Post #1: What is This?

Why start a blog?  When there's something like a million billion weblogs on the Internet, why bother?

To set goals, to track progress, and to fuel our measurement society. In short, to do what blogs do best. 

A weblog can be whatever its author wants it to be-- diary, confessional, opinion journal, professional or personal networking tool. But the Internet's a short attention span medium, swallowing much of your brillantly nuanced political analysis or evocative stories of your friend's wedding. So I'm wrapping whatever brilliance or nuance I can muster in easy-to-follow quantitative tracts.  Early each week, I'll report my progress on three goals:

52 Books, 52 Weeks

Bloggers love this goal since it proves we're intelligent and sophisticated. Or at least, it shows we have the discipline to make consistent time for pleasure reading. Mainly it's an excuse to expand my reading habits and find out which friends have good taste in literature.

1000 Miles

I took up running in middle school. Joined the cross country team after posting a decent time in the mile. And I've stuck with it to manage stress and stay in shape, but mostly because I'm too uncoordinated to succeed in other sports. The 1000 mark breaks down to around 19 miles/week, a bump from my 2007 habits and a sinch if I stay healthy and finish the Chicago Marathon (in mid-October).

100 Shows

That's 100 trips to the theater. Broadly defined, that's straight plays, musicals, operas, and comedy. Live stuff, on someone else's schedule. Chicago's sick with theater, but I'm predicting this will be the hardest goal to meet.

Since I don't live in a bubble and you may actually want to hear about something other than me, me, me, I'll also say a few words on world events. But only a few, since this blog is mainly about me.