2010 Goals-- 5 month update
1. Photography: Learn more. Do more. Take a class.
Update: I am going to my 8th and final week of Photography class at the New England School of Photography in Kenmore Square. I have loved this class! I can now work my camera in manual mode and even use my flash without completely washing out my subject. Unfortunately I haven't had as much time to put into the last few weeks of shooting so I don't have any breathtaking photos to share but I know I have a better handle on how to get there which is an immense relief after the guessing game I've played the past 3 years.
2. Start a garden: Big, small or in between. I just need to do this. Even a small herb garden will make me happy, and I think the satisfaction of having some food items go from this land to our table will incentivize me to do more.
Update: there is no update. I've thought about it but haven't made any progress.Gardening scares the crap out of me only because I know nothing about it. But, we had dinner on Friday night with Perry and Rose and Perry mentioned he has a TON of tomatoes started and wants me to have some. I need to follow-up with them about that… you notice I'm not chomping at the bit over this!
3. Meet with a financial planner to plan for saving and paying down the 2 loans I currently have. I make enough to do this better than I am right now and I'm already making strides on my own but I do better with a plan and some accountability- and getting that from a professional should do the trick.
Update: I haven't made the appointment yet, but it WILL happen.
4. Knitting- I know the basics of knit and purl but there are scores of things I can still learn to make more intricate pieces. So this year I will take classes at the Creative Stitch, a local yarn store, and better my knitting.
Update: I put this on my list {for real} at the end of March… only to realize that we had from 1-4 events each weekend in April and May has been just as busy since I planned this Trivia Night Event. Needless to say, it hasn't happened yet. But I am working on a pattern that's far more difficult than anything else I've done to date and while I did have to pull it out and start over when I was about 6 inches in (3 separate times)… I learned a lot! And its coming out great-- now if only I can finish it in time to give it to the recipient!
5. Learn more healthy recipes to add to my weekly meal plan list (and get better at meal planning all together-- focusing on eating local and organic as much as possible).
Update: I learned how to make quinoa (read: "Keen-Wah"). I mixed it with eggplant cooked a new way, zucchini and tomato sauce. I haven't made a ton of progress yet but I have been eating a lot more from home now that the CSA season is in full-swing and I have fresh, organic veggies that need to be used up before they go bad. I do have 4 new recipes on my list to try and will put that on "my list" for next week (yes, I always have a running list. this is normal for me).
6. Blog more. I am going to add this to my calendar and set reminders to make sure I keep up with this. This year I want to write more and this blog is a great outlet for that. So it will permanently be on my to-do list :)
Update: Its otften hard to find the right combination of time, motivation and creativity. I usually have 1 of the three at my disposal but its finding the rest that makes it tough. A lousy excuse but that's life. That said, this 30 days until I turn 30 has got me blogging like a mad woman. Not a pace I can sustain indefinitely but it has stretched me to write more which I am enjoying.
7. Research new green items for the house- toothpaste, deodorant and hairspray being top on the list right now. I have already switched over many products to items I feel comfortable with. But others are tougher. This year I will make more progress in that area.
Update: 2 out of 3 ain't bad right? Dan and I are now both using Tom's of Maine Deoderant (he had switched out before me ironically). The lavender is much better than the unscented, ladies. Take it from me! I actually LOVE the scent!! And we're using the Tom's peppermint toothpaste too. I will admit I hated the taste every day for the first week, and then I can honestly say it got better (and I am PICKY about toothpaste). Now I don't even notice it. The hairspray is TOUGH. I like my hair… other people like my hair… its very vein when it comes to my hair I'll admit, but I want it to look nice… and since I don't currently own a working straightener I curl it. A Lot. And too keep those curls in tact all day- I use hair spray. The bad kind. That's all I'll say about that. I WILL research better ones though. I know there were some recommended in Sophie Uliano's book Gorgeously Green.
8. Write up all my notes from the various research I've done on Organics, farming, gardening, the Green Movement into something that's concise and meaningful. I have notes in my notebooks and on the computer... but I need a way to remind myself of all the things I've learned and to keep some sort of visual reminders handy when I'm tempted to buy stuff that I know is not good for me.
Update: Oooh wow, this fell off the list. I have started this. Just haven't finished. Silly. More to come very soon I promise.
9. Master my Mac! I've already taken 3 classes at the Apple store and have already signed up for another. I have learned a lot but there are so many more cool things I can do with this tool.
Update: I went to a number of different 1:1 classes at the local Apple stores. They helped immensely. I need to go back and do some more. There are still some fun things I want to learn.
10. Cut out soda. {so far so good! i have not had any soda yet this year}
Update: no soda has entered this body since the week before Christmas! (except a half of bottle of root beer Dan bought that was tempting me from the fridge for about 2 weeks). This has been easier than I thought. I drink more water. At home I'll mix some organic juice with water and drink that if I need some flavor. Sometimes I miss the soda, mostly at restaurants but I've been finding its easier to cut something that's bad for me out all together than to just say "you can have it once in awhile."
11. Form my 2010 3Day Team- start fundraising early. At this point I'm still finalizing a team name. Once I get that submitted I'll officially be recruiting for fellow walkers who will commit to this with me. Yes, the fundraising seems scary but we can totally do this! I have a lot of great ideas for this year and I'm excited to get the ball rolling.
Update: Team is formed. Its very small, but we'll do great, I have no doubt! My BIG Fundraising Event scheduled for Saturday May 22nd! It’s a Trivia Night and its going to be soo ridiculously fun! I can't wait! :)
12. PT Exercises EVERYDAY! {still haven't been great about this thus far} My shoulder is feeling better but in building my strength and retraining my muscles I hope I can avoid the chronic pain I've been having there.
Update: I totally lost my PT mojo and I'm paying for it! :( I was doing really well until February when we had a hospital survey take over our lives… I had to cancel a few appointments and didn’t go back until a few weeks ago. Now I'm getting back on the wagon slowly but surely.
13. Improve photo editing skills. My Mac classes should help me with this. Be it iPhoto or PhotoShop- I'll take advantage of every opportunity to learn what I can about editing.
Update: no update here. I hope to achieve this in my mac classes this year…
14. Plan out gifts to give throughout the year- PLAN AHEAD. I've already started the list. Now to organize and figure a way to easily track ideas.
Update: I did well with the 5 birthdays I had in April, but my tracking method was abominable. Notes in my notebook and drafts in email. It was shoddy at best. Need to work on that.
15. Purchase coffee (out) no more than 2 times a week. Its not good for me. Its unnecessary. But I really enjoy it. Still, twice a week is plenty. And it will help me to eat out less and save more money. It all comes together :)
Update: I suck at this. See my self-awareness in #10 and you'll realize why this isn't working. But I'm doing a cleanse this week and am not allowed coffee at all, so hopefully this will be the kick in the pants I need to get me off this bad habit. What's worse is that Dan has given up coffee. Don't get me wrong, its great for him, but it just antagonizes me that I can't keep up.
16. Make some of my own personal care products (organic, all natural and no artificial-anythings). I've got some recipes and once I price out some items I'll be ready to go. Homemade moisturizer here we come.
Update: No progress yet. I'm thinking this might be a good fall/winter indoor activity. I still have plenty of 2010 left.
Wow this is actually very refreshing. I was thinking I'd be much further behind than this. Its good to have recapped and refocused. I still have 6 full months to continue with the progress on this. Yes indeed I think 2010 is going to be the best one in a long time!
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