2012

image from here
I'm leaving for Mexico in the morning (so excited!!), and I thought I'd better put up my annual resolutions post before I go. In spite of some recent unhappiness, 2011 was a pretty great year. I proved myself right: being in my thirties is much better than being in my twenties, and for that reason, I am really looking forward to 2012. I have a feeling that 31 is going to be a big one for me!

As per tradition, let's see how I did with last year's resolutions: I did travel- I went on two road trips, went to Mexico (post to come soon!), Austin, Chicago, Seattle, Palm Springs, LA and New York twice. I read 17 books, saw lots of shows and a good amount of art, and I actually did manage to keep my house tidier than before (although there is still lots of work to do in that department). I didn't take any classes, but Erik and I are finally going to take that knife skills class soon! I spent as much time with friends and family as I possibly could, and it's been wonderful. I went on lots of adventures and even crossed off a few things from my "life list": trampolining at House of Air, going to SXSW, taking a tour of the Paramount theater, seeing a motorhome demo derby... I did lose some weight, and I cooked for myself much more- now I want to go back to cooking for other people more as well! I also did manage to increase my business by almost 50%, which is a huge accomplishment.

So without further ado, this year's goals:

1. Travel. I want to leave the country at least once, hopefully more. On my short list: Turkey, Morocco, Syria, Switzerland, Italy, Argentina, Russia, Ireland, Greece, Portugal.

2. Read. I've been on a roll lately, and that's due partly to subscribing to City Arts & Lectures- hearing writers speak about their work is so inspiring.

3. Go to more cultural events. This includes not just concerts and art shows, but lectures, classes, film screenings, parties, and gatherings of all sorts.

4. Be even tidier. This year I've gotten in the habit of doing my dishes at least once a week (seriously- this is a MAJOR improvement), and I would like to maintain that as well as keeping clothes off my bedroom floor (why is that so hard?), keeping my dining room table clear, and keeping my office organized. Lofty goals...

5. Be more healthy. This (hopefully) will lead to losing more weight, which would be a very nice perk. I already avoid processed foods and refined sugar, but I need to try harder to eat less sugars in general, exercise more, and drink a glass green juice every morning. And floss more. Always.

6. Cross 5 things off my life list. (Top Secret until accomplished.)

7. Entertain more. I used to be in the habit of throwing large, elaborate dinner parties on a regular basis, but it got to be too much for me. I'd like to start hosting more informal, small gatherings- mostly I just want to be able to cook for more of my friends, more often.

8. Keep the business growing, but try to delegate more, and outsource more. Streamline my responsibilities so that I can accomplish more and enjoy working more at the same time. Try to procure more illustration jobs.

9. Say yes. This is an oldie but a goodie- I never regret taking an opportunity to do something new and interesting instead of saying no.

10. Do good. This year I've really leaned on my friends and family for support, and I want to make it a priority to be there for them. I also want to do nice things for strangers when I can.

And, it wouldn't be New Year's without this song. Enjoy!

Hello, 2011!

I think I did a good job with last year's resolutions (well, at least the ones that matter most- I didn't lose any weight, or keep my house any tidier, but I did take a cheesemaking class, travel a lot, read more, spend lots of time with friends and family, cook for myself a lot more, see more art and shows, and say yes to practically everything I could), so I think I'm going to renew most of them for 2011. In general, all of them seem to have made me feel better about myself, and enjoy life more, and that's about all I can ask for. So, without further ado:

1. Travel. This year I want to go to Rome with Erik, Austin with Jessica, take a road trip to Miami with Jane, visit Piper in Chicago, Shawn in Seattle, and Myles and Laurel in LA, spend a "just-for-fun" weekend in New York (I haven't been for non-work purposes in years), and go someplace tropical in the winter.

2. Read. I did manage to read one book per month this year, although not literally (I read 12 books, but not one each month), and that seems like an extremely reasonable goal.

3. Go to more shows and see more art. I saw lots of shows this year and it was great! Art requires more effort, because I can always count on seeing friends at music events, and it's harder to convince people to go to galleries, particularly on Friday nights.

4. Keep my house tidy. Why is this SO HARD for me?? It's ridiculous.

5. Take a class. Maybe this is a cheat because Erik already has signed me up for a knife skills class as my birthday present...

6. Spend lots of time with friends and family. Best use of time ever!

7. Have more adventures. Not hard, but I have a really long list...

8. Lose more weight. I am going to go easy on myself this year and not set a specific goal weight. Even 5 pounds would be a accomplishment, and I don't want to feel badly if nothing dramatic happens.

9. Cook for myself. Again, this is always a challenge, but I think I am getting better at making simple things just for me.

10. Expand my business. If I could increase my income by 50% I would be sooooo happy!

Resolved

I can't believe 2009 is already over. I did a good job of keeping my resolutions (except learning to make cheese... maybe this year I will finally take a trip to Massachusetts to learn from this lady). I still didn't read as much as I'd like, but I did manage to get through some good books. I definitely went to more shows, saw more art, spent more time with friends, and said "yes" much more than "no" to the opportunities that came my way. I also kept my house more tidy (although I must admit that it will never be spotless), started cooking more for myself, and kept my list of things that make me happy, which I think has made me more appreciative of how wonderful my life is. I also managed to leave the country (something I hadn't done in years), and lose 20 pounds. This year I want to stick to a lot of my previous resolutions, with maybe a couple of changes. Here goes:

1. Travel more. I was lucky enough to travel quite a bit with my family when I was a kid, and spent some time abroad in college, but as an adult it can feel a lot harder to get away. My trip to Paris in October was a nice reminder that I can get away, and of how much I love it. This year I intend to go abroad again and take more trips to visit my friends around the country.

2. Read more. I think my life is too busy to read 3 books a month anymore, but one per month is a good place to start.

3. Go to more shows. I really enjoyed getting back into the music scene last year. I may have gotten too old for noise shows in warehouses filled with hipsters under 25, but it's still fun to go out and support my friends' bands, and see old favorites.

4. See more art. Ok, I did a terrible job of going to the Art Murmur regularly last year. I would really like to try and go every month.

5. Keep a list of things that make me happy. Keeping this list has really been great. It's so nice to sit down at the end of the day and think about the things that made me smile. Even if it feels like a bad day, there is always something that reminds me how lucky I am. And on the very worst days, it's wonderful to look back through the days and count my blessings.

6. Keep my house tidy. This is always the hardest thing for me, but I am resolved to do it. Having a clean house makes me feel better about everything.

7. Take a class in cheesemaking, breadmaking, food styling or something.

8. Spend lots of time with friends. Almost nothing makes me happier.

9. Continue to say "yes" to life. I want to continue to take advantage of all the great places and events that the Bay Area has to offer. This includes historical walks, a visit to the Luther Burbank home, planetarium shows, attending a soil tasting, guided foraging, film festivals, going to the races, seasonal fruit picking (I can't miss blueberry season again this year!), trying new restaurants, whale watching, etc., etc..

10. Lose another 25 pounds. Somehow in the last 10 years I gained much more weight than I ever realized. I have already dropped two clothing sizes, which is very exciting. I want to be able to wear all my fabulous vintage clothes again, and weigh what my driver's license says I do.

11. Cook for myself. It's easy to get lazy when there's nobody else to cook for, but I always feel good about myself when I make a meal.

12. Be the best friend, daughter, dog-owner, and business woman I can be. I am very lucky to have great friends, a great family, a loving, furry, companion, and to be doing what I want with my career and I don't want anyone to ever think I take any of it for granted.

Happy New Year!!

Resolute

Happy New Year! 2008 was a year of a lot of big changes for me, personally and professionally, and I am pleased to say that I think I came a long way. I am expecting 2009 to be great and can't wait to see where I am this time next year! Without getting too sentimental on you, I will say that I really like myself and like where I'm going right now, so this year's resolutions are all about continuing with that theme and fine tuning things so that I can feel good about myself all the time. And here's some music to accompany my list.



In No Particular Order:

1. Floss more. I have nice teeth, according to my dentist, and although I brush regularly, I am often lazy about flossing. This little thing doesn't take much time, or effort, but it will make me feel good about myself, so I'm going to try to get on the ball.

2. Read more. I usually average about 3 books per month, but this year I had a lot to think about and I stopped reading alltogether. I want to pick up where I left off on my list, and plow through.

3. Go to more shows. A couple years ago I was going to at least one show a week, just checking out new bands and mingling. I miss being in the loop, musically, and I really need to start meeting more people, so this is a good one. It will take a bit of effort, though, since I no longer know what's going on, and since it's sometimes hard for me to get myself out of the house.

4. See more art. Yeah, I went to art school, but I have been very negligent in my patronage of the arts. It's not hard to check out the Oakland Art Murmur once a month, for starters, and get a steady dose of new and interesting art. This also serves as another entree back into "the scene" which I have been out of for so long.

5. Keep a list of things that make me happy. This is sort of silly, but there are little things every day that make me smile, and I want to start keeping track of them.

6. Keep my house more tidy. This is probably the hardest thing for me, as clutter seems to follow me wherever I go, but I always feel good when my home looks nice, and if I make small efforts to keep it that way, maybe it will stick.

7. Finally learn to make cheese! It's about time, right? I only bought the supplies a year ago...

8. Spend lots of time with friends. I've been working on this one for a while, but I want to continue to see my people more often, including those who are out of town, which means more travelling as well.

9. Be like Jim Carrey. I need to start saying "yes" more. To dates, to social invitations, etc.. You never know when you're going to have a great time.

10. Don't settle for less than what I want. I've started standing up for the things I want in life, and that has felt very good, so I plan to keep doing that, which goes hand-in-hand with being direct with people and not shying away from confrontations.

11. Cook more. I love to cook but I have all but stopped cooking for myself, and pretty much subsist on leftovers and one-pot pasta dishes. I throw a big dinner party once a month, and that is fun, but I always enjoy making simple meals for myself and feel good about it, so I should do that more too.