this is a continuation of my personal goals assessment for 2010, and how well i’ve done in maintaining progress on these goals.  here is a link to the first period report: january through april 2010.  the following are remarks particular to the period of may through august 2010.

END OF AUGUST 2010 - - HOW ARE THINGS GOIN’?

GOAL #1: Eliminate $8,000 of school loan debt this year.

SO HOWZIT GOIN’? hahaha!  this one makes me laugh ruefully the most, out of all of them…well, I’ve fallen short of this goal during second period.  due to a handful of financial setbacks and other chaos, in addition to less-than-admirable financial discipline, i’ve reduced my monthly payments to maybe 3/5 of the original amount.  this will leave a significant gap between my current level of payments and my aspired goal, so the plan is to use part of savings to make up the difference at the end of 2010.

personally, i feel as though i’ve “copped out” on this one.  once i gave myself permission to dig into savings to meet this goal, i slacked off on my fiscal discipline.  it was later in the summer, however, that several significant expenses emerged, making me seriously stumble a bit in terms of judicious spending.  i had some automobile repairs that needed to take place, as well as traveling to be done.  these things in particular were a drain on my finances, but i felt they were justified.  in addition, it appears that the rebate i received from federal taxes for the year 2008 was too high.  i’ll be appealing that decision by the end of the month…the bastards.

to fix this, i’ve scaled back on my “entertainment” budget even more.  i’m pretty much done with going out to see movies, for example, since i’ve only been disappointed with the majority of the films i’d seen this year (my selection criteria notwithstanding…basically, other people invited me to go with them to see films they wanted to see).  eating out for regular meals is now twice a week at most, six times a month or less, and is usually reserved for more significant occasions.  to lessen the stress on the car i drive, my bicycle is back on the road; this is possible now that the summer is coming to an end and it’s not hot and oppressively humid outside.

enough bitching about this one; i could easily complain all day long about it.

CAN I DO THIS? as mentioned before, i copped out on this goal.at the end of the year, i’ll use savings to make up the difference less $8,000.  i’m not ashamed of this outcome, but i realize i can do better, or can at least make the end of the year less of a significant drain on my finances if i increase payments even a small amount.

GOAL #2: Publish at least 1 board game this year.

SO HOWZIT GOIN’? the board game design class has occupied my attention lately.  however, it brings me no closer to this goal.  apart from the four or five game prototypes i already had ready to push forward, i’ve developed another: players are body-snatchers working for medical students at a prestigious medical institute in baltimore at the turn of the 19th century.  again, this is great news, but the actual act of publishing hasn’t occurred just yet.

with only four months remaining in the year, and no artwork, no letters to publishers, and no single product ready to go out the door, i’ve again hit a wall.  to address this, i’ll need to dig into the two following areas to have any measure of success:

• finding an artist to complete artwork for me on at least one project.  the one i recruited for “my pet robot” is inundated with other art projects, and to be honest i doubt the work will be done within adequate time even to ship out prototypes by the end of the year.
  
• finding printing resources to develop adequate prototypes

 only after those two conditions are met can i prepare and ship prototyps to publishers (found in my handy-dandy book, “the game inventor’s guidebook” by brian tinsman).  at the very least, i can still publish something through the game-crafter website.  but i’ll still need artwork for that, at least.

software development remains a perennial distraction.  i’ve taken on a band-related project, with the hopes i can finish something in time for the pending album release in early october 2010.  additionally, it’ll be a flash application, to allow anyone with internet access a chance to play the game on the dmfs website.  this is a tempting goal, and a project than can be accomplished; the guys in the band seem stoked on having it done as well. i’ve allowed this project to stand in my way of goal number 2, it seems.

CAN I DO THIS? i’m still confident that it can be done, although definitely discouraged.  regaining focus will help maintain this goal as a realistic one for 2010.

GOAL #3: Bike Odyssey 2010: This time, with a partner.

SO HOWZIT GOIN’? it’s done!  i’ve listed a few write-ups about it at the page dedicated to bike odyssey 2010. progress exceeded expectations, definitely. all things considered: while being the most physically demanding, this goal seems to be the easiest of them all.

GOAL #4: Develop two significant program aspects for [the day job].

SO HOWZIT GOIN’? i’ve truly hit my stride in the new position as “outreach and trainer” for our in-house re-entry program for current and former inmates with a history of drug charges.  i visit inmates in prisons two or three days each month, in various institutions–sometimes two different prisons in a single day.  we’re now a two-person team (instead of me struggling to complete all aspects on my own), and my supervisor and i work together excellently; a dedicated job coach is slated to begin working with us by the end of september.  finally, funding has been approved for the following year–at least, as far as we can tell.  whether or not i’ll have the same job at the turn of the next fiscal year (july 2011) is an interesting question, though i’m not so concerned my job is in jeopardy.

a significant highlight for the past month is that of the completion of a three-week employment readiness course that i authored and administered, largely on my own.  within that time, six former inmates had their resumes updated, acquired new clothes for job interview and the first day on the job, two videotaped practice interviews, developed an individual development plan (or “IDP”), picked up all essential IDs and federal fidelity bonding papers, scads of in-house life skills training, and lunches every day.  it’s money well-spent, in my opinion.

in the coming months, our office will be relocating to a larger facility closer to my home.  it’ll be even easier to report to work.  i am also in line to acquire another national certification: the Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) certification; i’ll need to coordinate the scheduling and tuitiion with my executive director, but i will dig into my own savings to pay for this if necessary.

CAN I DO THIS? i think i’ve actually succeeded at this goal, whether i know it or not.  my supervisor and executive director are both very happy with my performance, and the program has clearly taken off in a very positive way.  as one of four vendors for this grant, we’re one of the stand-out difference-makers, and i’m pleased with the distinction.

TWO THIRDS OF THE YEAR IS OVER! it appears that i’ve allowed myself to become distracted from two of my remaining goals now that i have some initial success under my belt.  the remainder of the year will be all about regaining my focus and drive to bring these other goals as close as possible to completion.

in an effort to wrap up several projects before my 2nd period assessment of 2010,  i wanted to post my debriefing of the actual bicycle-riding portion of the bike odyssey 2010 benefit and ride.  so here it is.

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 BIKE ODYSSEY 2010: A DEBRIEFING
——————————-

———————
DAY ONE: 7 June, 2010
———————
Today’s ride both began and ended smoothly.  I had two flat tires outside of Edgewood (the second because I neglected to remove the metal staple that punctured it the first time), while Boson had one flat.  Other than that, things couldn’t have gone much better.  The weather was gorgeous, and Sam’s speedometer indicated our average speed was around 14mph.

I originally thought the bridge (Hatem Bridge in Havre De Grace, MD) would be a major issue.  It’s essentially the only bottleneck during the entire trip.  My original ride–a pickup truck–would have hauled the four bicycles and passengers easily, but they had to back out due to personal commitments/family obligations.  So the “plan B” was to request the assistance of my parents, who live locally.

Of course, they gladly accepted the task, but my mother definitely does NOT have a pickup truck.  My stepfather does, but he was at work all day and unable to assist.  So cramming four bicycles and passenger into my mother’s sedan was simply not possible; we anticipated multiple trips.

Fortunately, that all changed the day of.

We met my mother in the parking lot of a fast food burger joint.  As the other guys were inside refilling water and picking up snacks to re-energize, I was outside with my mother trying to most-efficiently arrange my bicycle and some of the other cyclists’ panniers in her Nissan Altima.  As I fretted about, she nonchalantly glanced across the car in my direction, and said, “Why don’t you ask that guy?”

Looking behind me, not two spaces away, was a construction contractor sitting in his pick-up truck, chomping away on a sandwich.  “I’ll pay that guy forty bucks.  Just go ask,” my mother added.

So, two minutes and $40 later, the four of us made our way across the Hatem Bridge in Havre De Grace, Maryland.  This easily caught us up on some of our lost time (thanks to my series of flat tires).

For now, the rest of Day One has proceeded without incident.  We at at Cracker Barrel for a late lunch/early dinner; it was Boson’s inaugural visit, which he enjoyed via chicken-fried steak.  Later I introduced the guys to (an original card game called) “My Pet Robot,” which turned out to be a fun experience for everyone.  Boson’s suggestion for a card: “Reverse Direction” which reverses the direction of play, either clockwise or counter-clockwise.

For tomorrow: Sam seems anxious about rain, which is forecast for Wednesday (9th June).  So we all agreed we’re going to simply break for a meal in Denton and press on for perhaps another 30 miles in an effort to reduce travel time on Wednesday.  If all goes well, the crew will end up at the shore sooner.

We’ll see how it goes.  Everyone is enthusiastic.

Highlights from “songs of the day”: “Let Me In,” “What’s The Frequency Kenneth?” and “Star Me Kitten” by R.E.M.; “Never Gonna Get It” by En Vogue.

Other highlight: we passed a signal truck labeled “run-with-jazz.com”, (I couldn’t find the website, BTW) next to which was a young lady running down the road.  She started in Los Angeles, CA, and will end in New York City.  Her start date was 1 September, 2009 but she was out for two months with an injury.  We passed her in Edgewood, MD.

Stats for Day One (via Sam’s ride computer):
53.48 miles
3 hours, 39 minutes of biking time
14.6 mph average
32.5 mph max speed

———————–
DAY TWO: 8th June, 2010
———————–
We started off today with a trip to The Waffle House.  I successfully met Boson’s challenge of speaking with an approximate German dialect for the entirety of our breakfast there.  Sam was not impressed.

Highlight: we met “Jason” on the road; he’s bicycling from Lancaster, PA, to Salisbury, MD, in one day…a whopping 200 miles!  He traveled with us for a bit, then we passed him when he stopped to take a phone call.

Today we chose to stop in Denton (Day Two’s original stopping point) only for lunch, and continue for at least another 30 miles to Georgetown, DE.  Only 30 or so miles left for Day Three, and we’re done!  Rainy weather is predicted for tomorrow, so we’re planning on starting out at early as we can manage.  Our goal is to be on the road by 7:30am.  We will wake at 6am.

We saw a llama (or alpaca) farm today!  It was on the far side of the highway in Delaware.  When we passed, we were hooting and hollering at the animals; it was amusing to watch them stand up and walk closer to the fence to have a better look at us; you could almost hear them saying, “What?  What’s that?  Hey, who are those guys talking to us?”

Anton and Boson had their first-ever cherry lime-aids from Sonics, and were pleased with them.  I had my first-ever “Ocean Water” drink from the same, and was pretty much disgusted.  I thought it was normal bottled water or something; instead, it came out looking like the brilliant blue found in an above-ground swimming pool or something.

We are all immensely excited to be down at the shore tomorrow!

———————–
DAY THREE/FINAL REMARKS: 9 June, 2010
———————–
In summary: the trip went excellently!  The main focus for the future trip should be on how to make it even better (but of course!).

PACKING AND PREPARATION:

• packed lightly, as we split repair gear amongst the four of us.
• four flats total, split between 3 of the four riders.  This is normal; remember to double-check tires for foreign objects once stopped.
• each rider needs at least one spare innertube (fitting their bike tires) and their own patch kit.  I forgot one for my bike ( ! ) and ended up taking one from Sam that wasn’t the proper size.
• major tune-up actions (brakes, truing, lubing, etc.) happen during overnights, unless the repair is essential to keep the bike moving (a broken chain, for example).
• keep food diverse between riders; offer to share.
• me personally: I had a lot of room to spare in my two panniers.  I decided to pack extras (camera, board games, fresh fruit).
• make sure at least one rider carries a decent air pump.

ROUTE:

• worked great!  No complaints, no navigational hazards.
• for next time, I’m considering a two-day trip, 85 miles/day.
• added more miles to Day Two, which reduced time for Day Three.  Day Two = 90 miles; Day Three = 30 miles.  We biked only two hours on Wednesday, and were finished by 9:30am!

RIDERS:

• send personal invites to friends already interested in cycling.
• four total riders is a good (perfect?) number.  There’s enough room for the riders and their partners/drivers home at the beach house.
• stress that it’s not a race; it’s about putting one foot in front of the other until the day’s miles are done.
• co-ed seems to be a viable option; keep an equal ratio (2m/2f) if that’s the case.

BREAKS/STOPPING:

• maintain communication: who needs to stop, when people want to stop or keep going, etc.
• start each day with an explanation of the route, the day’s plan, etc.
• anticipate a few stops for minor repairs (patching flats, popped chains, etc.) and take it in stride.  These are almost inevitable.
• refuel yourself at each stop you make even if it’s just a small mouth-full of trail mix.
• refill water & sports drinks whenever possible.  It’s all right to appear to have too much to drink, because you’ll eventually need it.
• no recommendations on specific foods, but eat proteins and carbs.  Don’t eat too much at once unless you factor in time to digest.

BICYCLING SAFETY:

• always wear a helmet when riding.  You are moving very close to automobiles; safety is an issue.
• stay in shoulder area; use bike lane markings and signage to your advantage.
• when crossing merging lanes/ramps/intersections: keep the group together, staying in the shoulder.  When lane is available and the intersection/stoplight is near, “take the lane” and cross the merge area as a group.  Maintain line of cyclists as close to right-hand edge of the lane.  Rear rider should make the “clear!” announcement.
• use hand signals so automobile drivers know where to expect you.
• ring your signal bell when approaching pedestrians or other cyclists, or animals.  Make noise so others can learn of your location.
• front rider makes “clear” call at intersections, stoplights, etc. (unless it’s at a merging lane as above, and the group is close together)
• drafting is great!  Practice riding together so that bicycles can stay within 2 feet or closer to one another.
• switch order of riders frequently.  This eases fatigue for all riders, and increases the group’s pace in general.  Practice “off-shoulder” formations (the next rider in line is slightly off to he left of the rider in front of them).
• keep the group together.  Packs are more efficient; stragglers are safe in the group.  IT IS NOT A RACE.

at the same time, i’ve also recently read the writings by derek sivers, a creative and visionary guy who helps others develop their business and marketing plans through less-than-conventional means.  one of the articles of his i read recently, “how to hire a programmer to make your ideas happen,” also piqued my interest.

i decided to combine these two interests, and came up with an article for  tdc readers that lines up perfectly with this newfound rush forward for collaboration.  it’s largely a summarization of sivers’ article, but includes the context of tdc so it doesn’t alienate the tdc audience.  enjoy!

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With all this talk about collaboration and partnerships in creating games, it seemed important to share this information.

I recently uncovered an article–“how to hire a programmer to make your ideas happen”–by Derek Sivers, a visionary business developer and musician; the guy who started CD Baby and several other businesses and creative efforts. He’s released a mass of free materials and teachable content on his website, helping people turn their ideas into a reality.

This is a link to the full version of the article:

http://sivers.org/how2hire

The article I am talking about here defines some concrete steps on how to most effectively hire new software development team members. Here’s a snippet about people who start working with you, but for some reason it doesn’t work out:

Some will definitely go bad. Just expect it and don’t let it upset you. They’ll say something has come up, that they can’t start until next month, that it’s harder than they thought, or just disappear and never reply. When this happens, just mark that person’s project as cancelled or complete, and say goodbye nicely. Then carry on with the rest.

This kind of thing happens a lot. Projects start up with tremendous amounts of energy and enthusiasm, but peter out. A major hub-bub ensues when people ask for contributors to a group project, as everyone who reads about it fantasizes that since more people are working on the same project–with their collective wisdom reinforcing everyone’s input–that it’s bound to be a tremendous success.

Then the enthusiasm dies down, and most of the programmers, writers, and artists who were all gung-ho about this new, exciting project simply disappear. It’s either through some spastic flurry of OMG MY LIFE IS TOTALLY SWAMPED RIGHT NOW AND I HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS I’M TOTALLY SORRY…Or it’s like the person vaporized and is simply absent from the team.

I’ve just done this myself actually, inviting a collaboration with another TDC member, but realizing I was in way over my head. We’ve put the project on hold–or at least the collaboration part of it–until we both sort out our schedules a bit. I felt very sheepish about it, and apologized. We’re coming back to it later though…Honest!

These things happen. It’s all part of the development process. Specifically, it’s about developing a team.

So how do you beat this? How do you cultivate a finished product when working with someone other than just yourself? Sivers recommends a few steps for effectively finding team members. Although the full post isn’t very long and you definitely should read it, I’ve condensed it here.

1. Come up with the bare-bones design for your project. Sivers calls this “Version 1.0.” This is the bare minimum that would make you happy.

2. Put together a brief story about what you’re hoping to accomplish with this project/game. I stress this is brief. You can develop a longer, feature-complete design document later, or at least for a different purpose. Keep your story short and to the point.

Here’s an example: “I’m creating a classic platformer adventure about a hero that seeks revenge against her captors in a strange, alien world. She can change her density so that she is able to float in mid-air, sink through the ground, or pass through walls. The character will gain and upgrade these abilities over time, and players will need to use these abilities to reach certain areas of the map and solve puzzles.”

3. Put together your design document. THIS is the painstakingly composed, thorough, long, very detailed list that describes everything that your Version 1.0 should do.

4. Break down that design document into smaller, more digestible chunks. Sivers calls these “milestones.” Actually, it’s an industry term as well, so become familiar with it. The idea behind a milestone is that it’s a small bit that can be worked on, independent of everything else on the design document, which adds to the completed project. It’s one piece of the puzzle, allowing the programmer to focus all their energy and attention to that smaller piece.

5. Make your first milestone a stand-alone project. A game engine is a perfect example.

“I’m looking for a custom platform engine that allows the player to hover in the air for a short time after a jump, as well as sink through platforms as if they were melting, but come out on the other side. The player should be able to do the same thing for walls, as well.” This should do the trick.

6. Post your first milestone as a request anywhere and everywhere it will be seen by potential candidates. Here at TDC, maybe the ClickTeam forums, and other active websites that focus on MMF2 or other ClickTeam products.

7. After receiving your responses (and this is assuming you receive several responses, of course!), choose more than one person to do the job. This may seem odd, but you’re hedging your bets here. What if that one person you’ve picked flakes out on you? What if they work too slow for your liking? What if they simply disappear? There’s always at least one more person who’s looking into the project.

…So when someone says, “So what’s your Plan B?” You’ll actually have an answer. The folks who don’t follow-through with the first milestone for some reason, you can simply and courteously close the deal with them. Say “Maybe next time, but until then, best of luck!”

8. Out of all the finished submissions, pick the person you like the most.

Let’s be honest here. This website and community are full of casual users. Not many people are treating their ClickTeam products like a serious tool to develop the next killer app, fantastic game, or whatever. Most folks are here to have fun, and pick up MMF2 when they have the spare time and nothing else better to do. That’s totally fine, and honestly it’s what I do myself.

But for those who truly believe in the power of the tool they hold in their hands, who spend hours developing new extensions and/or ways to use them, who laboriously create dozens of frames of animation…Those are the folks who will respond to such a process as is outlined above. Those are the people who will finish that milestone project for you, and who you will want to work with.

Stick with them, keep feeding them the milestones, and before you know it, your collaboration will result in a completed project…Which is a rarity these days.

Best of luck to you, Clickers.

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note: you can see my original posting of this article here. please note that the version i have posted at www.let-off.com fixes some of the typographical errors i made in the original posting.

for more info, see below or e-mail boardgames@let-off.com.

have something at stake - survival, self-esteem, money, reputation–so the player is motivated to win.

ask “what if?” - what off-beat “what if” questions can you ask about your concept?

make a decision - evaluate the idea, and critically weigh the evidence.  run a risk analysis, and listen to your gut.  what is your decision?

so i developed a long list of “what if” questions before going to bed that evening, with the hopes that the next step is to sift through the ideas and come up with one that sticks for the current game design i’m developing.  the rest of the ideas can certainly be kept in the morgue for later retrieval and use.  i will also be using this same exercise as part of my upcoming board game design course this september/october.

what if…

• players were trying to escape the nothing?
• there was a herd of stampeding animals close behind?
• the players were racing snails?
• the players were racing through an office to use the photocopier?
• the players were sperm cells on their way to the egg?
• the payers herded animals along the track ahead of them?
• the players had to crack a secret code before they could cross the finish line?
• the players were maids in a cleaning service?
• players were parents in a toy store the day before christmas?
• the players were tax collectors?
• players had a family of ducks (including ducklings) following them?
• players were storm chasers in tornado country?
• players were fatties at a chinese buffet restaurant?
• players were lost socks in the ‘laundry worm hole’?
• the last-place player could fuck with the first-place player?
• the last-place player could win if they killed-off the other players?
• the players had to visit different stations in a food-eating contest?
• players were servers in a busy restaurant?
• players were commission-based used-car salespeople?
• players were in the belly of a sinking ship?
• each individual player had to visit all checkpoints, but in a different order than all other players?
• players could throw switches that open or close passages and doors?
• at different stations there were different pieces of code, and players must acquire the pieces, decode the combination, then escape?
• players were inmates and must bribe prison guards to escape?
• players were packages in the u.s. postal system?
• players were pieces of luggage in a busy airport?
• players were taxis, picking up fares across the city?
• players were sea monkeys on some little kid’s bookshelf?
• players were staff at a busy daycare center?
• players were thieves running from the police after a botched heist scheme?
• players were mosquitos feasting on picnic guests?
• players were strange life forms trying to implant their own genetics into the “birthing receptacle” that creates the next generation?
• the players were antique dealers/brokers at a flea market?
• players were in a grocery store, fighting off cravings in every aisle?
• players were dogs or cats marking their territory?
• the players were house-painters, paid by the square foot of coverage?
• players were lawn-care groundskeepers, mowing the lawn?
• players had to pick up and deliver cargo with a forklift?
• players were parents looking for their errant children on prom night?
• players were inmates during a prison riot?
• players were tomb raiders escaping from a trap-infested temple?
• players were journalists chasing stories around the city?
• players were no-holds-barred, full-contact, toboggan racers?

odw is also quite difficult.  but our beloved editor of let-off studios completed the game just last night (with a final score over 2 million points, i might add).

you can download the demo of o.d.w. here. the full version is only $5, and is highly recommended.

 pigeon power was advertised quite some time ago as a 2010 release, but only now has it been completed (that is, it’s months overdue). to make a long story short, our editor celebrates his birthday during february, and he wanted to celebrate by creating a video game project with contributions from all of his party guests.  people arrived with their potluck dishes and spent time making audio recordings, colouring pictures, and drawing original artwork.

the rest of that weekend and the following week, steve (our editor) cobbled together all the materials and sound effects, and came up with the bare bones to a video game.  although his goal was to finish the game by the end of the month, other projects and obligations had the upper hand, and pigeon power was set off to the side…but not any more!

the initial release of pigeon power is now ready for the public.  here’s a description:

join esther the pigeon on a journey of self-discovery and self-improvement, and adventure!  Esther goes where no pigeon has gone before in an effort to fulfill her destiny!

you can download pigeon power here. the game is designed to be played on windows machines, but will work on mac and *nix machines using a windows emulator.

below are some screen shots from the game.  features include:

• completely hand-drawn, scanned artwork.
• entirely original sound effects and background music.
• five levels of platform action and adventure.
• features “real life” baltimore locations.
• a light-hearted storyline and narration keeps players oriented on the next objective.
• suitable for all ages!

friend: haha no worries, you are always welcome to free associate.

one of my four goals for 2010 is to pay off $8,000 of my school loan (about half of my remaining total).  this hasn’t been working.  i need to re-examine what’s been going on and come up with an alternative solution.

the state of things.  i set out initially to pay $750 per month against my school loan, delivering payments via credit card to the loan company.  last month’s payment was a paltry $350, and this month’s payment totalled $450.  what the hell happened?

essentially, there were numerous expenses i’d not factored into my initial budget.  these include:

• emergency repairs (looks like my car’s electrical system is on the blink…if it cares to blink at all)
• car insurance (currently over $900 per year, which isn’t much but the quarterly payments are significant enough)
• travel (yeah, i do want to take vacations and breaks…this costs money)
• other 2010 goals (these cost money too)

i have dipped into my savings account (via my automatic overdraft protection) a couple times since april: basically once every month i’m paying out of my savings account, even if it’s something less than $50.  though it’s not much, i feel it’s a horrible habit to begin, and definitely not a sustainable behaviour in any case.

how do i solve this?  i see several options.

1. extend the goal into 2011. this will delay the goal about 6 months.  by default this is do-able.
2. re-assess the goal to be $6,000 instead of $8,000 by year’s end. again, this is an approachable goal, and it would be done soon enough anyway.
3. pay off whatever i’m short the $8,000 at the end of they year with my savings account. this is also doable, but i feel it’s undesirable (too close to “admitting failure” than i prefer).  in all honesty, i see myself doing this anyway.
4. improve my income stream in some way. this is possible, but at the present time it doesn’t seem a very realistic possibility.  one of my other goals for this year is to publish a board game of my own, and i will be acquiring a construction certification in late july as a possibility for side jobs.  but there are a number of other commitments i would have to sacrifice in order to make a side job viable, and the board game has no financial guarantee.  i am not ready for this step just yet, i reckon.
5. stay on a $750 payment schedule, but pay these every 1.5 months. so i would keep the $750 payment structure, just not on the same timetable.  although it satisfies one of the criteria, putting a wrinkle into my solid monthly payment schedule doesn’t seem like a good idea.  furthermore, it doesn’t help me meet the goal any quicker.

out of all the options i’ve listed above, a combination of the first two seems the friendliest option.  however, as i mentioned above, i’m more concerned about accomplishing the goal i’ve set.  i think my course of action will be to pay what i can per month (which seems to be about $450 per month at the moment) and then make up the difference at the end of the year with payments from my savings account.  although this takes away some of my financial cushion, it’s likely to afford me greater peace of mind than stretching the goal out along a lengthier time table.

this is, of course, dependent on whether or not i still have savings left; unforseen emergencies may come up that cause some additional dwindling of my savings.  that’s not worth even speculating at this point.  my “plan b” (which combines options 1 and 2 above) can compensate for a significant loss of savings assets, so i’ll defer to that if necessary.

as this is a personal goal, and no one else really has any stake in it, i’m merely thinking out loud with this.  but i had made a promise to myself to do it in 2010, and i want to find a way to achieve that goal.  i’m not too pleased about this at the moment, to be honest, but i have a feeling i will be much more satisfied once i can finally write off that debt.