2008 Resolutions
I originally posted my 2008 Resolutions here, and then decided to turn that post into a page for easier tracking. I'm posting updates throughout the year and below in pink.
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At long last, may I present my 2008 goals/resolutions/whatever you want to call them. I'm freely copying Jemima's format because I love it so very much. Last year I found having a whole bunch of smaller, more specific goals much more motivational than having just a few broad resolutions, so I'm running with it again this year. I've been adding to this list ever since I first wrote it out (over two weeks ago), and I plan to keep adding to it throughout the year when additional things strike me. I realize that some of these "resolutions" read more like a to-do list, but what can I say? Lists: I love them.
WORK
Find direction in my "career" and act on it. I have to admit that I have it pretty good. My current workplace has a ton of perks. But I think I've learned all that I can here, and I want to find something that I actually enjoy doing on a day-to-day basis. I'm not sure what that will be, but I want to figure it out and try something in a new direction. Any ideas?
Be more productive at work. I hate feeling like I haven't put my best effort into anything. It makes me feel like crap.
EXERCISE/HEALTH
Exercise at least 5 times a week. Make up deficit (8 workouts) from last year.
Lose 10 pounds. (Cliches be damned!) January: Down one pound! Won Get Active. Get AWESOME! Challenge!
Go to yoga at least once a week. Last year I fell a bit short of this goal (I think I went a total of 42 times). It's hard to make it when I'm traveling or really busy on the weekends, but I'm going to try to hit 52 classes this year.
READING/WRITING
Read at least one book a month. This shouldn't be too hard, but I'm still putting it on the list.
Continue book journal. Consider posting reviews on GoodReads or on blog to encourage putting more thought into book journal entries.
Write more often in my personal journal.
Write better content for blog.
Go through old blog posts and remove anything I really shouldn't have written.
Stop writing things I really shouldn't write about on the internet. Seriously.
Write at least one non-blog piece for fun, even if I don't show it to anyone.
FINANCIAL
Fully fund my IRA. This might be difficult now that I see that the limit is $5,000 (instead of $4,000) per year, but
Including IRA, save 20-30% of take-home salary.
Keep credit card bill under $750/month (on average). Eek. So far, this is not going well. I'm going to have to do some major budgeting when we get back from Barcelona.
Do our taxes. I realize that this isn't really a resolution and that it's going to be on my list every single year until I die, but I need to get credit for crossing it off somewhere.
PETS
Get all three cats up to date on shots and healthy. After the Great Vet Debacle a few weeks ago, I'm halfway there! Madison: completed 1/9/08. Max: Doing my best, but his damn calcium keeps coming back ridiculously high and the vet keeps tossing around scary words like "cancer". Henry: scheduled for March checkup and shots.
FASHION/APPEARANCE
Pare down wardrobe. Take things I don't want or don't wear to consignment or Goodwill. Start wearing more things in my closet instead of just sticking to my few favorites.
Buy some freakin' work biznass pants. I actually wore out one of my favorite pairs of pants (holes in the crotch won't fly as "business casual," I assume), and now I'm down to four ( or five, if I actually lose those ten pounds and can fit back into my JCrew khakis) pairs. This means I have to laundry on a frighteningly regular basis.
Finish growing out brassy highlights. This won't exactly require any effort on my part, except for inspecting my hair in the mirror every day and whispering words of encouragement to grow faster, damnit!
Actually do something with my hair at least once a week. Blow dry, flat iron, use a hairbrush whatever. SOMETHING. Once a week.
Do my own nails on a regular basis. And take off the polish when they start to look bad.
HOME IMPROVEMENT
Pare down other possessions. Reorganize kitchen. Get plastic storage containers and move stuff we don't use (but that we're (ahem) unable to get rid of just yet) to the basement for storage. I actually did the kitchen this past weekend and it was the most fun I've had in weeks. Everything is now organized. The spices are together, dishes are together, cups and mugs now fit without being precariously stacked on top of each other, and I have three bags of stuff to put in the basement. I cannot wait to tackle the closet.
Finish painting the house (just bedroom and a few doors to go).
Get new curtains for front room. The current ones were purchased at Walmart as a temporary solution. In 2004. 1/2008: Done! Thank you Target!
Replace white shelves in kitchen with something more aesthetically pleasing. Using my freshman year roommate's old Ikea bookshelf to store cereal? Not working for me any more.
Look into putting additional cabinets between kitchen windows.
Put up curtains in the kitchen.
Look into putting up crown molding throughout the house. Although I did my very best, our house wasn't exactly rehabbed by a genius (ifyaknowwhatImean) and the seams in between our ceilings and walls aren't all straight. Hence, when I painted all these walls and ceilings the lines came out a bit... imperfect. This drives me insane on a daily basis. I suspect any agent would tell us to correct that before we sell the house, so why shouldn't I enjoy some crown molding in the meantime?
Get the carpets cleaned again in July. We had our first experience with Stanley Steemer this summer, and MAN did I ever feel like a disgusting slob when I saw how fast the water turned brown. NOTE TO SELF: Next house shall have no carpeting!
Find vacuum manual, figure out how to clean it/if it needs maintenance. If there's anything more exciting than reading a vacuum manual, I don't want to know about it
COOKING
Create recipe book. Put my favorite recipes (meaning, the five recipes that I actually use) in it.
Cook one big meal a week.
FRIENDS/FAMILY
Be a better friend. Email more, keep in better touch. Make a real effort to let my friends know how great they are.
Be an excellent bridesmaid for my two friends getting married in the fall. I just learned that one of my bride-friends has picked Ann Taylor dresses for her bridesmaids to wear. SCORE.
Write more cards and letters to my grandmother.
MISCELLANEOUS
Stop picking my fingers. Seriously. This has got to stop. I used to bite my nails, but at some point during college I progressed to picking at the skin around my nails instead. The result is my dirty little secret; I am always terrified that people are going to notice my mangled fingers and think I'm psychotic. I pick when I'm nervous, I pick when I'm bored, I pick when I'm watching TV, I pick while I'm driving, I pick during conference calls, I pick during meetings. I sort of like picking. It's fun. It satisfies my need to always be doing SOMETHING. But I do NOT like having my hands look like they've been through a wood chipper. I really need to take up knitting or something to give me something to do with my hands while I'm watching TV. Who wants to teach me?
Make a will. Not necessarily a legally binding document, but something.
Learn how to use our camera. Read the manual, experiment with different shots. Look into photography classes. Currently, I hate our camera. I suspect this has more to do with my inability to correctly operate it than the camera's inability to take decent pictures in any conditions other than bright, natural sunlight.
Donate more to charities. Consider volunteering again. My favorites are the MDSPCA, The Chesepeke Bay Fund, Wildlife Rescue, Inc and The Book Thing. Man, I am such a hippie.
To-be-revealed crafty project (summer)
Paint logo on the wall of Joel's practice room to make it less drab. Joel has told people that I'm "artistic". This may have been a mistake.
