1.04.2010

2010!

Is it really 2010? I guess it is. Soon it will be time to celebrate a year of having our adopted pug, Porter, time to mail out a hundred or so handmade valentines, time to celebrate my continued downhill slide towards 30, time to scratch enough money to take a few summer trips, and time to drink sweet tea on the porch and watch fireflies light up our yard. That seems FAR too long away, especially since it's currently 15 degrees outside with a windchill of around -10. BRRRRRR!

In honor of 2010 (twenty-ten or two thousand and ten?), here's a list of things I'd like to do with this year. Not necessarily resolutions. More like goals, really.

1. Learn to make delicious veggie stock. We always buy the tiny $3 boxes that taste sort of like lipgloss, and I know I can make a big yummy vat of it easily if I just take the time to do so.

2. Visit Chicago. I've never been and it seems like a fun place. And aren't Rick Bayless' restaurants there?

3. Complete a knitted project. I'm thinking of a mustachioed cowl that's currently on knitty, but maybe if I start a light summer cardigan now I'll have it finished by then. Or a pair of socks. Or really ANYTHING other than a scarf.

4. Lose 25 pounds and be a more active, healthy person. I'm not getting any younger and my family is not the healthiest bunch. I need to get motivated. I was going to this week, but when it's 10 degrees or less out, the LAST thing I want to do is get into some gym clothes. I'm going to lift my little five pound weights while under my electric blanket sipping hot chocolate. I'm also taking a yoga class at AB Tech, so there's two more days of exercise than I'm getting now, and I love yoga, so that's an added bonus!

5. Take more photos. I didn't get that Nikon for nothin'. I want to build a light box and make good use of it. I want to take more photos at shows I go to. I want to organize them better, back them up, and have a system. I want to update my flickr more.

6. Learn to be a better baker. I have a crappy oven, a small kitchen, little time, no patience, and yet I still LOVE LOVE LOVE baking things. I'm going to try to get better at it. I decided to drop out of the baking and pastry arts program at AB Tech. I was only going part-time and it was impossible for me to get much out of it that way. It's a very 9-5, five day a week program, and I was trying to do a couple hours here and there, which just didn't really work and yet made my life far more hectic than it was worth. I'm still taking a couple of classes just because I'd already gotten financial aid and been advised and all that, but nothing that will take up so much of my week and effort.

7. Write more letters! Possibly get a P.O. Box for out-of-state, stranger pen pals. It seems appealing, but of course I can't use my home address.

8. Get my finances in order and possibly get a second job. I'm in debt. Not any more than anyone else my age, but I need to get it together. I'd like to be fairly stable by the time I'm 30 and I think that's a reasonable goal that I can reach. I listed all my credit card debt with APRs, minimum payments, credit lines, available credit, etc. in a fancy excel sheet, and also made a budget the same way. It was depressing, but at least now I know exactly what I'm facing. I can do it!

9. Learn to swim. I've said this every year. I'll say it again, and I mean it as much as I meant all the other years.

10. Have. More. Fun. The things I remember the most about this year are the fun times with my friends, naturally. The days in between those are just a beige blur of desks and laundry and minutia. The road trips, car sing-a-longs, dinner parties, dance nights, and movie marathons are what stand out. I want more of that.

What are you doing this year?

1 comment:

lgk said...

Good goals! Making veggie stock is both fun and super easy. Saute onions, carrots, celery and garlic in a small bit of olive oil over medium-high heat til browned. Add a littie bit of water to deglaze and scrape up the yummy brown bits, then add 2-3 quarts of water plus your aromatics. Simmer 30 mins or so, then strain, cool and store. Yum! I do it when I have an excess of veggies to use up, or when I'm making soup. I usually have enough for my soup, plus an extra quart for later.