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We're announcing a new addition to our family.

Rufus is a 2-year-old black lab rescued on Wednesday from the CNY SPCA. He was there about a month – his family lost their home, and couldn't keep him.

We know he had a chocolate brother who was put down, but other than that, most of his history is stuff we're piecing together. This morning on our walk he stopped and whined when he saw a little girl getting into a car. Later in our walk we saw two girls on a sled (I'm guessing about 3 and 5), so I'm guessing there was at least one child around.

He came to us already housebroken and already with some good habits.

We're doing obedience school; we've already been to a class without him, and I like the methods we're learning.

I'd brought up the idea of a dog a while ago with JB. I grew up with cats, and JB didn't have animals growing up – her mom was too worried she'd wind up doing all the work.

2011 was an interesting year at work for me; I learned a lot about working with a team, and for the first time I've been placed in a management role. Reading Nate Green's post about his dog, patience and real problems confirmed for me that not only would a dog provide companionship (and yes, I know, "baby practice"), but also, for both of us, we'd learn to do things like go outside first thing instead of turning on our computers; we'd actually start going for those after-dinner walks we've been talking about.

It would be good for our physical health and our mental and emotional health.

We went to one rescue and had a lousy customer service experience. We waited a few days and went to the SPCA, expecting to meet a beagle or some terrier mix. Instead, Rufus found us. We took him out for a walk, and we were gone nearly an hour.

He weighs in at 75 pounds, so he's big enough to play with, run with, and to be a substantial cuddler.

A few things we've noticed in the few days he's been home:

Honesty. On Friday, his second full day home, we were both working late. Rufus had spent most of Thursday plugged up from his new food, and so when I got out of work I rushed home, hoping he hadn't loosened up in his crate and spent the day having to sit in it.

Well, he'd loosened up. But what he did was he figured out how to get out of his crate – not by opening the door, but by collapsing one of the walls by unhooking it. He knocked over the trash barrel, and he pooped in the house, but he did it in a very easy-to-clean-up spot and didn't track it anywhere.

When I walked in the door, the first thing I saw was the trash. He was waiting for me about three feet away, and we went outside briefly and then came back in to survey the damage. He knew he'd done something improper, and for the next few hours, he sulked with his head on the floor between his paws.

Simplicity. When we agreed to adopt Rufus, we picked up a bunch of stuff. You know, beds, collars, that kind of stuff. We also picked up some stuffed toys, a tug rope, a rubber ball, and a big bone with some meat-type stuff on it.

He might be adjusting to being neutered and to a new home all in the same week, but he wanted no part of the toys or the bones. I grabbed two simple rawhide bones ($2 each) on my trip to the grocery store, and he loves them. Won't put them down. In fact, he took one with him when we went out this morning, and he's been heading right to his crate to grab a bone instead of hanging out in the living room.

I'm sure we're going to keep learning from him.

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This year I set a goal of getting to 145 pounds by March 1. That's 15.4 pounds in 60 days, or just under 2 pounds per week.

That's sustainable, and while I could probably drop that 15 pounds more quickly, I want to be able to maintain this year, and still be under 150 at year's end.

Here are some things I'm going to do (other than checking in on the blog occasionally):

• Lose fat, not muscle. This means resistance training mixed with some heavy lifting and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). I think it would be really easy to do a lot of cardio and burn off the weight, but I feel pretty strong and I want to maintain that, perhaps grow it. In that sense, if I don't hit 145 pounds but I get down to 11-12% body fat, cool (I'm probably around 20-22% now).

• Use trackers. I have a DietMinder, and I'm using it. I also love FitDay, which counts my nutrients for me.

• Live a little. Repeat after me: Diets. Don't. Work. You can get on a diet for a little while, but the second you feel like you're "cheating" or you hit your goal, all the results you achieved go out the window. I could pretty easily lose those 15 pounds in 2-3 weeks using a strict low-carb (under 15g or so a day) and high water consumption diet. But you know what? With a goal of 2 pounds a week, I'm going to be able to drink wine (dry red), eat chocolate (moderate amounts of dark), and enjoy the heck out of a Super Bowl party (unless it's a Giants-Broncos thing, then I can't enjoy it at all).

• Try new exercises in my workouts. Know what kicked my butt during my first workout of the year? One-legged deadlifts with a 20-pound dumbbell. I've never incorporated them before, and 10 each leg – done immediately following some one-legged jumping rope (hopping rope?), which was also a first for me – had my quads burning like they haven't in a long time.

• Have people I can check in with. Someone actually asked me yesterday if I could check in with him, call him "fatty" and be mean about it until he gets his act in gear. Done. And Ben, even if I don't comment on every entry, I'm watching you, pal. And there will be a dinner party at some point.

OK, I showed you mine. Show me yours.

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I've been happily following Beth's return to blogging this month, and saying "I really should get back to that, too."

I had a great start to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for you nerds and search engines out there (hi, Google!)), but gave it up to do things like sleep, eat and poop.

JB scheduled a ladies' night (not coincidentally, I hear there's a film about sparkly vampires who can withstand daylight coming out today; I might have to watch Dusk Til Dawn to make things right), so I decided to schedule time to wipe things off my to-do list.

And this post, about scheduling time for yourself, was the last thing on it. So after I wrap this up, I'm gonna put gas in the car, order some junk food, and wipe out in front of a bad movie. And I'm making this weekend primarily about me (hell, it's my birthday weekend, why not?). I haven't done that in a while, and I've hit some limits, especially where my energy is concerned.

I'm not the only one writing about this this week, so it must be something's going around.

Here's what I'm going to do going forward, and it's something you need to do, too. You know your to-do list? Put you on it. Whether you schedule yourself five minutes of stretching or meditation, a cup of coffee outside, or a few extra minutes to gather your thoughts while you're taking the stairs instead of the elevator, put yourself on your to-do list.

You're going to ignore yourself if you don't – and you're also going to be less efficient and effective with the other stuff on your list.

G'night, interwebz.

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I tend to plan my days pretty tightly. It keeps me productive, but it definitely means a lot of things have to go right (traffic, weather, etc.). Just ask the guy who has the shift after mine at work; if he shows up more than a minute or two late, he gets The Glare.

I even keep a fairly long to-do list for the weekends. Today, I was getting ready to head out to the grocery store when I walked into the office to let JB know I was leaving. I found her deep into The Hero Handbook. With a mother deer and two fawns munching on the bushes not ten feet away outside the window.

I delayed my trip and she paused in her reading long enough to watch the deer eat, then lay down for a little rest, then finally get up slowly, nibble a little, then wander off through the trees to the neighbors' yard.

In all, we watched them hang out for about a half hour. I walked away long enough to grab my camera after we'd watched them eat their fill of bushes and grass.

Sure, my plans were interrupted for 30 minutes. But how could the rest of the day not be awesome now?

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But so will connecting.

I definitely have some things on tap that I'm excited about. I'm starting a term on the steering committee for The Future Fund, which allows young philanthropists without deep pockets make a big difference in the Central New York community. I'm continuing my stint as co-chair of the 40 Below Civic Engagement Task Force, which gets young professions engaged in the community.

I'm doing some things to further my health, my career and my life in general.

I'm playing in at least one co-ed softball league this season. And I'm going to try to make at least one in-person networking event a month, not counting the ones put on by my organizations.

What's next for you? Where will I be seeing you?

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2010 was a year of upheaval – and let's make it clear that upheaval isn't all bad. I have found a life partner with whom I share a mutual love, support and respect I've never known. For the first time in my life, I've landed in a job I love at a company whose product I am 100% behind. And for the first time since I moved from my parents' house, I'm in a residence I'm not likely to be leaving anytime soon. So 2011 is going to be a year of stability.

It's also going to be a year of passions renewed.

Baseball memorabilia

My dad and I were voracious baseball memorabilia collectors when I was a kid. We would go to card shows at least monthly, I would trade cards with the neighborhood kids, and we were involved in a Strat-O-Matic league.

My parents have started their transition to retirement (it'll be a several-year process, likely), and that includes leaving behind my childhood home. I'm inheriting the collection of cards and publications, and I've started doing some inventory. The publications start in the 1950s (with a couple sporadically before then) and continue into the 2000s; while I haven't seen all the cards yet, they appear to end right around 1990, which is when I entered high school.

So I'm figuring out what's what, and I'm picking that collection back up. I'll fill any holes in the sets, and start looking at what's up in the community these days (I see Donruss has been bought and Fleer is out of business, but that was a quick couple of minutes of not-quite-research).

Reading

I've always been a reader, but here it is January 5, and I've started my third book of the year. I've finished Kaaron Warren's Slights and read Elmore Leonard's Riding the Rap, and I've started Harry Harrison's Make Room! Make Room!

I think there will be some re-reading this year, too – Carlos Ruis Zafon's Shadow of the Wind is on my read-again-soon list, and since I'm already reading a dystopic novel (the Harrison), I'm likely to want to re-read any or all of Yevgeny Zamyatin's We, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange.

Exercise

I know exercise, fitness and weight loss are on a lot of people's lists. But I'm working at a gym (which means I really have no excuse not to go), I'm already in the midst of some personal training, and on Saturday, I start an intensive weight loss competition.

I'll still be playing tennis and, as spring and summer approach, softball; I'm just hoping to be in better shape.

I'm also planning to do more volunteer work, more fundraising, and continue to be active in the community. By the way, in case you were wondering, these are the organizations I supported in 2010, in case you're looking for causes this year:

• Central New York Community Foundation
• WRVO
• 40 Below
• Syracuse First
• Alchemical Nursery
• St. Baldrick's
• St. Jude

Photo Credits:
• 1985 Topps Roger Clemens baseball card by Tommy Duchniki on Flickr
• Books by Phing on Flickr
• Weights by rick on Flickr

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I've been letting stuff get to me this week. If you're following me on Twitter, thanks for your patience through that.

You know what, though? I have a blessed life. I have friends and family around me, a fantastic partner, a roof over my head, food on my plate and in the refrigerator, a job to go to every day, and plenty of toys.

And each morning when I wake up, and at various points throughout the day, I have the opportunity to push a mental re-set button. And so I'm pushing that button today. Here's that tune again.

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Not sure what I'm working on yet, but it starts in a cafe, and it starts today.

How do you keep your creative juices flowing as it gets cold and dark out?

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I love this season. Crisp mornings, crunchy leaves, bright colors, pumpkin and cinnamon in the air. Sunlight is finally welcome through the trees to the ground. The air both fills and clears my head.

The transition to autumn comes suddenly. Sweatshirt weather sneaks up on us, and the desire for soup instead of ice cream creeps into our bellies. We start to store ourselves; how will we pack ourselves in for winter?

This weekend, I'll shut off my cell phone and listen to the air. We'll rake leaves, bring the hammock in, clean the garage to fit both cars.

It's that time, and I love it. You?

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You haven't lost when it comes to social media, you're just not winning. You're behind, and you don't have the time, the inclination, or the knowledge (or some combination of those) to get going now. You'd like to bring someone in-house to be your community manager, but how do you find these people?

On the one hand, that person might already work for you. If you listen to your employees' conversations and you've heard words like "Twitter" and "location-based" sprinkled between the words you understand, you might have yourself a community manager.

On the other hand, talk to your customers. If you have customers who have been coming through your door for four or five years, you recognize them, you might make small talk, you might even know a lot about them. The one thing you can be sure of, though, is that these customers are loyal to your brand. They like you, your products, and/or your prices. Something about your business keeps those customers coming back. One of them might be the perfect brand ambassador for you.

I've recently taken a job as a community manager at the Gold's Gym franchise in Dewitt, New York. I've been a member there for five years; I really believe in what they do. I like the way they operate. I like the people. I'd already known many of the staff members and already recognized a lot of the gym members when I joined the staff. With the exception of the details (logging such-and-such in this book, using UPC A in Case 1 and UPC B in Case 2), I already had a good idea of how the gym operated.

In this case, I approached the gym; if someone who fit that description approached you, knowing you needed the social side and willing to do other things you needed, you'd likely have a hard time saying no. On the other hand, could you just reach out and ask someone? Try it. It might get you far.

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