I’ve intentionally excluded some of my bigger goals from this list because there is evidence that telling people your goals makes you less likely to achieve them. This list is not in any particular order.

Play Portal: I’ve been out of the gaming scene for a while partly because of my busy schedule and partly because I run Linux. However, I’ve been meaning to give Portal a shot for a long time. Portal is an iconic game that is very well reviewed. More importantly it’s also short. People tell me that even as an out of practice gamer I should be able to finish it in a day.

Take Advantage of Winters in Boston: The cold weather in Boston starts to get a bit tiresome by the end of winter. I’ve learned to cope with it and I appreciate the beauty of snow but I’ve never really taken advantage of it. This year, I’d like to find an activity that will make me look forward to the winter weather rather than dread it. I went cross country skiing a couple of years ago in slushy snow on the Weston course in March. But I expect that cross country skiing on nicer trails in better weather would be a much more enjoyable experience.  I would also like to try ice skating and snow shoeing.

Go to Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology:
I’ve been to the Harvard Museum of Natural History three times but I’ve never been in the Harvard  Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Though the two museums are connected, I’ve only been to the HMNH during special evening events when the Peabody part was closed. However, I live less than a mile away and I get free admission as a Harvard employee, so 2012 should be the year that I finally visit.

Eat at New Boston Vegetarian Restaurants: There are some new vegetarian restaurants in the Boston area that I would like to try. Veggie Galaxy Diner just opened a few months ago in Central Square in Cambridge. It’s owned by the same people as Veggie Planet and has been well spoken of by people who’ve been there. Prana Café  has been around for a while but I’ve yet to visit perhaps because it’s in Newton and Cantabrigians rarely cross the river. Nevertheless, I’ve been meaning to go for a while and I just purchased a Groupon for it so I’ll definitely eat there in the next few months.

Read a Graphic Novel: I picked up the first two volumes of Girl Genius at Arisia and I’m looking forward to reading them. I also have The Watchmen, and Maus on my shelf.

Bike the W & OD Trail — The W & OD trail is a 30 mile bike trail in Northern Virginia along the former Washington and Old Dominion Railroad line see (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_%26_Old_Dominion_Railroad_Regional_Park). The trail travels within a mile of my family’s house where I grew up. I’ve walked and biked on small segments but have yet to explore most of the trail. The next time I’m visiting Northern Virginia, I would really like to bike the rest of the trail.

Go to this Year’s HOPE: HOPE (Hackers On Planet Earth) is a biannual computer and technology conference in New York. I’ve been to the previous 2 HOPE’s and found them to be both enjoyable and enlightening. I’m very much looking forward to this year’s HOPE.

Experience the Significant Internet Memes: I don’t have time to watch every video on Youtube. I don’t even have time to watch every video on Youtube that gets a minor following. What I do hope to do is catch the significant ones. What constitutes significance is of course open to debate and part of the challenge will be defining it. I plan to start by looking at the ROFL con guest list on the assumption that a video worth inviting someone to ROFL for is by definition significant.

Do the Salem SegGliders Tour: I’ve long been curious about riding a segway and the Salem SegGliders tour will be my chance to do that as well as to see Salem. I’ve purchased a Groupon for the tour that I’ll have to use up by May.