Goals for 2011

So I always attempt to make goals for myself at the new year, and usually they taper off within a few months. Here's the funny thing... Last year's resolution was how I found the Nerdfighters. I used to make a resolution every year, but now I've decided just to make it goals. Anyway, my resolution last year was to make one person smile each day.

Over my break I was getting really excited about the idea, because it was something simple that seemed very possible. Although I haven't kept track of it, I like to think that I accomplished it anyway. The cool thing about making videos is that I could be making someone smile from half-way around the world right now. I can make people happy in my sleep. I could be sick one day and literally not come in contact with anyone and still make someone happy through a video that I made months ago. In this way I hope that my resolution was upheld.
Because I was so excited about this resolution a year ago I went searching online for jokes. I love jokes. they're possibly one of my favorite way to put words together. I love to laugh, I love people with a sense of humor and jokes are just amazing. So I went to search "Jokes" in on youtube, because although I love jokes I don't know many of them. One of the first videos that came up was titled "51 Jokes (In Four Minutes)" by a user named "vlogbrothers"and so I thought, why not? I clicked on the video and there was Hank Green, of course who I hadn't known was Hank at the time. I just saw a blonde guys with glasses and huge bookshelf behind him. At this point in my life I still hadn't identified as a nerd, but I did love books. I thought he was hilarious, and so at the end of the video when he linked a few more videos of him telling jokes, I watched them as well. I really liked him a lot and went to his channel... where I was introduced to Nerdfighteria. I'm not sure exactly what day this was, and I really wish I did because I consider this day to be my Nerdfighter-versary (of which my first is fast approaching).

So needless to say goals and resolutions are something that I will keep doing each year, because I never know where they might lead me.

So here are my goals for 2011:

Read 50 books
now this is actually something that I've already taken action to do. I've told you all that I'm a vlogger and in 2011 me and 2 of my friends will be starting a youtube channel in which we review books and vlog together to keep ourselves motivated to finish the 50 Book Challenge.

Write A Song
I've written stories forever, and I find it amusing to do in my free time, but just last year I began writing poetry. I play the piano, and I'm hoping to learn the guitar (which we'll get to later) and now whenever I go to write a poem I start to section it off like a song, or hear the rhythm of it in my mind and so my goal this year is to translate that rhythm through an instrument & post it on youtube.

Can I just stop right here in the middle to say that my house smell disgusting because my sister is cooking god knows what downstairs? Well I guess I just did, but anyway...

Talk to John and Hank Green
Now I would say "Meet" John and Hank, but I don't think that really counts if you've already met someone so I'll say "talk to". Also, I've come up with an idea for Esther Day 2011 and I want to see if they support what I would be doing. I met them last year at VidCon and got to have a conversation with them both so hopefully I get the opportunity again this year.

See Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 at Midnight in Costume.
YES. I will do this. I have never dressed up for anything Harry Potter related in public before in my life, and I'm really not that type of person, but I consider this my LAST chance.

Finish and Revise my NaNoWriMo Novel
Although I got to 50,000 words, my novel is not finished. I have a lot more writing to do to actually conclude the story, but I feel like I'm up to the Challenge.

Get Over my Stage fright
This is kind of humorous to me because I make Youtube videos, but as many people know a lot of Youtubers are actually quite awkward in person. I've been cast in a production of Beauty and the Beast, which I'm extremely excited about, but I'm actually quite nervous about being onstage.

Start Don't Forget to do Awesome (DFTDA)
So if you're a Nerdfighter (which I assume if you read this far, you probably are because decepticons couldn't stand the overload of nerdiness.) then you know the phrase DFTBA. For those of you who don't know, it stands for Don't Forget To Be Awesome. my variation is a project that has to do with charity. I was inspired by the Project 4 Awesome (another Nerdfighter Event. you can check out what that's about here: http://projectforawesome.com/) and basically I'm going to try to go and do service work at as many organizations, both local and worldwide and film my experience. I will then post them onto the project's youtube channel (youtube.com/dontforget2doawesome). I decided to do this because I've been trying to figure out a few things. 1. what charities I would like to help. I have had lots of trouble deciding where I want to spend my time, and with which charity I would like to commit to. I'll be making my videos so that other people with the same problem can find my video about say... Save the Children and see what they're all about, what kind of work they do, and what that person can do to help, from a more hands on approach. 2. How I can help them besides giving donations. With worldwide charities we know that giving money can always help, but what can we do with our time that will benefit these large charities that we'd like to support? I'm about to find out.

Reach 100 Subscribers on my Personal Youtube Channel (youtube.com/elaskayoung)
Right now I have 50 subscribers on my Youtube channel which is a huge accomplishment because I think the first 50 are hardest to get, when you have only a few videos, and not very many views. 100 would be an amazing goal for me to reach.

See a Wizard Rock Show
When I first heard about songs about Harry Potter, I listened to a few, and didn't like them much so I just gave up on trying to find them altogether. Then I became a Nerdfighter. I found Kristina Horner (who's part of the wizard rock band The Parselmouths, and then after finding the band of her boyfriend, Ministry of Magic, I completely fell in love. These are probably my two favorite Wrock bands to date, but I always love hearing Harry Potter songs from artists like Hank Green, who aren't exclusively writing HP songs. I'm afraid now that the movie's coming out there might not be Harry Potter Conferences of Wizard Rock shows, and I DEFINITELY want to go to one before that happens, whenever it does. So why not now?