happening due to reality hell trick TV thing..
3. Learn a martial art.
**Done
5. Assemble a band for a tour based on lyrics written by me.

Likely dependent on 7.

7. Learn a musical instrument.
Slated 2025 (After the theoretical second is in school)
8. Sculpt something memorable. 

2019.  I am starting this year to learn the skill.  It will take at LEAST three years to get this.
9. Create or help create a graphic novel.
**Completed. [And also permanently dead :( ]
10. Own a plane, sailboat, taught or ultralight and learn to pilot/sail it.
11. Write seven novels.
**6 of 7 done.
13. Go on a cruise.
2017.
14. Organize a convention on SOMETHING.

Slated 2018
16. Build a house (not necessarily my own.) 

2016-2017
17. Own my own home (all own, no mortgage) Bumped to 2026.
18. Have a room with a secret passage
2017.
23. Be in a flash mob dance number.
Do in 2017-2018
26. Identify and Create Life Goal for Live 5
Done.
27. Ditto the sixth.
Tangible goal based on investigations due by end of 2017.
28. Ditto the seventh.
**Kept in reserve until 2027.
47. Finish 7 films. (3 out of 7 completed).
2016.
48. Enter a remote controlled airplane/aircraft tournament and place in the upper half.
49. Enter a competitive Kite contest (the kind with the razors on the wings.)
50. Blow something up with Dynamite. (Legally)
52. Hypnotize someone.
Completed 2013.
53. Firewalk.
54. Visit the Library of Congress Maybe 2015?
55. Complete 7 Projects of Significance. [1 of 7 done.]
1. Finding Joe screening.
56. Complete 7 Levels of Understanding.

1. Remember the

2. Frieeeend??

3. In Progress

Longshots (at the time I made the bucket list)

29. Marry the Right Person.
Done.
30. Establish a business empire dedicated to a not for profit foundation.
31. Visit (but do not live in) Space.
32. Buy my own island.
35. Create a functional and profitable news network that actually produces what is independent.
36. Create an institution to focus on pure research.
38. "" Neurological regeneration.
39. Paid Angel agents to quietly and anonymously do good.
40. Create a series of libraries (10) dedicate to principles original to libraries. Secular sanctuaries and temples to knowledge.
43. Breed dogs to live twice as long
44. Create 3 patents.
46. Become a Father.
Slated 2016-2017. 

Bucket List (the Bucket in the Bucket….IE, I no longer care about this but might change my mind.)
4. Competitively enter a fencing competition.

6. Start a successful business. 
Started in 2011. "Success" is determined in this case by an operating profit of 400% invested capital or $10000. 2011-2015. Otherwise 'failure' and goal removed from dock.
Not looking good on this one...

51. Join the Masons

45. Own and that is entirely self-sufficient w. energy, food and other items.  (wtf is this?)