Resolution Check-In #1 for 2022: Two Months Down, How's It Going?

For the past several years, I've made blog resolutions for the new year.  Lately, I've also tried to check in every couple of months in an effort to both keep me on track but also to keep myself accountable for what I said I'd do during the year.  Now that we have passed the two month mark for 2022, let's see how things are stacking up so far on this year's resolutions.

1.  Barry Larkin Collection

The goal is to get 905 Barry Larkin cards scanned and written about by the end of 2022.  Before the year started, I had written 855 such posts and now I'm up to 874.  With a gain of nearly 10 posts per month, I'm on pace to absolutely shatter my goal!  It's not a total surprise to me that I've written so many Larkin posts so far this year though because those posts are (relatively speaking) much easier for me to write when time is short (and during the academic year, time always seems to be short)!  I'd expect my pace to slow down as the school year winds down - but I still have a couple more months before then so don't be surprised to see a Larkin card post or two per week for awhile yet!

2.  Trading

My goal here is to complete a total of at least 100 trades in 2022.  I haven't bought any new 2022 product for myself as of yet, so predictably trading has been somewhat slow (I also haven't added any sets to my want list yet this year which makes finding new trading partners trickier as well).  That being said, I'm up over 20 trades thus far which puts me ahead of pace so I can't complain about my progress thus far!

3.  The Want List

My goal here is to whittle my want list down to 60 (or fewer) total sets.  Currently, I'm actually below that number but as I mentioned earlier, I haven't yet added any new sets to my want list for the year.  I'll almost certainly be going all-in on 2022 Allen & Ginter (as usual) plus who knows, I may be inspired by some other set (or sets) this year.  One never knows.  

I also made a "bonus point" part of this resolution if I could complete any of the following sets that were nearly complete as of the start of the year:

• 2018 Topps Gypsy Queen:  Base:  301, 303, 306, 307, 318
• 2015 Upper Deck Dinosaurs:  Predator of the Seas:  2, 3, 15
• 2013 Topps Allen & Ginter: Wonders of the World Cabinet Boxloaders:  WOW-1, 20
• 2013 Topps Archives: Gallery of Heroes: MT
• 2010 Allen & Ginter:  Celestial Stars:  CS 4, 5
• 2009 Upper Deck Goudey:  Base: 220, 224
• 2007 Topps Allen & Ginter's:  Snakes:  S1. Arizona Coral Snake

I'm pleased to report that I've completed the 2015 Upper Deck Dinosaurs Predator of the Seas set and the 2013 Topps Archives Gallery of Heroes set!  I think it's safe to say that this resolution has also been a resounding success thus far in 2022!

4.  The Great Reorganization

Hosting my current Breaker's Club means my table is actually MORE full of cards than it was at the start of the year!  Whoops.

My goal here was to do the following:

• I want to get the rest of my unsorted Barry Larkin cards sorted, scanned, and put into my binders.
• I want to update TCDB with my full Barry Larkin collection.
• I want to update TCDB with my full complete set collection.
• I want to update TCDB with the remaining trade bait that I still have sitting around.
• I want to get my card table cleaned off, even if only for a day or two!

Uhm, as usual it's the collection reorganizing that I'm doing terrible at!  I haven't accomplished a single bullet point...and if I'm being honest, I've barely even made any progress on most of those points.  I have uploaded a few more cards to my TCDB trade bait page but otherwise it's a big old swing-and-a-miss here for me thus far.

5.  My LEGO Blog

We've made it through the first two months of the year and thus far I've kept up with my LEGO blog quite nicely.  I'm basically averaging a post a week over there which I think is a fairly solid pace.  My goal is to end the year with at least 36 total posts so I'm certainly on track thus far.  What I really need to do is to try and figure out how to get my LEGO blog noticed among the LEGO collecting community!

6.  Reading

The goal is to read six books for the year and so far I've read one novel.  With all of my hobbies, reading almost always gets pushed to the back so the fact that I've even finished one book feels like a victory if I'm being honest.

7.  Disc Golf

The weather hasn't cleared up and warmed up yet here to the point where I can actually get out and play with any regularity.  I'll give this resolution an incomplete so far.

8.  Woodworking

My woodshop lives in the back of my (unheated) garage so much like Disc Golf, this is another incomplete for now.  Too cold to do much yet, but things will be warming up soon!

9.  LEGO Robotics

The goal here was to prep (and then teach) my LEGO Robotics course for the first time.  Unfortunately, the way things have gone at work it looks like the course won't fit into my assigned teaching schedule for 2022/23 and so this particular resolution probably earns a year-long incomplete since that's completely out of my control.

That does it for this check-in.  By my count, I've earned the following grades:

1.  Larkin Collection:  A

2.  Trading:  A

3.  Want List:  A

4.  Great Reorganization:  F

5.  LEGO Blog:  A

6.  Reading:  C

7.  Disc Golf:  Incomplete

8.  Woodworking:  Incomplete

9.  LEGO Robotics:  Incomplete (verging on cancelled outright)

Other than that pesky "F" grade for reorganizing my collection, I'd say I'm doing quite well so far on what I said I'd actually accomplish in 2022!