At the beginning of the year, I wrote up a bunch of resolutions for myself, in order to make 2008 a more perfect year. I feel like today’s a good day to catch up on them, because if I were to write about what happened last night, I could sum it up with the following sentence: Don’t go see The Ruins, and Dutchess of Kickball, Flick and Chatie, please accept my apology for suggesting that we should go.
Moving on, this is what I resolved to do, and how it’s going:
- Write thank you notes and send them. Via actual mail. Haven’t sent a one, even to the people who came to my birthday party and brought me nice things. I totally suck on this one. Is four months too late, Emily Post?
- Remove the prizes from their box and send them to the winners of NaCoPoMo. Via actual mail. I did it! Mostly… RDL sent me her address after I sent the other 5 packages, so I still need to send hers. And Deb’s watch is still sitting on my desk and I need to do that. No more contests until I get this done.
- Get to my pre-gimp activity level and weight. Almost! Vegan March helped a lot, and now that I’m running again, there will be no stopping me.
- Compete in a swim meet. Done! And I just signed up for another one!
- Not gossip about people. If they are in the same room as me. Uh… Might have slipped once or twice here. Does “outside” count as the same room?
- Write something other than the blog. Something where the subject isn’t “me.” Thank you, Chose Your Own Blogventure!
- Clean my stove after I use it. Yeah, and do the dishes right away, too. ha. Depends on how you define “after I use it.” I cleaned it yesterday, after I used it on Sunday.
- Visit NYC more often. Refuse to be bridge and/or tunnel. Need to work on that one, but I’m going down again next Sunday for a haircut.
- Save money by not blowing it on frivolous things like $25 tickets on the train to the city. Credit card bill was a little higher than I meant it to be last month.
- Never pay a late fee again. Not so much, see above.
- Read more books, write down what they are so I can remember when I lend them to friends. I have been keeping track, but I can’t be bothered to sign up to record them on the social networking sites.
- Wash my face every night. Okay, I started this, but then I stopped because it was making me break out more. It turns out that I have very dry skin.
- Generally be less of a slob. (ed note: yeah, right.) That worked for about a week.
- Not always have to eat everything on my plate. If I feel full, I will use my food containers and create leftovers. I cannot exercise this control over pasta, which has control over me.
- Prove that volunteering isn’t just for the churchy folk. Does working a second job count as volunteering? No? Damn.
- Really get a handle on the lives of celebrities so I don’t have any more awkward moments where I can’t talk about Britney and Lindsey and Paris. Accomplished by subscribing to Celebitchy on my RSS feed. Really, ask me anything.
I guess I still have some work to do before I’m a perfect person. I’ll get right on that, I swear.
Posted by Ben on April 9, 2008 at 8:33 am
Ooh, not eating everything on the plate is a new one for me too…it’s easier with some meals than it is with others – you know, the good ones.
And I only eat good meals. That’s why life is so hard.
Posted by mickey on April 9, 2008 at 8:34 am
I’d say that’s a pretty good start. Good enough, in fact, that you can probably just discard the rest and call it a success. This is why I don’t get ahead in life, though.
Keep up the good work.
I’m so down with that kind of plan.
Posted by Dutchess of Kickball on April 9, 2008 at 8:38 am
Please feel free to come over and raid my bookshelf for any books I haven’t returned, since with this new book club I’ll never get around to reading them.
No way, chicky, I’ve got too many of my own!
Posted by nancypearlwannabe on April 9, 2008 at 8:54 am
Wow, you’re at close to 50% right there and it’s only April! You will have achieved total human perfection by 2009. And then you will be made into a cylon.
Maybe that’s when my cylon programming will kick in.
Posted by 3carnations on April 9, 2008 at 8:55 am
Totally send the thank you notes even though it has been 4 months. People will appreciate it, and possibly also be slightly amused!
It’s true, and I live to amuse.
Posted by Allie on April 9, 2008 at 8:58 am
Woah! So, are you the 5th cylon?
NPW! You figured it out!
Would that be totally weird if in the end it was just some random viewer?
Posted by stefanie on April 9, 2008 at 9:08 am
Aren’t the “visit NYC more” one and the “Don’t waste money on $25 tickets to the city” one contradictory? Would eliminating one or the other from your list help you out some? Or is there a cheaper-than-$25 way to get to the city? I wish I could get to NYC for $25.
Also, I need to Google what the hell a cylon is.
Those contradictions are why it is so hard to be me.
Posted by stefanie on April 9, 2008 at 9:09 am
Oh. Battlestar Galactica. Should have known.
Nerds.
You know that you would love it…
Posted by Poppy on April 9, 2008 at 9:11 am
Very good to know that reading Celebitchy is enough to keep up.
I like your plan to visit NYC more. Take me with you?
Okay, let me know when!
Posted by apollocreed on April 9, 2008 at 10:04 am
what has Billy Dee Williams been up to?
Flying the Millennium Falcon around, trying to find a parking spot.
Posted by Hope on April 9, 2008 at 10:48 am
Ah…NaCoPoMo…how I miss the edible part of my prize…since I already eated it.
Yeah, but thank goodness there are more available in the world!
Posted by Jenn on April 9, 2008 at 10:58 am
I love writing and sending thank you notes. Finding cute cards is like my job. I’ll write them for you!
That’s a good talent to have!
Posted by Lara on April 9, 2008 at 11:02 am
I really love that one of your resolutions is to keep up on celebrity gossip! Hee! Also – re the dry skin, do you see a dermatologist? I have relatively clear skin but mine is super-dry as well, and I use a moisturizer that I buy at the derm. – it doesn’t require a prescription, though. Anyway, it’s called Hymed and I absolutely love it.
I don’t think my skin’s in need of professional help, it just can’t get washed every night.
Posted by sadieandleo on April 9, 2008 at 11:59 am
What a great idea, going back and seeing what you’ve stuck to, I don’t think I can do this without feeling like a complete failure. I live through your successes!
I fear that you live through my failures as well…
Posted by Laurel on April 9, 2008 at 12:43 pm
All in all, I’d say that you’ve made good progress! That’s a lot of goals.
Yeah, I’m feeling okay with myself.
Posted by -R- on April 9, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I am impressed. I couldn’t even keep up my no gossip rule for a couple of months for Lent.
I might not have done as well with that one as I made it out to be.
Posted by Aaron on April 9, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Wow, I’m actually quite impressed, Christmas Tree. You will have achieved the fabled Scientology status of “clear” before you know it.
Is that the level where I have to give birth silently?
Posted by courtney on April 9, 2008 at 1:44 pm
For your resolution about recording what books you read, you should join Goodreads! It’s easy and fun, and be sure to add me as a friend when you join.
I shall continue to resist social networking book groups until I’m assured that I won’t ever have to upload my library again.
Posted by The Modern Gal on April 9, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Also impressed by your color-coordinated assessment system. You should add that as an after-the-fact resolution to your list.
P.S. Goodreads is really quite easy. I talked my mom, the voracious romance novel reader, into it and she loves it.
Your PS almost anticipated my comment response above!
Posted by kt on April 9, 2008 at 6:51 pm
the ruins was unreal
but I’m still glad we went!
Posted by kt on April 9, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Posted by kt on April 9, 2008 at 6:54 pm
ok then, that was a sweet comment. I’m trying really hard to insert an “O face” smiley but I lack the skills. the ruins was unreal and gross and absurd, but I’m still glad we went!!
He he, O face! Look for my Friday post, I’m working on it already…
Posted by kristabella on April 9, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I can not get myself to wash my face every night either! I know it only takes a few minutes, but my brain thinks it takes 30 minutes.
So I just go to bed.
Oh, there are so many nights I’d love to go to bed with full makeup and unwashed teeth. I just don’t want to wake up that morning to deal with it.
Posted by kir on April 9, 2008 at 8:11 pm
i’m the opposite — if i don’t wash my face i break out . it sucks because i rather enjoy falling asleep in my clothes with makeup on, teeth unbrushed, and contacts in (wine makes me tiiiiired). but by the time i wake back up (around 1 or 2) it’s too late. too late.
Posted by Ann on April 10, 2008 at 8:04 am
Seems like you’re making good progress. Good on you. I heard something on NPR the other day, about willpower. Turns out it’s a finite resource. So if all your effort is going into losing weight, you’re not going to be as able to keep up with other resolutions.
Posted by Hope on April 10, 2008 at 11:56 am
Oh I know there’s more AVAILABLE (although…not Christmas ones this time of year) but it just tastes so much better after sitting around for a month and then being sent through the mail. As they say on Ebay “it’s better when you win it.”
Posted by Mermu on April 10, 2008 at 1:47 pm
It’s never to late to say “thank you”….
-well…unless the recipient is dead. Then it might be too late.