My 2009 Goals

As I've explained in previous entries, I have found that making resolutions for the New Year is just begging me to get mad at myself by mid-February. A couple of years ago, I was given the idea of making a list of goals and seeing if I can live up to them. Here's what I have for 2009:

1. Finish at least three pieces of writing in at least two different genres. I can write. It’s the finishing the writing that can kill me! It’s time to follow through with my work a lot more carefully. Also, I want to make sure I don’t get lost in one form of writing and forget that I can do poetry as well as prose.
2. Spend time actually talking with my husband rather than sitting side-by-side on our respective laptops. Right now, half of our conversations revolve around what we’re reading on Columbus Underground. This could stand some improvement.
3. Get to know my students as more than data on my computer. This wouldn’t be difficult in a lot of classrooms, but I don’t get to meet a majority of my kids in person. Almost everything I get is through the phone or email. I have to find ways to make them three-dimensional; the way I hope they view me.
4. Get my blood pressure / pulse rate under control. I’ll need a lot of outside help with this, but right now I’m scared about what’s happening with my health. This needs to be fixed or I will be useless to the people around me.
5. Sing in public again. Sadly, one of the downsides of last year’s goals was that my Opera Columbus audition rendered me terrified of being heard. Let me qualify this. I’m not afraid of singing at the top of my lungs in a crowd, but being singled out by a solo or (heaven forbid) a microphone is plain scary. Time to deal with this. Any song suggestions?
6. Take at least one trip by myself. It’s been so long since I’ve traveled alone. Well, I have the whole summer to myself as my salary has been spread out over the entire year. I need a ME vacation like the kind Laurali takes (I was always a little jealous of her ability to do so).
7. Improve my cooking skills. In particular, I need to improve my knife skills. My amazing stepmother-in-law (we’ll call her Smom) has offered to take me in for a week and get me completely comfy in the kitchen. I love this lady to death and will probably take her up on it.
8. Be able to walk a 5K by the end of 2009. Considering Goal 3, I have to be a little careful with this one until my heart issues are handled. However, my mother walks this amount every day and has similar issues AND two replaced knees. Considering how much weight she’s lost, I have to look to her for inspiration.
9. Host at least two “girls nights”. That’s right. I actually have some good gal pals. It’s time to be as good as them as they have been to me. I wish I could throw a big bash for everyone who made 2008 a great year for me, but there’s not a lot of room, which leads me to…
10. Find a new home for the Rockhubby and myself. No, I have no intentions of leaving Columbus. I like it here! However, our place is not only too small to entertain our friends, it’s also on the wrong side of town from his new office. We’re not ready to buy anything yet, but renting something roomy in a new neighborhood sounds like a good plan to me!

2008 Goals List

Instead of making a bunch of resolutions that I'll never keep, the last two years have been a list of ten goals I hope to attain in the New Year. This was a list of the top ten goals I set for myself at the beginning of this year. Well, it's only a few more days until 2009 so it's time to see how I did...

1. Audition for Opera Columbus. This I managed. I bombed it, but I showed up and made an attempt. Notice that I didn't pledge to get in to the company, just try out for it.

2. Write a little every day. It wasn't always much more than a little journal writing, but I followed through with this one. I've even completed a couple of creative pieces.

3. Get at least two interviews for a full time teaching job. This year I landed more than two with an actual job offer, so this one is definitely an attained goal.

4. Pay at least a third off my credit card. Ack, not so much with this one. I had planned to use a third of my salary for this but Rockhubby's temporary unemployment at the end of the year put this on hold.

5. Get some quality time with my niece. I only was able to see the little one once this year, but I had a ball with her during that weekend. It depends on your definition of quality.

6. Write a will. Didn't get to this one at all. Mostly we didn't feel like we had anything to save.

7. Take better care of Pandora. She isn't thrilled with the "care" she's getting, but she's getting healthier.

8. Cook with my husband. I still hate knives. I still hate cooking. However, I did a decent amount of prep work this year. My stepmother in law has offered to have me stay with her for a week to learn the basics and get some decent knife skills so I don't constant feel like I'm about to draw my own blood.

9. Restart my training schedule. This I did until my health forced me to stop, so I'll put this in the yes category. I'm hoping to go back once I know what's going on.

10. Go out with friends at least one night a month. This is definitely happening now that I've gotten off my butt and have made a bunch of new friends and acquaintances. There's empty whining that I don't get out and then there's doing something about it.

How did I do? 7.5 by my reasoning (I give half points on the "quality time" since it was largely out of my control). That isn't too bad! I'll have to come with a whole new list for 2009 next week.

Catching up

* My students have kept me on my toes. One had a bad house fire and had no electricity as of last week. Another's family cannot afford their cable or phone bills and hasn't been reachable to discuss the school covering their internet tab. Yet another is currently homeless. Not sure when I have time to actually educate them.
* Thanksgiving weekend was cool as hell with the Rockhubby's family. Dinner was great and the side visit to the Newseum was an adventure all of its own. His stepmother Elyse is an amazing hostess and a killer cook. She has invited me to come out on my own this summer for an immersion in practical cooking. I just felt terrible for Elyse's daughter (my stepsister-in-law) who got stuck in the middle of horrible DRAMA with her father's family. It was ugly.
* I love train rides. I could have done without the 2 1/2 hour delay on the way home that got us home at 5:30am today. Most of the morning found me still feeling like I was on the train with all the shakiness.
* Pandora survived a stay with the vet. I requested they give her a "sanitary grooming". What a shock to find out they gave the poor cat a Brazilian butt wax. No wonder she was in a bad mood!
* It's looking like we will be back to the DINK lifestyle within a few weeks. Details will be forthcoming as I have them!