When some are asked, “What are you going to do different in 2012?” you hear the general simple responses of:

• work out/lose weight
• eat healthier
• quit smoking/drinking
• put away money in the bank
• volunteer
• floss…

But then by the time February 1st comes, those simple goals are given up on. Let me ask you, are these goals either too simple or not detailed enough? Sure, anyone can make a goal but when are you going to take the time to plan out the HOW so giving up on yet another resolution is not as simple.

2011 has been such a stretching year but my wife and I seemed to accomplish a lot of our goals due to detailed planning. New Years 2011 we were living in Tampa with full time jobs and we were surrounded by family and friends. Our resolution was to find jobs in New York and then move there over the summer. That is not something that can be done on a whim and with a lack of planning. As detailed as we had to plan a life change such as that, what makes you think the list above does not require some details? You are not going to quit smoking one day because you feel like it. You are not going to quit drinking while being with the same crowd that frequents the bar every Friday and that is the only time you spend with them.

What about a change of mindset or work ethic? In the past month, I feel like I have given initiative-based advice and recycled phrases due to peoples circumstances, so, I might as well make it public and someone else can benefit from it.

Ask yourself these questions: Are your work ethics on the offense or defense? Do you take action when you see it is necessary or do you wait for an action to then deliver a re-action? If your new years resolution is to get a better position at work or at another job, what actions are you taking to do so? Or are you waiting for your boss to recognize how you work to then give you a raise? If that sounds like you, maybe some things that I have gone through can help you create a more detailed 2012 new years resolution.

I enjoyed reading and listening to The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. I got the book for my mornings lunches and nights and I also got the CDs for the car. While you cannot follow this process word for word unless you are trying to create a start-up business, follow along with it and see how similar principals can be applied to your life. The primary phrase that I live by daily in my work ethic is, “Are you productive or are you active?” I have this taped on the top of my monitor. There were some many things that I did day to day that just made me active but I did not feel like I was being very productive.

I assessed my daily routines and figured out what could be altered so there was not unnecessary repeated processes. My main one was to take my Outlook off of the “refresh every minute” mode. Is it absolutely necessary to interrupt your production to get your email updates every minute? Or could you possibly have your notifications to come through every 10 minutes? I have increased to not checking emails for an hour and eventually, I want to get to the point where the duration is longer than that. There are so many things that can be done when you do not have the audible and visual notification that you need to stop what you are doing and see that you have another spam message or something that can be taken care of later. If it is absolutely important, generally people would call for immediate assistance.

Every year, I take a step back and actually think, “What can be changed this year?”  Do not let another resolution fade away. Set a goal, jump in the driver’s seat and get it done. Do the necessary planning that will keep you accountable and tell others that are as excited about accomplishing their resolution too. Are you being productive or just active?

Bryce Avary from The Rocket Summer played every song on his older two albums “Calendar Days” and “Hello, Good Friend”. This event was at The Studio at Webster Hall in New York City on 12/17/11.

I saw some videos of how customers acted inside some stores during Black Friday and I am glad I did not witness anything. It probably would have driven me to do something outside of my character when seeing people trampled, other customers pepper sprayed, people destroying store displays or fights breaking out over a $2 waffle maker.

Honestly, I wanted to go Black Friday shopping this year but not at the craziest hour of the day. More for the experience than the deals because if I want a deal, I can score it on eBay for probably less than a Black Friday sale. My alarm was set for 5am and I ended up hitting snooze 4 times. I chose sleep over the experience. We finally woke up at 8am, took our time and then got to Urban Outfitters by 9:30am. It was not busy and there were not crazy lines and we were still able to get incredible deals on our purchases.

I remember when stores began opening at 5am years back and I thought that was ludicrous. 5am is now the standard where 4am is a new time but the thing that made me double-take was the fact that stores such as Walmart and Best Buy were opening as early as 9pm on Thursday…for Black Friday. What will beat the 9pm next year? 6pm where it cuts into the Thanksgiving dinner? I read in the newspaper about customers being robbed in the parking lot after making their 2am purchases. Shopping during hours not meant for shopping brings out the people you do not want to encounter during those hours of the morning.

One thing I really liked about the way Best Buy advertised was that they offered all of the Black Friday sale prices online. I think that was genius. Have an online quantity count for each product and then open up the sale at a certain time that webmasters can moderate the traffic and assure the site won’t crash. Obviously I think online shopping is the way of the future where retail brick-and-mortars will only see about 25% of the sales and online sales will be 75% of the sales.

For those worrying about clothing shopping and “I have to try it on first”, I’m waiting to see the first site that allows you to upload all of your dimensions and a few full body photos where you can keep an “online closet” of your purchases from Forever 21, H&M, American Eagle, etc. Then a “suggested clothing” section from your favorite retailers will compare the clothing you currently have, the style you wear and then suggest articles to purchase while displaying the way they would look on your uploaded images form fitting to the dimensions entered.

I know this will be the future but someone has to develop it and it will not be cheap or easy. Especially to create a similar API connection between all of the participating stores. I have ideas like this all day… talk to me if you are an investor!

If you have not purchased anything online before, give it a shot today since it is Cyber Monday. Stick to websites that are trustworthy. If you are going to shop on eBay or Amazon, look at the seller of the item first. Make sure they have enough “feedback” that shows you can trust them as a seller. If they have 10 feedback and 2 of them are negative, I would not trust them as a seller. This is the list of sites I personally would trust for Cyber Monday sales:

• eBay
• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Target
• JCPenney

You can also check the Cyber Monday Twitter account and also this Facebook page. Another place I usually look for deals is Slickdeals.net. Hope this helps get you on the track of buying online today!

I had an interesting dream last night, considering I typically don’t dream. Usually I stare at the back of my eyelids and the highlight of my slumber would be waking up and feeling refreshed. Last night, I had a dream but it does not make a lot of sense but the difference between this dream and any others I have had, I remember details about this dream. Usually everything is vague. That is why I want to document it while I still remember it.

I was sitting on a bench in a small theme park near a carousel on a spring day. Colors seems a bit more vibrant than reality so I was just taking in the sights. While sitting and people-watching, two guys walked close to me and one had an ice cream cone in his hand. The one without the ice cream cone was telling a funny story that seemed to be wrenching his friend into deep laughter. I wish I could have understood them and hear the funny story but they were speaking in a language I have never heard before.

Then, after he was finished telling his story, he pointed at the ice cream and said something. I translated it to be, “can I have a bite of your ice cream?” The friend either did not understand what he was asking or was trying to avoid the question. He asked again with a little bit of a louder voice and a joking manner. The friend hesitantly handed over his newly purchased melting treat and then pointed at the bottom of the ice cream cone and said something. I understood, “take a bite from the bottom because I do not like eating the cone.” The holder of the ice cream dessert pointed at the bottom and said a very questionable phrase, lifted up the cone and then just kissed the cone.

The purchaser pointed again and in very clear wording seemed he was instructing, “If you want to take a bite, you eat the cone because I do not want it.” He took a bite and received no ice cream because the waffle was woven too tightly to let any of the creamy goodness pass through. He put his other hand out and said what appeared to be, “are you happy now? I took a bite and tasted no ice cream. Here is your cone back!”

That was the dream. Why did I dream about two friends arguing in a different language over an ice cream in a theme park next to a carousel? Or maybe this was the point. I could understand the conversation without knowing their language. I understood them better then they understood each other. And why was the purchaser so stingy with his ice cream? If he would have had the sharing spirit and gave his friend a small bite, the friend would have been satisfied and there would have not been any confrontation. They could have kept walking but because of selfishness, they had to stop and discuss the ice cream while they could have been at their next destination in the park.

Any thoughts on this?

A friend of mine sent me a link to watch this guy who finds the hidden history of New York City. In this video, he jumps into the subway to see an abandoned station. He also shows an area underground where a lot of homeless go to get out of the weather. To finish the video, he climbs up to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge for a complete view of the city. Watch this, it’s awesome.

“As long as you feed me and walk me, I’m completely self sufficient.” says Rhino. “I’m gonna be up in your business as caninely as possible because I need attention like woah.” says Ellie. I’m glad they balance each other out very well. Especially living in such a small place compared to the Tampa mansion!

They are wonderful dogs and I have absolutely zero room to complain about them. I kinda brought them into this new world, this new lifestyle, this new smell. Of course when we walk through uncharted territory with a lot of people surrounding us, they should be stepping faster than normal. Or when the bus is kneeling and the air lets out from the hydraulics, I would jump a bit when I’m from a quieter neighborhood for the past 4 years. Cut them some slack Brett!

I was recently asked by a friend, “What has been the most difficult transition with moving to New York?” You probably wouldn’t guess my answer because this isn’t something you generally would think much about. Most of you reading my blog own a car, maybe even two of them. While I do still own my Honda Element, things are much different in the city. You also probably have the availability to store a lot of unnecessary collectibles and you probably even have an entire room dedicated to your laundry machines.

The most difficult transition is not driving, the people, the busyness or even working from home. All of that was relatively easy to adapt to. It is grocery shopping and doing laundry. In Tampa, grocery shopping consisted of visiting any store within a 10 mile radius and could even be a spurt-of-the-moment occurrence. Grocery shopping has to be woven into your schedule and planned at least 24 hours in advance along with a very specific list of items that can be carried in a single trip. Marlyse used to make fun of me when I would try to gather all of the groceries from the trunk of the car with a single trip. Now, that happens every single time we go shopping. The store we go to is 9 stops away while riding the train. We do have a closer one if we need a small amount of items but Trader Joe’s is the cheapest for the best quality.

While our first apartment was in a big complex and we had to do laundry at the buildings facility, this doesn’t come close to that experience. Laundry is the other event carefully planned out. There are three laundry mats within the decent walking distance. The location of choice is about six blocks away named the Laundry Lounge. Free drying and free Wi-Fi along with actual seats makes this an excellent laundry mat! One month ago, we did laundry at a location that had no seating, everyone was waiting for the dryer, all of the laundry carts were full and that one lady was taking up one fourth of the facility by deciding to wash all of her comforters, sheets, towels and clothes. Laundry is a four hour event that I typically do in the late hours to assure I have full access to washers and dryers. While folding all of our clothes, I’ll have my laptop streaming Netflix or Hulu.

We do have a trusty cart that makes life easier. I wonder how often New Yorkers go through these carts because they take a beating. We travel on the subway with this cart (and umbrella if it is going to rain) to the grocery store and when it is full of groceries, we cart them down the subway stairs, onto the busy train and then back on the subway stairs. That’s not usually the hard part. We live on the sixth floor with no elevator. Needless to say, I get my workout for the day every time we have to go grocery shopping or do laundry. Both the groceries and the laundry weigh anywhere from 50-100 pounds. There is no need for a gym while I am lifting this cart while scaling stairs in addition to taking the dogs out twice a day!

I am sitting in my Honda Element parked just outside our apartment doorstep during my lunch break. Twice a week, vehicles must move for an hour and a half due to the street sweeper or alternate side parking being in effect. Alternate side parking gives other people a chance to park on the street, otherwise, you would see vehicles never move. On my street, vehicles must be moved between 11-12:30 Tuesday and Friday. At 11:03, the street sweeper drives by. The cars that have not moved yet get reported to the police officers that follow the sweeper and write tickets. If you just saw the sweeper go by and you have not moved your car, you need to leave or else you would get a ticket.

I’m still trying to learn all of the specifics. On Tuesday, I saw the vehicle owners get in their cars at 11. The police drove by at 11:05 and delivered tickets. As long as you are sitting in your car, you are fine. At 11:15, I saw people leave their cars as if they did not have to stay until 12:30. “How do you know when you can leave your car?” Friday is when the sweeper comes around but people stick around their cars until 12:15 at least. This unwritten rule is not documented anywhere and I will have to talk to the locals about more specifics.

You cannot park within fifteen feet of a hydrant, but of course there are no markings on the road where that distance ends. You cannot park in front or behind a dumpster in the street. That is how we got our first ticket of $95.  Anytime you park your car, you must look for a sign nearest to you. If you have any doubt of where you parked, take a picture of your car and the nearest sign.

Cars get towed in two minutes flat because the police run the tow trucks. If this happens, you have to find a cab that will drive that direction. Not all cabs will drive wherever you want to go. A friend that was visiting stopped in front of a store for approximately five minutes. He walked outside and could not find his rental car. If you cannot find your car, more than likely it has been towed and not stolen.

All cars are towed to Chelsea Piers which cycles through a high turn around rate. It is a well-organized, air conditioned building that makes $200 per vehicle towed there. If this building is full, they will then tow your car to the Bronx which you had no idea until you got the cab to Chelsea Piers. Now you have to take another cab to the Bronx where you have collectively spent $50 easy on cabs alone unless you can navigate via bus because the trains do not go to these locations.

Regarding driving, there are no legal right turns if the light is red. You must be behind the line, otherwise, you may get a ticket. There are traffic cameras at a ton of lights. There is an Android app that tells you where they all are, but honestly, they seem to be on every cross street unless you do not drive the main streets. The high-traffic intersections have painted white lines all over the center of the intersections. If you see this, and you are stuck in this grid due to traffic not moving, you will get a ticket. Blocking traffic is a high offense. Even though your light is green, if you pull out to try and beat the light and you are in this grid, you will get a ticket.

I write about the towing experiences and tickets not from my own encounter, but other friends who have wasted half a day retrieving their vehicles and shelling out hard earned cash. Keep all of this in mind if you plan on keeping a car or simply driving through New York City.

Chapter 6 – Attend free events

Looking for free events is the name of the game. What is even better is when you are not bound to a schedule and you end up stumbling across a free event to enjoy. One fine Saturday, Marlyse and I decided to take a stroll through Central Park. We were anticipating on just walking but once we emerged from the subway station, Humana was waiting for us to come see what they were doing. “We are offering free bike rides for two hours. We are promoting healthy living.” Umm, heck yes I will take a free bicycle ride through Central Park!

Not absolutely dressed and ready for a bike ride, Marlyse and I head off while she adorns a purple down jacket just purchased on the side of the street and also wearing a pair of shorts to match. Somehow, she manages to stuff this jacket in the bike’s fanny pack attached to the handlebars so she can enjoy the cool breeze we get from this excellent Central Park tour.

While riding, we pass the Avett Brothers playing on a stage in the center of Central Park, kids run up to pop gigantic soap bubbles that a street performer was creating, inline skaters perform well-balanced maneuvers through cones and to top we see an old man wearing something similar to what Richard Simmons would be able to pull off. I was not able to get a clear photo of this to prove it.

After two hours of free bike riding, we meet up with a co-worker of Marlyse’s at a ping pong social club. Her friend’s boyfriend had a Groupon to try this place out. We go down into the basement of a building to find a plethora of ping pong tables and a sea of ping pong balls on the ground. I expected to see nothing but professionals training for the Olympics but it was not even close. Everyone there was at beginner status. After learning paddle control an hour later, we begin to keep score and then go into competition mode. Who knew you could break a sweat volleying ultra-light ping pong balls! We ended up only paying for the food and not absorbing a twenty dollar table fee.

Frequently, Marlyse and I check the local papers to see what is going on. Generally, you could attend something for free every day of the week. It just depends if it fits into your schedule or if it is even close to your vicinity. Things are seasonal too. If you hear that something is free, do not anticipate of participating next week. Just make room in your schedule and do it. Free kayaking where all you have to do is sign a waiver and take out a kayak. This event is a 30 minute bike ride from our apartment but did not do it before it got too chilly.

Photo from Harlem Bespoke

As I type, I am doing laundry in the new LG laundry lounge. They have free wi-fi and drying is free. You just have to purchase washing and there is no additional cost to you. Everything is nice, neat, clean and white unlike all of the other laundry places around. It has seats to sit down on. That is unheard of! Room to sit? Naaahhh. Well, I have to fold my laundry so I will blog with you all later!