1. Be out of Salt Lake Valley in February. ( Smog level is improving but still, I want out).
2. Either stop betting on Presidential elections or accept the fact that when you win 51% of your bets, you should be grateful. Record so far:
– 2000 election. Bush vs Gore. Won. Money in my pocket.
– 2004 election. Bush vs Kerry. Won. Mo money.
– 2008 primaries. Clinton vs Obama. Lost. Money out.
– 2008 election. McCain vs Obama. Lost. Mo money out.
– 2012 election. Romney vs Obama. Won. Money in.
– 2016 election Clinton vs Trump. Lost. Money out.
I could not make a living calling Presidential elections. Insights: At the very most I’m just a break even player, and with Clinton, I’m a two time loser.
3. Admit that I like to work. I’m seventy two, and I’m still getting on the plane to go to work. I have so many frequent flyer miles, I’ll be flying first class when Jesus, the Messiah, and Allah return to reclaim the earth.
4. Spend my money taking my grandchildren around the world. Disneyland excluded, I’ve done that twice.
5. Make sure I let my grandchildren know I’m not the least bit interested in having trophy grandchildren. I did that as a parent – it’s shallow, and oh so obvious; everyone knows you’re doing it.
6. Take at least ten road trips with my wife to far away places. She drives these days. My driving bugs her, especially when I use my left foot to brake. There’s always some kind of Marriott place to sleep.
7. Admit that I’m bored stiff watching sports. I’ll keep my season tickets for Utah football games, but only because they’re now in the PAC 12.
8. Dig much deeper in writing my weekly essays. I’ve now written over three hundred, and still harbor suspicions I haven’t gotten to the bottom of who I am. Either humans are a patchwork of gradual evolutionary adjustments, or I’m a mass of contradictions and endless compartments.
9. Keep my weight under 205. It used to be 200. Before that 190. At one time it was 180. At 180, I looked like I was dying, and maybe I was.
10. Keep vision alive. The major downfall of culture is that it tags you. Visualizing a bigger and better you breaks the bands of culture.
11. “Work harder to enjoy the holidays.” This is my promise to my wife. Remember: holidays are a zero sum game. You can be great for forty eight Christmases, but if you let down for the last two, you’re considered a grinch.