2016 Projects: Raspberry Pi, Python, Kettlebells and Audible

Time to ring in the new year! And what goes better with the new year than new projects.

This year I have a couple new projects in mind. Raspberry Pi Star Wars lunchbox mod, learn some basic Python, do 300 kettlebell swings in a day (and walk the next day), listen to 24 business books on Audible and I’m sure I’ll throw in a few more as the year progresses but this is a good list to start.

I picked up a Raspberry Pi a couple months back and Santa brought me a cool 7” touch screen for it. Before Christmas I bought a cool Star Wars lunchbox with R2, C3PO and BB8 on it and thought it would be cool to see if I can get everything setup inside the box. I did a little Linux work years ago, so this will totally be back to basics for me. I plan to get all three of my kids involved in this action too, so this will be a family event.
Why Python? Well python.org says ‘Python is a programming language that lets you work quickly and integrate systems more effectively.’ And Raspberry Pi says ‘Python is a wonderful and powerful programming language that’s easy to use (easy to read and write) and with Raspberry Pi lets you connect your project to the real world.’ I plan on using Code Academy to jump start my Python Learning. I’ve never touched Python (the coding language before, I’ve owned a couple of python snakes though) but I have done quite a bit of Java and other coding. Again, I’d like to get the kids involved with this but maybe first I complete the tutorials. I have all sorts of other ideas for what I’d like to do with my little Pi box and Python, but let’s get it all put together first.

300 kettlebell swings. Sounds extremely painful. I lost almost 50 pounds in 2015. Left my old stressful job, started sleeping at night, drank a ton of water, started tracking what I was eating and worked out a ton. Mostly walking, elliptical and some weights. I picked up a couple kettlebells a few months back. I saw some pins on Pinterest about a 300 Kettlebell Swings per day challenge. I can tell you that I’m definitely not up to that at this time but I am going to start focusing on this now. The first time I tried to do 100 swings, I was sore for days! Seriously! I figure if I’m sitting on my butt all day playing with a Pi and learning Python, I better do something physical.

24 Business Books on Audible. I love Audible! Freaking love it! I have 96 titles in my library today. My goal is to read (listen) 24 new business books in 2016. I signed up for a new Audible plan that gives me 24 credits (books) all up front for $229.50 (or $9.56 / book). I love to read and learn and I’m excited to get this kicked off. Maybe I’ll even listen as I’m cranking out kettlebell swings!

This is just the start of my crazy aspirations for 2016. Love to hear your ideas!