1.05.2010

ringing in the new year with sugar and spite

Well hello there, my few readers. I can happily admit that I've achieved all but a couple of my goals for 2009. I'm happy with this, very happy. I am also making some steady progress toward my goals for my 28th year and in lieu of adding more goals for 2010, I'll just stick with my birthday goals.

Here's my update (as I'm now 5 months into this goal listing):

  1. paint the living/dining room - pending - will do after roommate's departure
  2. throw a big party - COMPLETE - did this for Halloween
  3. read 10 books of my own choosing - pending
  4. bake an apple pie from scratch, including the crust - pending - halfway there
  5. plant that big ol' vegetable garden I keep pining for - pending - waiting for spring
  6. finally hang the curtains in the living/dining room - pending - will do after roommate's departure
  7. take a "family" photo in a snowstorm - pending
  8. get another tattoo (or two) - pending - already know what I want, this is a reward for thesis completion, so it is on hold for a bit
  9. join a gym - COMPLETE - best decision ever
  10. whole-heartedly commit to daily exercise (work out at least 4 days a week - no ifs, ands, or buts) - ONGOING - I'm really happy with this goal: feeling much better, not seeing visible results, but living with less pain
  11. pay off my credit card debt - pending - working on this, am on target
  12. go to Ikea - COMPLETE - didn't buy anything, but did a lot of looking and planning
  13. finish my thesis, get it conferred, shut the book on that damned project - a big fat PENDING on this one
  14. visit Kristen in Door County (before she finds a fabulous new job and leaves) - VOID - she already left for a fabulous new job...now I need to visit her in West Bend
  15. fix the ding in my windshield before it cracks - COMPLETE - actually had to do this twice since August
  16. make at least one home-cooked meal each week, regardless of the roommate's whereabouts - ONGOING - this is going well, though I haven't been too adventurous and we eat a lot of leftovers
  17. get new tires for the car - COMPLETE - it was pricey, but I did it before the first snowfall
  18. visit my nephews and the new baby at least twice - COMPLETE - have seen them twice already and will see them again in February
  19. go to some sort of professional development that I actually find useful - COMPLETE - have attended two useful conferences
  20. cardio - even though I despise it, I will do cardio at least 3 days per week (my cardiologist and my physical therapist will finally be happy) - ONGOING - reluctantly plugging away at this one, and am doing cardio each day I go to the gym
  21. complete the landscaping around the perimeter of the house - PENDING - waiting for spring
  22. make a calendar for our family members - it will be funny, the man and I have discussed it for a couple years - PENDING - we've begun a calendar for 2011
  23. take another college class - PENDING - I am, however, taking a couple community-based short-courses not at college level
  24. send/give thank-you cards for each gift given - ONGOING - I've been giving more phone calls than thank-you cards, but it is going alright
  25. six-pack abs, or something close to that without being too manly - PENDING - not there yet, my resistance of holiday treats was futile
  26. write to my grandmother at least once per month - ONGOING - this is going alright
  27. make the transition away from having a roommate - PENDING - this should happen in the summer, though I'm trying to get him to lock down a date
  28. complete three NaBloPoMo month-long blog runs - PENDING - first will begin in February or March, hopefully when more is happening to write about (it appears that I'm more boring than normal during the winter months)

I do have one resolution for 2010, I guess. I am striving to be more positive and to complain less, to make any self-fulfilling prophesies positive in nature instead of worrying so much that the end result is forced to be negative. It is going to take some time, but I am confident that a much happier and more positive Trish will be the result of 2010.