2010 in preview

White tiger, originally uploaded by floridapfe

It's dangerous to write about commitments or goals for the future. Some say that sharing goals publicly adds accountability, but in my experience it's an almost guaranteed path to failure. But there are some things I can be relatively sure of happening (assuming I don't get hit by a bus crossing the street tomorrow).

I'm excited about the future. The year of the tiger is approaching! Here's a quick list of what I'm looking forward to in 2010:

• Natalie turns two: fatherhood is an incredible adventure and I can't wait to see what my daughter will get up to next. Last year she became a real little person with a distinct personality, and now she's learning how to express herself more and more. I hope we have lots of fun together this year as she continues exploring her world.

• Family fun times: part of the joy of having children is an excuse to go outside, play, and do "kid" stuff. This month alone I've got Art Shanties, Rock the Cradle, and St. Paul's Winter Carnival on our calendar. It will be really great when it warms up outside, but why wait until then to have fun?

• Loving my wife: we are in our sixth year of marriage and I thought we would have it all figured out by now, but we are still making it up as we go along. We were lucky to figure out early that you have to work to make a happy marriage. Every day is a new chance to be a good husband. I will try to screw it up as little as possible.

• Craftstravaganza: this is our fifth year organizing an event that my wife and I started on a lark because it was something that I wanted to attend and I wasn't willing to travel all the way to Milwaukee to do it. Of course, since then it has grown and each year we get to spend time with friends that we've met along the way, and make new ones. I say it every year but this year wiil be the best one yet.

• Mpls Indie XPO: the giant annual craft fair wasn't enough of a commitment so last fall I started planning MIX, an independent comic festival. I am super pumped about this project because honestly, the Craftstravaganza was getting a little boring (which is not unusual) and this early planning stage is my favorite part of event management.

• Swap-o-Rama-Rama: last of all, it looks like I will be hosting a DIY clothing swap event for Spring MN Fashion Week. We're still pounding out the details on this one, so I'll share more when I know more. This is part of my evil plan to be involved with every scene in Minnesota's arts culture. Also it just sounds cool.