A New Year's resolution challenge

[ezdays]

Yep, Big Blue is having it's first ever challenge, and you all gave us the idea. Mikey and I were looking over everyone's resolutions in this http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=421 thread, and some of your plans for 2009 in thishttp://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=418 and we thought we have a challenge that will check up on you and see how well you're keeping your promises. What you need to do is to define some goals, then over the next few months, you can document the progress on these goals and by the end of April, we'll judge you on how close you came to meeting those goals.

Here's how it's going to work:

1. Pick a project, or several projects that you've either already said that you want to complete this year, or ones that you haven't told us about yet, but would like to complete.
   
2. Start a thread in this forum "your screen name, 2009 New Year's challenge"
   
3. Tell us what you intend to do as part of your challenge. This can be as simple as building a kit or painting a loco, to more complex projects like putting track down on a section of your or your club's layout, building some benchwork, finishing some scenery, adding a backdrop or completing a specific area of the layout.
   
4. Document your progress with as many pictures and any number of posts to let us know how you're making it to your goal.
   
5. Since we never give anything of value away, this challenge is open to all registered members of the Big Blue Train Forum, including the staff.
   
6. All the pictures should be taken by you, and a substantial amount of the work must also be done by you. In either case, if you need help with the photos or building, use it, but your participation is what counts.

It's that simple, you are already a winner because you actually got something done, rather than just thinking about doing it.

The challenge starts right now, and will run until April 30.
We will then try to divide the entries into some categories as to complexity of the project, and how close it comes to meeting its goals. We will not decide how to group things, if at all, until the end of the challenge since we have no idea what kind of projects will be entered and how many will actually get close to being finished.
A poll will open so that we can pick a winner.
As usual, there are no real prizes, just bragging rights and a certificate from Big Blue showing that you won first place. And, as an added bonus, a certificate of completion will be awarded to everyone that actually comes close to finishing their projects.

We are not trying to make this complicated, let me know if it sounds that way. All we're asking is that you define a project, keep us posted on how you're doing on it and we'll see how close you come when we reach the end date.

Good luck