• I'd like to find one more regular environmental journalism client. My two current gigs each have a tight editorial focus, which is great, but there's so much more exciting work being done outside of those two topics that I'd love to write about.
  


• I'd also like one more regular marketing client. I do a ton of PR, but I'd enjoy the variety of writing more web content or ad campaigns.


• More print work. Right now, 90% of my bylined work is appearing online. I'd like to see a few more articles in print magazines toward the end of the year. (On the other hand, this means storing contributor's copies, and I'm trying to whittle down the amount of stuff I have clogging up the old homestead, so maybe this isn't the best idea...)
  


• More fiction!!!! I need to start devoting a few hours a week to personal, creative work. I have promised several new stories to people, but I just haven't been able to get to them. I need to stop procrastinating and start writing.
  


• I'd really enjoy writing about comics at some point this year. Reviews, features, interviews, something like that. Or hell, maybe actually writing an actual comics script or two.
  


• Speaking of which, I need to get back to my cartooning. I had a few productive months early in the year, but I haven't picked up a pen or pencil since April. Even my sketchbook is gathering dust. Gotta break out of that block.

• Article # 1: final edits
  
• Article # 2: initial interviews
• Articles 3-6: write outlines
• Articles 7-9: this week's "Green Tech" columns for RiverWired
• Articles 10-13: this week's "Extinction Blog" entries for Plenty Magazine
• Corporate newsletter # 1
• Corporate newsletter # 2
• Plus at least 9 press releases

Act With Your Wallet: Do Business With Green Companies

Do Green Good Every Time You Search the Internet

Web Browser Gives Back to Green Causes

Learn to Improve Your Car's Gasoline Efficiency

Texas Declares Memorial Day Sales Tax Holiday for Energy Star Appliances

Device Can Cut Energy Use by 10% -- Just Plug It In!

Cold Soda Equals High Energy Costs

Solar-Powered Table Lights Up the Night, Charges Your Devices

The Greenest Cellphone Company in America: CREDO

Save Money, Paper, Power -- Ditch the Fax Machine

Save Paper. Save Trees -- Try Digital Magazines

Free Mobile Phone Game Aims to Save Gorillas

New Green Stereo Sound System Uses Less Energy

Send an Instant Message, Fight Global Warming

Reduce, Reuse... FREECYCLE

Energy Star: It's About More Than Refrigerators

5 Ways to Recycle Your Old Computer Monitor

New Solar-Powered Household Generator Is Pricey But Powerful

New Gadget Can Save You Money on Electricity

Carbon Credits for Frequent Fliers

Quick Trips Call for the E-Bike

Make a Friend, Plant a Tree

World's First Solar-Powered Bluetooth Headset

Hot News About Water Heaters

• "Aliens in America" has been canceled. SOB!
• Brunswick, Maine, has a surprising number of really good bookstores
• And a great yoga studio, too
• France's Voutch is a damned good cartoonist -- and pretty twisted
• I miss Indian food
• Owls can be really, really big
• Fishers can be really, really scary
• And two days away from the computer can do wonderful things for aching hands.

On Monday, a Yamato hinotori (Latin name: Oyacou domburicus), believed to be the first to set foot in Japan in nearly eight centuries, was unveiled to the media at the government's Alien Wildlife Quarantine Shelter in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Long thought extinct, the bird is nevertheless a familiar sight to almost every Japanese, as its image, since November 2004, has appeared on the reverse side of the nation's ¥10,000 note.

Endangered species: The new "blood diamonds"

Whale watch

Kenya: No tourism = no wildlife

The woes of the wandering wolverine

Six wins for endangered species

The economics of endangered species

Six losses for endangered species

Tiger populations plummet -- down 50% in 25 years

Study: Endangered chimps are no laughing matter

Reintroducing one of the world's rarest insects

The sad saga of the saiga

Fish recovery plan sets a precedent in Canada

CITES takes action against Nigeria's trade in endangered species

Group sues to protect 681 endangered species

China turns to "sexercise" to encourage panda breeding

Japan takes quick action to protect rare beetle

Wolves lose protected status today

Man meddles, nature suffers

• I actually wrote an entirely new short story on Tuesday, something I haven't done in months. Yay me!
• I have also started a new story collaboration with one of my old partners in crime. It feels good to have the old creative juices flowing again.
• I launched my webcomic on Monday -- and it's already getting pretty decent readership. More yay!
• Speaking of which, I went through my cartoon archives and found enough finished gags to keep it going for four to six weeks already, which gives me time to finish some new drawings without too much stress.
• Unfortunately, I can't find some good drawings that I know I should have around here somewhere. They're probably still packed in a box after last year's move, which makes me want to tear the entire house apart until I find them. But even the thought of doing that makes me tired, so I think I'll just draw new cartoons instead.
• Getting my cartoons ready for the webcomic has taught me a lot about computer graphics, which has been both fun and frustrating.
• I'm very happy with this week's Extinction Blog entries, which covered some really interesting topics. (Now if I could just get people to start commenting more on the blog...)
• Man, I wrote a lot of press releases this week!
• Just as I was afraid a start-up I did some marketing work for had already gone under already -- without paying me -- a check arrived. One more yay!
• I started brainstorming six articles that are due next Friday, and they're going to be really fun to write. (I'll start the actual wordsmithing on Monday.)
• Rural life means no at-home mail delivery, and heavy snow since Wednesday means no driving to the post office. Man, I'm itching for some mail, but I might have to wait to pick it up until Monday. No fair!
• I won $200 in the Lions Club's annual raffle on Super Bowl Sunday -- but I donated it back to the club. I hope I don't need that money later this month!
• I'm having a lot of fun helping to start up a new Interact Club for the local Rotary. It's intended to teach high-school age kids how to do good in their community and internationally by raising funds and running charitable projects. We're just in the organizational phase now, and will start up for real in September. I think we'll be able to do some good and I'm looking forward to working with the kids.
• And now I'm hungry for lunch!