A new year, new experiences

This year, I want to add more spice to my life. I wasted most of the past 7 or 8 years just going through the same routine: wake up, go to work, come home, watch tv, go to sleep, rinse and repeat. Over the past couple of years I've rediscovered sports that I used to play all the time when I was younger. Now between "come home" and "go to sleep", nearly every day I get out and do something: I go to the gym to work out, play volleyball, racquetball, ultimate frisbee, or shoot pool (ok, not a sport but still fun).

For 2008, I plan to step it up. I want to get out and have more fun, play more sports, be healthier, be smarter, and most importantly - do things I've never done before. Here's a list of some things I plan to do this year (some of these things are lofty goals and some of things are ridiculously simple. I don't care, I just want to do them. :P):

• Go somewhere new (new to me, that is) and exciting for a vacation (Mexico? Jamaica?)
• Go to more concerts, comedy shows, and sporting events.
  
  So far I've seen:
  
  Will Ferrell
  Lori McKenna
  The NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  Patty Griffin w/ Emmy Lou Harris in Chapel Hell.
  
  
• Join a new sports league (a new sport, maybe dodgeball or flag football)
• Go on a hiking trip
  
  So far I've gone hiking on the Eno River, and I am going to South State Park near Asheville, and a volleyball camping tournament in Virginia Beach.
  
  
• Go on a snow-skiing trip in the west (Colorado or Utah)
• Go on a water-skiing trip (maybe http://www.cobleskischool.com/)
• Take a cooking class, and do more cooking and less microwaving.
• Drink a lot more water and a lot less diet soda.
• Try lots of new foods and visit restaurants I've never been to.
  
  Indian food is really good.
  I found a Korean place I need to check out.
  I found a really good Thai place.
  I ate a tomato sandwich (gasp)
  
  
• Be a more friendly and outgoing person (I'm usually a pretty big ass)
• Read more books
  
  The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and the Amber Spyglass.
  The Tipping Point
  
  
• Visit NY city
• Go to a ComedySportz show (maybe http://www.dsicomedytheater.com/schedule/showdetails.php?ShowID=26)
• Start a jump training workout and daily pushups/situps
• Clean up some of the little software apps I've written and put them on the web for free download.
• Hang-gliding in the outer banks.