I’m not going to go completely crazy though. I just want to enjoy a couple of things I love doing but haven’t had the time for lately.

• Play a round of golf.
• Kick some ass on Halo 3 multiplayer for about 12 hours straight.

I will not be doing these things:

• Reading or replying to emails.
• Working on the Hybrid theme.
• Getting involved in WordPress-related arguments.
• Checking my Twitter stream. Yeah, right!

If you want to celebrate the birth of me, keep reading. I’ve got two options for you.

Halo 3 online multiplayer

Since I can’t invite you all down here to Alabama to play golf with me, I thought it’d be fun to slaughter you in an online game. So, if you’re into Halo, feel free to add me as a friend and join me and some of my friends Saturday evening for a night-long Halo bash.

My gamer tag is justintadlock. Yes, it’s a boring gamer tag, but I couldn’t retrieve my password for my older, cooler, hardcore-gamer name.

I only have a few rules:

• BYOB.
• Bring custom maps (that don’t involve ninja moves to avoid falling to your death) if you have them.
• Someone must invite this guy.

Buy me something pretty

I only find books and movies pretty. Just so that’s clear.

I don’t usually promote my donation links or wish lists online, but I get asked once a week or so about donating for one of my plugins or a tutorial I’ve written. So, if you’re feeling generous, don’t like Halo 3, or will be attending WordCamp San Francisco instead of playing Halo with me, you’re certainly welcome to get me something from my Amazon wish list.

If you’ve ever wanted to hear a drunken Justin cursing because he can’t remember which button switches back to his sniper rifle, I’d go with the first option.

I hope you all look forward to some of the things I have in store as much as I do.

Life-related goals

I suppose I’ve come a long way since the days when my best friend and I would make resolutions about things we planned to accomplish with girls for the year. Ah, the good ol’ days.

I did set my sights a bit higher this year.

• Get my ass back into shape.
  I had to start with a classic. Isn’t this everyone’s New Year’s resolution?
• Meet WordPress users and other bloggers in person.
  I’ve met so many people online in the last couple of years that I’ve become friends with, but I’d love to meet some of you in person.
• Travel to a foreign country.
  I’d really like to go to back to Japan, lie on a beach in Thailand, or visit a ton of other Asian countries. I’d also like to visit some of my Canadian friends.
• Participate in a charitable event.
  I want to be a little more involved this year in events that help others, such as the Alanta Breast Cancer 3-Day in October.
• Save more money.
  Last year, I managed to pay off $8,000 of debt from college. This year, I’d like to pay off and save at least as much.
• Help others in their quest to work from home.
  What we don’t see enough of is practical tips about working online. I want to share more of my experiences and how they apply to my life offline to help others.
• Continue studying foreign languages.
  I’ve got a little Spanish, German, and Korean under my belt, and I like to continue improving my skills with those languages and maybe start adventuring into one more.

WordPress-related goals

I have plenty of goals dealing directly with the WordPress community as well.

• Continue fostering the growth of Theme Hybrid.
  Our community at Theme Hybrid is growing daily, and I can only imagine what it would be like in a year’s time.
• Write more about WordPress.
  Most of my posts here on this blog are about WordPress, but I’d like to write more tutorials, give more tips, and start more discussions than last year.
• Attend at least one WordCamp.
  Unfortunately, I came home to Alabama only about a week after WordCamp Birmingham in 2008, which would’ve been a perfect opportunity for me. I’d like to attend one this year.
• Design some BuddyPress themes.
  I’ve been tinkering around with BuddyPress for a while (whenever I have the time), and creating specific themes for it would be cool.
• Provide bbPress alternatives to my WordPress themes.
  bbPress is a fast, lightweight forum software that I’ve fallen in love with. Expect to see my WP themes getting bbPress makeovers.
• Make more WordPress plugins.
  I tend to focus on themes, but creating plugins is another passion of mine, which are typically ideas I get when developing a theme.
• Create quality WordPress themes, of course!
  I have loads of theme ideas in various categories that I plan to release this year:
  • Magazine/News
  • Store/E-commerce
  • Photo/Portfolio
  • Video
  • Book/Movie/Etc. Reviews
  • Lifestream
  • And many more!

Any goals this year?

I’m always interested in hearing what other people plan on doing for the year. For me, a large motivational factor is announcing my plans to others because I’m much more likely to follow through with them.

Please share any goals you’ve made for the new year. Or, you can just discuss mine.

I’m going to take a little time to reflect on everything and give you all a chance to read some older posts if you’re up for it.

My life offline

I started off 2008 in Seoul, South Korea amongst thousands (millions?) of people at probably one of the biggest New Year bashes in the world. At the time, I was teaching English to advanced Korean students (elementary age) in Bundang, which is a bit outside of Seoul. I spent the rest of the year there until coming back to the U.S. a few months early in October.

When I came home to Alabama, my sister, Amy, and I decided that it would be beneficial for us both to live together. So, I packed my bags for Atlanta, Georgia, where I’m currenlty living and working. At this point, I had decided that I’d be working from home.

Okay, so living in Korea was pretty much the highlight of the year. I met people from all over the world, learned more about different cultures than many will in a lifetime. I made many good friends that I will never forget and some that I still keep in regular contact with now.

My only regret is not chronicling more about my life here on the blog, which is something I hope to do more of in the future (even if it does bore some of you). Here are some posts from this past year on my life:

• Changes: Some things to expect in the coming year
• South Korean morning
• Korean folk village
• They do say all good things must come to an end
• I’m leaving on a jet plane

My life online

Most of this year, at least here on this blog, has been about WordPress. WordPress is pretty much my life anyway. The highlight of the year online for me was launcing Theme Hybrid. Since I blogged so much about WordPress, I’ll have to break these posts into categories.

WordPress plugin/theme releases, news, and other announcements

• Options WordPress theme release
• Cleaner WordPress Gallery Plugin
• Get the Image WordPress plugin
• Project M announcement (Theme Hybrid)
• Bringin’ sexy to…bbPress?
• Launch of ThemeHybrid.com
• Hybrid WordPress Theme Framework
• Widgets Reloaded: WordPress Plugin
• JavaScript Logic: WordPress Plugin

WordPress discussions

• In defense of the WordPress 2.5 widget panel
• Screw the premium theme market.
• Got options?
• If you were a WordPress theme developer: Page templates
• If you were a WordPress theme developer: 404 templates
• If you were a WordPress theme developer: Widget areas
• If you were a WordPress theme developer: Plugin support
• If you were a WordPress theme developer: Theme options
• If you were a WordPress theme developer: Feature
• Putting the boot to premium theme developers
• Using bookmarks (links) more effectively
• Some thoughts on the WordPress community, themes, and the GPL
• Why I created a WordPress theme framework

WordPress tutorials, tips, and hacks

• Doing more with Gravatars: Comments
• Doing more with Gravatars: Author bio
• Doing more with Gravatars: Authors page template
• Replacing WordPress content with an excerpt without editing theme files
• Tips on using and developing for WordPress happily
• Installing two WordPress blogs with the same users
• Making your theme’s comments compatible with WordPress 2.7 and earlier versions
• New page menu function in WordPress 2.7
• Creating single post templates in WordPress
• How to change your feed links without using .htaccess

Looking toward 2009

I suppose it’s time to say farewell to 2008. It’s been a great year, and I expect 2009 to be even better.

Now I’m off to draft my goals for the new year. There’s a lot to look forward to. I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year’s Eve.

I received many great gifts and literally feasted on foods that I hadn’t eaten in two years. I’m fairly certain I put on an extra 5 or 6 pounds.

I feel blessed that I’ve been financially fortunate enough to actually buy a few gifts for the family this year. I bought my sister a Nintendo Wii (I’m fairly certain she got the best gift). Before, I was always in school and broke, so gift giving wasn’t at the top of my list. I know Christmas isn’t all about money and being able to afford great gifts, but I consider it a blessing because I’m finally standing on my own two feet, so to speak.

The support of family

A few months ago, I made the decision to work online. Thus far, it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I enjoy the work I do and the people I interact with every day.

Anyone that has taken this plunge knows that getting your friends to support the decision is easy. Convincing your family that you’re not crazy is the tough part. I’ve been surprised at the support I’ve gained from my family since I embarked on this online journey. Of course, they still remind me about my financial responsibilities, but that’s a good thing.

I have my friends to tell me that I can do anything, convince me that I can soar above the stars, and give me all the motivational advice one might need in a lifetime. I have my family to wrangle me back somewhere near reality.

As I mentioned, I’ve been surprised at the level of support my family has given me, especially considering that I once thought my dad believed that the Internet was the root of all that is evil in the world. Maybe I’m being a tad over dramatic there. Plus, I still can’t convince my stepmother that a search engine and Web browser are two separate entities, that each exists separately from the other.

My dad and stepmother got me two books on building a Web design business for Christmas:

• How to Start a Home-Based Web Design Business by Jim Smith
• Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers by Shel Perkins

I can’t speak about the quality of the books as I haven’t read them yet. The point I’m really getting at is that it’s great for my family to be taking an interest in seeing me succeed in my field.

Enjoying Christmas

I was in need of a break. I’ve been going full speed since I got home from Korea in October and hadn’t taken a chance to sit back and relax. I didn’t even turn on a computer for three days. That’s an accomplishment in and of itself.

Part of me wishes I could’ve been back in Korea for our school’s Christmas party, which was awesome last year and possibly one of the coolest Christmas parties I’ve ever attended. I do miss my friends out there, and that was the only sad thing about this year.

Overall, it was a great holiday. I hope everyone else had a wonderful experience as well.

I spent several hours on the Web cam with my family while they opened presents on Christmas. It was a neat experience seeing most of them for the first time in over four months all together. It kind of makes me wish I was home for a week or so.

This doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying the holidays here in Korea though. I received two boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in a game of Dirty Santa (White Elephant, whatever you call it). So, it’s been a good Christmas. My parents did send over a package with lots of goodies too.

The family-like atmosphere with the foreign teachers at my school has made being away from home at Christmas an enjoyable experience. Now, I’m looking forward to New Year’s Eve in Seoul.

Look for plenty of updates and more free content in 2008. I have several projects up my sleeve. Until then, enjoy the holidays.

I have accomplished a few things though. Let’s get those out of the way before I get into a long, boring post. First, I moved my sister’s site, Amy N. Russell.com over to my hosting account, and updated her theme. Which, by the way, is my first official Wordpress theme. I know I’ve done “themes” or “styles” before, but you have to remember that I’ve always used my own style/skin/theme system.

That brings me to my next point. I’m now moving over to Wordpress themes. That’s the final step in completely moving my entire site over Wordpress. Well, a few things will stay like they are.

If you haven’t noticed, the site has a new look. You should see the Faded Green Leaf Theme. It’s my first Wordpress theme for this site. Completely built from the ground up.

I’ve had a lot of fun in these last few days building a couple of Wordpress themes. They’re just so flexible. I have a few complaints with the sidebar/menu/navigation system, but nothing worth noting right now. I think I may start making themes to release to the public because I’ve seen some pretty crappy ones around. Not saying I’m the best theme designer around or anything. I learned a lot from WP Designer about building themes. A lot of it I knew, but some stuff I didn’t know (widgetizing the sidebar was very helpful).

I might release my current theme to the public, but there’s a few things I have to do to make it user-friendly. Let me know what you think about the it.

I haven’t done anything on Books In Bed this week. Like I said, I’ve been lazy. It is Spring Break though.

I went home last Saturday and stayed until Tuesday. Did I get in touch with my roots as I thought I might when I posted The Captain Of My Soul? I’m not sure. There were times when I felt right at home. Other times, I felt like it was the last place I wanted to be. I enjoyed seeing my family (for the most part) and friends. I got my first round of golf in since about early November of last year. I won’t bother mentioning my score. It’s too embarrassing.

This week has done me some good though. I don’t think I’ve been stressed out once. I’ve slept more than I have in months. I watched the first two seasons and part of the third of Dawson’s Creek, half the first season of Rome, and about half a season (series) of Firefly. I really need to branch out into some new shows. Which is why earlier tonight I bought the first two seasons of The Office.

Okay, so I’ve mostly watched TV during my week off. Some might argue that it’s not good for me, but I’ll have to disagree with that notion. I’m totally relaxed right now.

I’ll try to get around to everyone’s blogs that I’ve avoided for the past week. I’m interested in seeing what’s been going on in the blogosphere.

Today is my grandfather’s birthday. I’m not really sure how old he is. Sixty-something. And he has the easiet birthday in my family to remember. So, I have no excuses if I forget to call.

I finally got him on the phone at around 9:15 tonight to give him birthday wishes. This was after several tries. It was one of the longer conversations we’ve had in a while. I usually talk to Granny for hours on end. Papa and I usually only have sports to talk about, and that doesn’t leave for much of a conversation.

I do cherish these rare moments when we get into a conversation about things other than sports, even though I enjoy those also. We simply talked about life in general. Well, mostly about my plans after college. He also told me his Uncle Jim, who is 81 years old, only has two months to a year to live because of his third bout with cancer.

Mostly, it was a good conversation. It seems to me that my grandparents would sometimes get bored when I start talking about school, work, and my future because I have to explain half of the things I’m talking about. But, they bear though the conversation. I think they probably enjoy it though.

Anyway, Happy 6?th Papa!

You can read He’ll Always Be Papa, an article I wrote for Grandparents’ Day last fall.

I will say that going home was fun, and I did get lots of neat stuff. And since I’m not going to tell about every detail of every thing that I got, I will list the books and movies. Especially since these are the things that will shape my life.

Books

• The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century – Thomas L. Friedman
• If You Want to Write: A Book About Art, Independence, and Spirit – Brenda Ueland
• Before Writing: Rethinking the Paths to Literacy – Gunther Kress
• All the King’s Men – Robert Penn Warren
• Relentless – Robin Parrish
• Nobody’s Fool – Richard Russo
• The American Dream and the Public Schools – Jennifer Hochschild, Nathan Scovronick
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft – Stephen King
• Off Magazine Street – Ronald Everett Capps
• Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies—and What It Means to be Human – Joel Garreau
• The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter – Carson McCullers
• The Complete Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton
• The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness – Dave Ramsey

DVDs

• Rome: Season 1
• King of the Hill: Season 4
• King of the Hill: Season 5
• 24: Season 1
• Seinfeld: Season 7
• Grey’s Anatomy: Season 1
• Alias: Season 5
• Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
• Invincible
• The Devil Wears Prada
• Miami Vice