This winter, I need to…

… stop burning my tongue. This is the downside of so many warm liquids and foods in general. I want it and I want it now (gosh I can be impatient!). But I ought to be more patient because foods are more tasty when my tastebuds aren't injured by my hot foods.

… apply to more jobs (evidently I'm working on this). But each job takes between half an hour to 4 hours to apply to properly (depending on how different it is from others I've applied to, how different the system I'm dealing with is, and precisely how much I want it.

… read more awesome books. My reading backlog is large (as it always is) but I know that I have some gems here. And I rather do want to read a few things by at least a few of the people attending the cruise in February in advance of that moment. But it's not just that: curling up with a good book on a winter evening is pretty awesome. Besides winter is a good time to get a start on my 50 Book Pledge for 2016. I'm over 100+ books read this year and I hope to do the same or better next year (note that many are graphic novels, but still!).

… play more awesome video games. These challenge my way of thinking. And I get better at them the longer that I play. Last night I started playing Hearthstone — which is probably as close as I'll ever get to playing a physical TCG for the reason that I have no desire to spend the loads of money on TCGs or LCGs and take up all the space in my apartment with physical cards. I'd rather collect full fledged board games…

… play more board games. When a week goes by without my playing a card or board game or other tabletop game of some sort, I'm somehow disappointed. And I know life gets busy and I don't have to do these things, but I want to: for many reasons. It keeps me social, it provides me the opportunity to do something relatively low-key but which is rather rewarding, it keeps my hands active in ways that (usually) don't injure them or activate old injuries, and it's just darn fun.

… take walks through this winter wonderland. There's no guarantees that it'll look beautiful and white all winter long, but I want to take advantage of the less icy/slippery days to take strolls through the scenery.

… keep exercising. It's easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of life, and not lift my small dumbbells or do crunches or go for that walk, especially when one is sore or tired, or not getting enough sunlight (especially with these short days) but I think it's important for my mental and physical well-being.

… be social and not just for obligations. For my own personal happiness I need to see/converse with/enjoy the company of awesome people on a regular basis. Sure I default to a lot of alone time. Sure I often go to events and activities because I've confirmed my attendance or feel strongly that I ought to be there. But I don't always have to be involved in structured time with other people. Spontaneous time spent with people who matter to me is key too. And discussions between me and others can be key. Sure, I need my downtime, my alone time, and my structured time, but it's important to invest in friendships in other ways too.