I don't know if it was the spaghetti and meat sauce or the jet-black Guinness, but I had a wicked case of indigestion. It was 2 a.m. and I was miserable; too tired to do something productive and too uncomfortable to sleep. Rather than wake my wife, I migrated to the sofa, grabbed the remote and flipped through early-morning television. It was slim pickings, mostly infomercials.

First there was the P90X workout system that is guaranteed to transform your body from flab to fab in just 90 days. Then I caught the waning minutes of the Fein Multimaster, a power tool guaranteed to solve all my home-improvement woes. Most bizarre of all was some guy greasier than my upset stomach selling a colon cleanser called Dual Action Cleanse guaranteed to ... to ... to — oh, I forget already. I thought I wanted to die before I made it to the sofa, after watching a few of the infomercials I was praying for lightning bolts.

Thankfully, I stumbled across "Legends of Rod & Reel" on ESPN 2, an episode about bass fishing legend and record-holder Dave Romeo. In 1987 Romeo, who caught just 31 fish when he started angling six years earlier, netted a whopping 3,001 bass in a mere 77 days. Impressive, but more impressive still was the fact that he recorded each catch. Look up obsessive compulsive in the dictionary, there's a picture of Dave Romeo.

Turns out, Dave is a goal fanatic. He makes up to 300 goals per year and accomplishes each and every goal on his list. And diligently lists them all. He said the system is guaranteed. He even keeps each year's goals bound and filed on his shelf; proof he is a madman.

As the camera panned down his list though, I noted that only a few of his goals were fishing-related; most were domestic. "Resolve 20 arguments without blaming Kim." "Visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Kim." "Say yes immediately to Kim 10 times."

I have no idea who "Kim" is, but I have a guess. I have a "Kim" of my own who goes by a different name. By 3:30 a.m., I was on the computer making out my own list, a hybrid of sorts; equal parts to-do list and goal sheet. And like Romeo's, my goals are relatively simple; most have the same deadline, Dec. 31. None have elaborate objectives. I am not trying to solve the financial crisis or bring about world peace; I just want to make a difference in the lives of my family, friends and maybe myself.

So far, I have dusted the living room shelves, put a touch-light in the curio, and together with my wife and daughter, built an outdoor canopy for Grandpa. So far so good, but I am not stopping there. I've got some real winners on my list and I can't wait to get to them. I am going to play 20 different golf courses this year; I am going to take my wife dancing for her birthday; and fly-fish in Lake Wilson. Hey, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Still, there are some things you won't find on my list like spaghetti, Guinness and Dual Action Cleanse. But as for the Multimaster, I added that to my wish list.