Tag Archives: resolutions

“Resolutions.”

Confessions of a Microbiologist, ,

As this year draws to a close, I had a look back at my 2016 resolutions, posted in January this year, to see how I got on…

  • Get book published! – Yes, managed this one. “The Art of Clinical Microbiology” was published in April, and copies have gone to many different countries in the world. I am still pondering on how best to write a sequel to it…
  • Drive across USA.– Suceeded on this one also. With the family, we did a 5 week road trip across the USA from Los Angeles to New York. A fantastic experience, and worth spending the money on as opposed to decorating the house.
  • Do another ultramarathon.– Failed on this one. Ultra-marathon training takes heaps of time, which was a commodity I unfortunately ran out of. Would still love to do a 100k ultra. Unfinished business!
  • Keep working on my French.– I sat and passed the DELF diploma A2 earlier on this year, my first formal exam for years. Quite nervewracking actually.
  • Get back to Paris, even if it is just for a holiday! -Got to Paris in November this year with my two oldest children, combining it with a conference in Scotland, and visiting my parents in Ireland.

So 4 out of 5 isn’t bad, considering I am inherently quite a lazy person.

So what are my goals/resolutions for 2017?

  • Get the Microbiology Matters Youtube channel established with at least 15 video tutorials uploaded. I am extremely camera shy so this will be a real challenge! Hopefully my 12 year old son will help me.
  • Do at least three marathons – This is probably  a more realistic goal for this year. The ultra-marathon will need to wait for Tarawera 2018…
  • Sit the DELF B2 French exam.- Hopefully B1 in May and B2 in October, all going well.
  • Visit 5 countries I have never been to before. – Not sure how I am going to manage this one, or which countries I plan to go to, but the USA road trip has definitely re-ignited the travel bug.
  • Get the house re-carpeted. -This resolution is definitely a sure sign of my advancing age. This would never have made it onto the list a few years ago. But we have a carpet from hell. so it has to be done!

I look forward to looking back on these resolutions at the end of 2017 to see if I can go one better and achieve all 5 this time…

Michael