The February 26 Mark

Personal goals for 2/26/16 - 3/4/16
1. Be more forgiving of yourself and others.
2. Say "Thank you" more and "I'm sorry" less.
3. Laugh more.

Previously:
1. Drink more water.
2. No caffeine and chocolate after 3 pm.
3. No screens after 10 pm.
4. Spend 30 minutes outside everyday.
5. Stop saying "good job" to my daughter. Use more specific praise instead.
6. Spend 30 minutes every day looking for a job.
7. Use smile.amazon.com when ordering off of Amazon.
8. Have a conversation with a friend or family member every week.
9. Read a book just for pleasure.

The February 19 Mark

Personal goals for the week of 2/19/16 - 2/26/16:
1. Use smile.amazon.com when ordering off of Amazon.
2. Have a conversation with a friend or family member every week.
3. Read a book just for pleasure.

Previously:
1. Drink more water.
2. No caffeine and chocolate after 3 pm.
3. No screens after 10 pm.
4. Spend 30 minutes outside everyday.
5. Stop saying "good job" to my daughter. Use more specific praise instead.
6. Spend 30 minutes every day looking for a job.

The February 11 Mark

Personal goals for week of 2/11/16 - 2/18/16:

1. Spend 30 minutes outside everyday.
2. Stop saying "good job" to my daughter. Use more specific feedback and praise instead.
3. Spend 30 minutes every day looking for a job.

Previously:
1. Drink more water. ...check.
2. No caffeine and chocolate after 3 pm....Mostly check.
3. No screens after 10 pm. ...Hmm, maybe accomplished this half the time, but I love the results.

The February 4 Mark

Personal goals for the week of 2/4/16-2/11/16:

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. No caffeine and coffee after 3 pm.
3. No screens after 10 pm.

Previously:
N/A.

West Coast Wish List

After a few months of desperately waiting, I finally landed an interview at a medical school. It's Albert Einstein back in the Bronx. I'm thrilled and excited at the prospect of returning back home and reuniting with my family and friends in New York. But, it also means that my stay in California may be nearly over.

So here's a list of a few goals I'm setting for myself before I leave:
- Visit all of California's National Parks and Mounuments.
- Hang glide in the mountains with the Berkeley Hang Gliding Club. Get my Hang 3 rating.
- Summit three of the 14,000+ ft. peaks in California including either Mt. Shasta or Mt. Whitney.
- Backpack across at least 20 miles of the West Coast, John Muir, or Pacific Coast Trails.
- Spot a California condor and quail in the wild.
- Drive or hitchhike up to Alaska in the summer.
- Complete a sub 3:30 marathon.
- Run my first ultramarathon.
- Join a CSA and learn how to cook without relying on recipes.
- Stop relying on a car if I'm traveling less than 30 miles. Walk, bike, or use public transit instead.
- Go cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or downhill skiing at Lake Tahoe.
- Hike all of the top-rated trails in Tom Stienstra and Ann Marie Brown's book California Hiking.
- Hike through one of Utah's slot canyons.
- Hop on a freight train.

Admittedly, I'd be thrilled to complete half of these adventures and remain healthy and intact. Hopefully, I'll have some progress to report back in a few months!