2011 Goals Update – In review

A whole year has now passed since I set my goals for 2011 and as such its time to wrap up and have a look back how I did.

Complete work on our house

As far as the year as a whole this has been mostly successful. The house has come such a long way that I’m truly blown away with how homely it is and how much I love what the Badja and I have done to the place. Sadly we didn’t complete all the works (carpet, downstairs loo) as we run out of cash. These items are still on the list though and will certainly be being passed onto the 2010 Goals list

Give Blood

I’m an awful human being, really I am. I haven’t done this (again). This will also be being added to the 2012 list but I may up the anti somehow to make sure that this does get completed (at least once).

Slight weight loss

As per the last update I’ve actually put on a stone this year… FAIL!

Take up drawing

I made a good start to this goal and got some sketches together including this one of a manga-esq Badja. I’d really like to have done more but as you will see later some other things came up requiring more urgent attention.

Release a WordPress theme

Although I didn’t actually release a WordPress theme into the repository my Responsive TwentyTen plugin has now been mentioned across tens of WordPress blogs and was also mentioned in one of the talks at WordCamp UK 2011. I also made several other WordPress themes for bespoke projects.

Create another Android App

So I’ve been playing a fair amount with Android and have started work on an app for Forrst as well as playing with the NFC functions and more camera interaction. No app was officially released into the marketplace… so a partial success here I think.

Get listed in the next Web Designers’ Ideas book

This was always going to be a stretch goal… and sadly as at this time I think it’s out of reach.

Get drafted to Dribbble

Yup, we can tick this one off. One of the kind Dribbblers recruited me following my submission of some design work as well as some begging and pleading. You can check out my Dribbble work at http://dribbble.com/toddhalfpenny

Anything Else?

As well as all these goals I planned for myself several other things of note occurred in 2011 which should probably be mentioned here.

Launch of Designs and Such

Some time back in September whilst holidaying in Falmouth The Badja had the idea to start up an online craft business. It would focus on home-made craft items and craft kits supplying folks with designs, materials and all the other bits they need to create their own pieces. From the inception we duly started work on the business plan and all the other things needed to get this up and running.

On November 21st Designs and Such launched running on a WordPress site built by me and co-designed with The Badja.

2011 Goals Update – Quarter 3

9 months have now passed since I set my goals for 2011 and so it’s time for another update… of dear!

  • Complete work on our house – Some progress has been made, which is really good news. We now have all new internal doors, a super-duper large loft hatch, we’ve redecorated the guest room (well The Badja has) and we have a new front door which we can actually open, close and lock! Still to come is some shelving in the kitchen and new carpets. The hope is to have these done by Christmas but to be frank money is somewhat tight.
  • Give Blood – no progress… I’m ashamed… I really must get a move on with this.
  • Slight weight loss – Well **** it! I’ve only gone and put a stone on since January! I better start concentrating on this again.
  • Take up drawing – Not done much since Q1 but still doing the odd bit of practising.
  • Release a WordPress theme – Although I’ve still not released a WordPress theme into the repository my Responsive TwentyTen plugin has now been mentioned across tens of WordPress blogs and was also mentioned in one of the talks at WordCamp UK 2011.
  • Create another Android App – So I’ve been playing a fair amount with Android and have started work on an app for Forrst as well as playing with the NFC functions and more camera interaction.
  • Get listed in the next Web Designers’ Ideas book – So I have a couple of web projects on which I’m hoping for great things from. I doubt that these are enough to get me listed but this was always a stretch goal.
  • Get drafted to Dribbble – Yup, we can tick this one off. One of the kind Dribbblers recruited me following my submission of some design work as well as some begging and pleading. You can check out my Dribbble work at http://dribbble.com/toddhalfpenny

Well that’s it I think for this quarter.

2011 Goals Update – Quarter 1

It’s been 3 months since I laid down the goals for 2011 and as such I thought I’d give a quick update on the progress (or lack of).

  • Complete work on our house – slow progress on this one… seems that trades people can be very reluctant to turn up when they say they will. I mean, WHAT?!? Do they not want our money?
  • Give Blood – no progress… I’m ashamed.
  • Slight weight loss – I didn’t expect much following overdoing it at Christmas and the New Year. Currently still hovering around the same weight as the start of December
  • Take up drawing – Finally some progress… I purchased a manga book and have been doodling from it.

  • Release a WordPress theme – I really tried hard to make headway here… I even had a theme in mind, the Responsive TwentyTen one I had made as a child theme. Sadly the WordPress.org theme repository doesn’t take child themes (at the time of writing) so I just recreated the base TwentyTen theme with an additional CSS file to add the responsiveness. Twice this was rejected by the repository moderators. Not one to give up though I found a new way to skin the cat and released the Responsive TwentyTen plugin which basically enables a child theme without actually being a theme. So, this is some progress though not strictly what I was after.
  • Create another Android App – More success! Based on the Asssist application which is an Android client for Dribbble I released the Asssist Widget. If you’re an Android users and fan of design then I suggest you go and check them out. Asssist App + Asssist Widget
  • Get listed in the next Web Designers’ Ideas book – Lord knows how this is going… poorly I would think from the small amount of web work I’ve been doing.
  • Get drafted to Dribbble – No progress on this one either. I have been updating my 3 Pointers page though with new work in the hope that this will aid the cause. On a fairly similar note though I have been invited onto Forrst, which runs along the same lines as Dribbble but also includes more for the developer-types… perhaps a better suiting for me? You can view my Forrst profile here.

So, there we are… a real mixed bag of “failure”, “mixed fortune” and “success”… couldn’t really ask for more I say.