Makin' Some Resolutions

So now, normally, I find the concept of New Year's Resolutions to be crap.  Not to be all philosophical (cause I find that to be crap, too), but I do believe we can all improve ourselves at any given time.

Anyhow.  That being said, I have reached a point in my life where I am in need of a change.

Here are some of my past (mostly failed) resolutions:
--Be more organized (HA!)
--Become neater/tidier (HA again, however,  I can honestly say I've improved over the past couple years - which should scare my coworkers)
--Something general along the lines of be less of a procrastinator (kind of goes with the previous two)

Anyhow.  I have come to terms with myself.  I will never be a neat freak.   I will never be a perfectionist.  I am accepting this and moving on.

Some recent successful resolutions (not necessarily of the NYE variety) were to learn more about cooking and increase my upper body strength (don't mess with me).  Anyhow.  Simple, small, non-personality adjustment resolutions are the easiest.  I haven't made any serious resolutions in a while.  However, I think this year, I am due for a couple.   I think I've avoided taking any big actions in a while out of fear of failure.  So I have avoided failing.  But I have not really succeeded at anything major (except, of course, my now having the ability to do 30 push-ups).  So, aside from blogging more, there will be some new serious resolutions.  Update to come.

Happy New Year!!

Emily was using the horn to her advantage. Happy New Year all!!

2009 in a Nutshell

As the old year comes to a close, some stats of 2009....

Number of job changes: 0
Number of moves: 1
Number of blog posts: 323
Number of trips out of town: 2
Number of romantic relationships: 0
Number of times my personal romantical life appeared in Emily's blog: 3
Number of incidents that could be classified as 'car trouble': 2
Number of friends (per the facebook.com): 723
Number of blog followers: 12
Number of broken New Year's Resolutions: 3
Number of blogs I'm following: 10

...and a partridge in a pear tree?

New Year's Resolutions (or, at Least, those Acceptable to Post in a Public Forum)

--Cook and bake more often (deja vu)
--Increase upper body strength (deja vu AGAIN)

(Editor's sidenote: Is 'deja vu again' not the ULTIMATE redundancy?)

--Publish a good amount of interesting, relevant blog posts that people are excited to read
--Stumble upon wealth

Any suggestions to add?
Updates to come....

It's About That Time....

...for the end of year 'how did I do on my New Year's Resolutions' evaluation.

I did not make many resolutions, nor did I make intense ones. One of my resolutions was to try three new recipes a month. Another was to increase my upper body strength by doing pushups and hand weights several times a week. Another was to start running to increase my physical endurance.

Now, I have not had a chance to really sit down and evaluate my progress on these goals, but just giving it a brief once-over, I think, realistically speaking, an accurate grade for my progress on these resolutions would be....an F.

:'(

Oops.

Why are New Year's resolutions so hard? Mine were realistic. Simple. Measurable. Doable. Why did I fail?

Did anyone succeed at his or her New Year's resolutions this year? Does anyone out there still make them? Am I the only one? Did anyone accomplish anything big? Anyone planning on setting some big resolutions?

Overrated Holiday?

New Year's Eve.

Now, I've done quite a few various things over the years for said holiday. Navy Pier. Bar Package. Night in a college town (well, only when I was a college student's age). Friend's house party. I know - aren't I quite the socialite?

Well, this year, it looks as though I have 0 plans. And that is fine by me. There is quite a bit of figure skating in the dvr and plenty of wine stocked in the grape. Granted, it is still early. Something could come up.

What are your thoughts on said holiday?

Speaking of Resolutions...

I once heard about a book about a woman who decided, for one year, to go out with everyone who asked her out, no matter what the circumstances.  I believe she felt she was unlucky in love and possibly too picky and wanted to meet the man of her dreams.  I'm assuming she had some help from somewhere because I believe she went out with somewhere around over 100 people in the period of a year.  The book is called "The Year of Yes".

I caught wind of this book/concept and I have made multiple jokes about it (mainly plays on words with the title).  I have had friends who have declared a 'year of the yes' or a 'year of the no'.  

Around three years ago (eek!) - I semi-declared a 'year of yes'  and decided to be more open-minded about who I would date - it lasted a couple months (there are a lot of creeps out there - this concept simply doesn't work in the city of Chicago, let me tell you).

I personally find that if I go out with someone I am not sure I am necessarily interested in to begin with, I continue to feel the same way about him after a couple dates and then end up in the situation of  having to have an awkward conversation about only wanting to be friends.   Although it's good to have an open-mind, I think there's also a 'you shouldn't lead a person on' component to the situation, and honestly, I have never had a 180 change of opinion on someone.

Anyhow, what does everyone think of said "Year of Yes" concept?

Makin' Some Resolutions

I remember back in high school, I had a teacher who insisted all good goals were specific, achievable and measurable.  He also felt it was ok to tell a group of high school students that his ideal spring break consisted of him locking himself away alone in his basement with his favorite illegal substances.  But anyhow.  I think he was on to something with the first point.

For example, last new year, I made the resolution to start working out with hand weights.  There were some points when I did, indeed, work out with these hand weights, but it was very sporadic.  There were sometimes I did a good couple times a week.  Also though, there were some points I probably went a whole month without doing exercises once.   I wouldn't consider this a great success.

However, technically my goal was do start doing exercises with hand weights.  Technically, I did.  Since the prior year, I had done these exercises a grand total of 0 times, it was an improvement.  

My book goal (reading 16) fits the above discussed criteria pretty well.   It is challenging and it is easy for me to see if I am on track.  Since I decided I am celebrating New Year's full out, I have decided to make at least five resolutions/goals.  (Maybe the resolution to make the resolutions can count as one, because the goal fits the criteria.)

Anyhow, I'm rambling.  This year, I made my goal to be doing weight workouts twice a week and ten push-ups twice a week - it's not a huge move but it's something I'm not currently doing,  and I'll know if I'm on track for or not.  Now for at least three (well, I guess maybe two) more resolutions....

2009!!!!!!

So it's 2009!  Woohoo.   I didn't have too many bad feelings toward 2008.  I've had worse years. 

I did, indeed, celebrate New Year's Eve - I went to a friend's party.  I am very curious, given the state of the economy and everyone cutting back, how the $100 bar package sales did.  It seems like lately most people feel New Year's Eve is overrated (every one I have spoken with about this event has said so) - they say it with the same disdain and defiance of someone denouncing a very popular band or tv show - as if to go against the mainstream.  However, hating on NYE seems to be the mainstream.  

Anyhow.  Long story short, I had a good one.  My friend Stacey is here.  Today we caught up with our pledge child/grandchild/sister Erica.  Tomorrow we will have coffee in the day with we have a sorority sister's private party to crash at night.  Goodtimes.  

I'll work on making my resolutions this weekend.  I'm going to go against the grain of hating on New Year's Eve/New Year's and celebrate every aspect of it.

Resolution?

So I got my Glamour magazine in the mail last week - it's the January issue (and it's disgustingly small - a sad shoutout to the state of the print media industry lately, but anyhow).   Naturally, it's talking about New Year's Resolutions and all the staples of New Year's Resolutions  (lose 10 pounds, quit smoking, get a new job, etc.).  

Now, I've never been one make New Year's resolutions in my adult life.   I find a bit of humor in it all:  1)  If it's a goal of yours, such as the above mentioned, why particularly decide to take action specifically at the beginning of the  year and 2)  The success rate of most New Year's resolutions...yeah.

However, I currently find myself in a bit of a rut.  My readers might note this by the number of posts filed under 'doldrums'.   Although there might not be anything particularly wrong at this moment, but there isn't necessarily anything spectacularly right (although I can say I am luckier than most to have my health, a decent job, family and some great friends).  

A humorous situation led me to think about my high school reunion (which will be coming up in a couple years).  As of right now, I wouldn't have any reason I'd be embarrassed to go see all my former classmates, however, I guess I'm not where I thought I'd be when I was a teenager and dreamed of adulthood.  I'm not the person I envisioned myself as going to said reunion.  Maybe this is a simple part of all dream/reality discrepancies, however, at one point in my life I felt I was someone who was destined for greatness and I'm pretty sure I haven't quite reached that.

Maybe I need a resolution.