…And dance!

Sorry. Moving on.

I think this is going to shape up to be a pretty sad-looking day, here, since most of this batch of goals didn’t happen. Eh.

5. Finish the front room: replace the papasan cushion (Done!)
You might remember the story of Jasper and the papasan. If not, let me refresh your memory: I took in a stray kitten for about a week, and my two-year old Disaster Cat was not having it. He took his terror and indignation out on my papasan cushion. Several times. The smell was never coming out. So I found another clearance-priced cushion and felt my job was done. I happily crossed this off my list…

…and then, Jas decided that a papasan cushion was not a papasan cushion without his unique mark on it, and again came The Smell. I’m relatively certain that he only did it once, but still — EW. Ew. I scrubbed and scrubbed, and it’s barely noticeable, but I still can’t sit on the thing. I’m in the process of deciding whether or not I want to try one more time and buy another cushion, or if it’s just time to chuck the cushion and sell the frame. Oh, kitten. How lucky you are that you’re ridiculously cute. To the moon, Alice.

6. Finish the front room: spray paint my desk and update the work station!
7. Finish the front room: create a craft area
I can group these because I did neither of them. Shaaaaame. But, in my own defense, I’ve been toying with the idea of moving my bed into my lovely front room (which currently houses my desk and crafting supplies), because it has this gorgeous window, and I don’t spend enough time in there. I’m also getting tired of being woken up at 5:30am every morning by my neighbor banging pots and pans and cabinet doors (Rage. Raaaaaaage.), and I wouldn’t hear it from that room.

And LISTEN. I get up at like 6am most mornings, right? So if I’ve got 25 minutes left until my alarm goes off? And you’re waking me up? I might actually march down there with my Bride of Chucky hair and my wrinkled PJs and my typical morning lack-of-wherewithal, and I might give you a piece of my mind. Or I’ll just sit in my bed and wail with raaaaaaaaaaage. You know. Whatever.

Also, I want to move. So! Big ideas. Not a lot of action. The us’.

8. Write 3 poems (Done!)
I did this! I totally did this! And I’m too shy to share it with you. Maybe someday.

So. Tune in tomorrow, when there will be photos of kittens. KITTENS.

I’m not above bribing you.

“I’ll be back in way less than a month!”

Uh, yeah, WHATEVER, LIAR.

So it’s (again) been about a month. Another busy one, but really? Who cares? THEMS ARE EXCUSES, FRIENDS. So let’s just move on, shall we? Okay.

Back at the end of December, I stumbled upon a couple of blogs where folks had made lists of goals to complete by their next birthday. They were all in the age-you-are-now-by-the-age-you’re-going-to-be style. And so I jumped on the bandwagon. Because I’m good at that. And when you have a talent, you should honor it.

I went ahead and made my list, and actually? I didn’t do too badly! Since I discovered this project idea on December 31st, and my birthday was on March 25th, I didn’t have a ton of time, so I tried to choose goals that seemed doable from the start. For the next seven days, I’m going to recap my successes from my list as well as my, uh, opportunities for improvement.

At the very least, I’ll have seven days of posts here. And that’s something, right? Right.

So! Onto the first batch:

1. Make going to yoga a habit again! At least once per week. (Done! …ish.)
Okay, so… This didn’t happen. I actually haven’t gone to yoga once since December 31st. …Really, I haven’t been to a yoga class in upwards of a year. At first glance, this would seem like an utter failure. (Really, it IS an utter failure.) However, I switched it up a little bit: I joined a gym, and I made going there a habit. And I really did! I went at least twice a week (usually three times) for about six weeks leading up to my birthday. A nasty virus knocked me off the wagon, but I have high hopes that I will see the inside of Club 24 again this week. I know my elliptical misses me.

2. Learn 6 new healthy recipes (Done!)
For the past two years, I’ve really been making an effort to get my eating habits back to what they used to be (healthy and conscious, for the most part) — you know, before I started working insane hours in the nonprofit sector and being paid in pennies. (And pennies don’t translate well to organic foods, friends, let’s be honest about that one). I also don’t particularly like to cook, and while my work life is as organized as can be, my home life can be a bit of a mess. The combination? Disastrous to my waist line. And my energy levels. So when I read about the Go Feed Yourself program, I knew I had to splurge and download it. I’m so glad that I did — the recipes are super-simple and so satisfying. It’s helped me cut a lot of gluten and dairy out of my diet, and I’ve barely even noticed. So — a big fat WIN! for #2.

3. Subscribe to Whole Living magazine – finally. (Done!)
I love this magazine… When I worked at a bookstore, I used to hound our newsstand lead every month until it came in. When it finally did, he would set aside a copy for me (loved him!) and bury myself in it on my breaks. (YES, I bought it. I am no thief.) I haven’t worked at the store even part time in almost two years, and I miss that magazine… So I finally subscribed! I did it, I swear. On the very first day of this project, according to my notes. …I have yet to receive it. Which is a huge let-down. WAY TO GO, WHOLE LIVING. Bums.

4. Ask the landlord if I can paint. It’s been long enough! (Done!)
I totally left a note with my rent check. He totally never responded. I guess that’s a no? Whatever, at least I asked.

So that first batch doesn’t look too bad! Wait’ll we get to the end…

So — hi, friends! It’s the last day of 2011, and I’ve got to say, I’m not feeling a whole lot of love and nostalgia for this year. While I’m incredibly thankful that nothing really awful or tragic happened, I’m still looking forward to ushering it on out and welcoming 2012. I don’t believe that the end of the world is coming, and if you start talking about it in front of me, I can’t promise that I won’t get stabby. (So take note: no mention of such theories around Melissa when she has access to cocktail umbrellas or particularly pointy almonds. For example. I’m just saying.)

This year will bring my 29th birthday (holy CRAP) on March 25th, and since I’ve been miserably sick since Christmas Eve, I’ve had a lot of time this week to think about New Year’s resolutions and, even more immediately, what I want to have accomplished by the time I turn Almost Thirty Dear God …29. I only just learned about the whole “Age You Are Now Before The Age You’re Going To Be” list-thing, and so I don’t have a lot of time. But you know what? I’m going for it, anyway.

I’ve chosen some pretty do-able things, and I’ve incorporated my New Year’s resolutions. Is that cheating? Huh. Oh well. Here it is — my list of 28 things to do before I turn 29!

Twenty-eight before twenty-nine… In three months:

1. Make going to yoga a habit again! At least once per week.
2. Learn 6 new healthy recipes
3. Subscribe to Whole Living magazine – finally.
4. Ask the landlord if I can paint. It’s been long enough!
5. Finish the front room: replace the papas an cushion
6. Finish the front room: spray paint my desk and update the work station!
7. Finish the front room: create a craft area
8. Write 3 poems
9. Write 1 short story
10. Go on a day trip
11. Plan a weekend away
12. Find two new great bands/artists
13. Get up the nerve to tell my riding instructor that one of my goals is to show. Eeek.
14. Blog at least 12 times.
15. Start a review blog (or other project/feature) with Jessa!
16. Try knitting for the first time
17. Lose 6 pounds. (Yes, 6.) Keep them off!
18. Make my hair funky!
19. Design my tattoo. Once and for all.
20. Organize my recipes
21. Make a Public Allies scrapbook
22. Create my 5-year picture board
23. Host a themed party
24. Make a list of 100 things that make me smile
25. Read 4 books
26. Drink a lot of tea. Update my tea cabinet.
27. Update my budget/finances. Close unnecessary (store) credit cards.
28. Make enough crafts to open an Etsy shop. Even if nothing sells.

Have you guys done this before? Did you have any luck?

Have a safe and happy new year, all!