The good thing about posting my yearly goals on my blog is that it helps me remember what they are and I feel a sense of accountability, as if all my hundreds and hundreds of loyal readers are anxiously awaiting to see how I do. The bad thing is that remembering is not the same as doing. Mostly what it means is that I spend much of the year feeling guilty because I'm not making much progress on my goals and thus am letting down all those hundreds and hundreds of loyal readers. With that in mind, here is what I did not do in 2008:
1. Drop body fat level down to 15%. I was doing pretty good with this for the first half of the year and seemed to be making progress. I worked out consistently and for a few months denied myself after-dinner treats, and the scale showed small but significant results. Then we spent a month and a half moving and then settled in here where I fell into a depressive slump where all I wanted to do was read comics and eat, and then the holidays arrived and by that point I just didn't care. When I checked my body fat on Thursday the scale said 22%, which is where I started the year. But today after lifting weights and jogging I checked again and it said 18.5%, so I'll go with that. And I just bought a membership at the UC Davis gym so before long that 18.5% will be more than a midday fluke.
2. Finish the novel I'm writing and sell it. I did neither of these things. Just like the first goal, the summer totally killed the momentum I'd built up over the first six months of the year on this one. But I started writing again a few weeks ago and I'm excited about the book again and, all things considered, I did accomplish a lot that first half of the year--the book is about halfway done and clocking in at 222 pages (72,025 words), which means it'll end up being about twice as long as the longest of the previous books I've written (I write YA, so short is the norm). And in my completely objective opinion, this is shaping up to be by far the best book I've ever written.
3. Finish school (forever) and get a good job. Yay! I actually did this one. Sort of. I did finish school (forever) and I did get a good job; it's just not the full-time librarian career-type job I had in mind. But that's by choice, as the part-time work-from-home job I did get is ideal for our current life situation. And there's a chance both job and life situation will be changing this year, so we'll see what happens here.
4. Have more compassion. Yeah, this was totally a passing phase. I've had moments of compassion, to be sure, but between political events and a six-month marathon of being irrationally angry at my kids, I've had some real low points here.
So that all adds up to something like 37%, or a big fat F. Woot!
Bonus Points:
While I haven't done so well with goals, I did phenomenally with my New Year's resolution. I have responded (at least with a general "thanks for the comment") to every single comment posted on this blog. I'm glad I did, too, as it made me feel more like this is a social activity and not just me practicing verbal masturbation while people watch. (Isn't that a nice image?)
Also, this year I saw the fruition of 2007's writing goal, which was to "make five writing submissions, or one successful submission, whichever comes first." I did not make five submissions in 2007, but I did submit a paper on the last day of the year, then found out a month or two later that it was accepted, and then just last week I found out the article has been published in the most recent issue of Knowledge Organization. So watch your local academic library specializing in library and information science for "Minoritization vs. Universalization: Lesbianism and Male Homosexuality in LCSH and LCC." It's a real nail-biter. (And just in time for the above-mentioned possible job change, which entails sending out CVs, now fortified with added publication.)
And, because I'm a masochist, watch this space for 2009 goals, coming soon. As soon as I figure out what they are.
Showing posts with label 650 _0 Goal (Psychology). Show all posts
Showing posts with label 650 _0 Goal (Psychology). Show all posts
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Goals 2008
1. Drop body fat level down to 15%. I'm ready for another stab at this goal. In the past couple weeks I've been pretty consistently around 22%, at least when I measure myself in the morning as the scale instructions suggest. In order to get down to 15, I am going to continue doing cardiovascular and weight resistance exercise at least twice a week--three times whenever I can squeeze the third time into my schedule. I'm also going to eat smaller portions and cut down on mindless snacking. The details here may need to get more specific if I don't see any progress as the year goes on.
2. Finish the novel I'm writing and sell it. I'm about 20,000 words into my projected 100,000, but I haven't actually written anything in the past two months. I need to regain the excitement I had a couple months ago and get back into this. If I write at least 20,000 words a month (which translates to a thousand a day with a couple days a week off) I can have the rough draft finished by the end of April. That gives me two months to have the book polished up by the end of June, then the second half of the year to focus on querying agents and editors. I have complete confidence in my ability to finish the book--I've finished five or six before it--but what I've yet to do is actually sell a book. This is the year I'm going to make it happen.
3. Finish school (forever) and get a good job. Finishing school entails making it through the next two quarters of classes--and I hope to not only pass the classes but also get something out of them, which should be helped by the good study skills I finally managed to pick up this past quarter, after seven years of college. I also need to put together the portfolio my program requires in the next couple months, which means not only writing up the handful of experiences I already have but also coming up with and executing some kind of leadership experience related to library and information science. Any ideas? In the meantime, I've begun the hunt for employment and will start sending out resumes in the next week or two. What kind of job I get and where I get it are dependent on a lot of variables, but the goal is, at the end of this year, to be doing something that I enjoy, that provides financial security, and that complements whatever FoxyJ's school/work situation ends up being.
4. Have more compassion. You'll notice I call these "goals" and not "resolutions." I don't like resolutions because they tend to be vague, forgettable, and unmeasurable. This goal looks suspiciously like a resolution, but it is something I genuinely want to work on, even though I'm not sure how to quantify it. I've been reading George S. Pransky's Relationship Handbook, which my therapist recommended to me when I told him that FoxyJ and I were talking about getting back together (after he calmed down and recognized that I was not, in fact, making a huge and horrible mistake). The premise of the book is that therapy, as most therapists currently practice it, is screwed up. Happiness doesn't come from talking about our problems, but rather from recognizing that our "problems" are just products of our thoughts, which come and go depending on our moods. The way to be happy is to build on the thoughts we have when we're in a good mood and dismiss the thoughts that come when we're in a bad mood. Compassion comes into play when we recognize that the same thing is true of everyone else--when our spouse or child or friend does or says something to hurt us, it's because they're in a low mood, not because they really want to hurt us. All too often, I react to FoxyJ's or S-Boogie's or Little Dude's or my own bad moods, causing us all to spiral down into worse moods. As I've tried in the past couple weeks to view myself and others with more compassion and patience, I've been much happier and have been a better father and husband. I would like for this to become a regular part of my life.
I would also like to be able to better explain what this book is all about, as I don't think I've done it justice here. But that's not one of my goals this year. If you're curious you should read the book--it's cheap, short, and very easy to understand and apply (even if not so easy to explain secondhand). One of the reviewers on Amazon.com says that every couple should be required to read this book before getting married or divorced; I second that motion.
2. Finish the novel I'm writing and sell it. I'm about 20,000 words into my projected 100,000, but I haven't actually written anything in the past two months. I need to regain the excitement I had a couple months ago and get back into this. If I write at least 20,000 words a month (which translates to a thousand a day with a couple days a week off) I can have the rough draft finished by the end of April. That gives me two months to have the book polished up by the end of June, then the second half of the year to focus on querying agents and editors. I have complete confidence in my ability to finish the book--I've finished five or six before it--but what I've yet to do is actually sell a book. This is the year I'm going to make it happen.
3. Finish school (forever) and get a good job. Finishing school entails making it through the next two quarters of classes--and I hope to not only pass the classes but also get something out of them, which should be helped by the good study skills I finally managed to pick up this past quarter, after seven years of college. I also need to put together the portfolio my program requires in the next couple months, which means not only writing up the handful of experiences I already have but also coming up with and executing some kind of leadership experience related to library and information science. Any ideas? In the meantime, I've begun the hunt for employment and will start sending out resumes in the next week or two. What kind of job I get and where I get it are dependent on a lot of variables, but the goal is, at the end of this year, to be doing something that I enjoy, that provides financial security, and that complements whatever FoxyJ's school/work situation ends up being.
4. Have more compassion. You'll notice I call these "goals" and not "resolutions." I don't like resolutions because they tend to be vague, forgettable, and unmeasurable. This goal looks suspiciously like a resolution, but it is something I genuinely want to work on, even though I'm not sure how to quantify it. I've been reading George S. Pransky's Relationship Handbook, which my therapist recommended to me when I told him that FoxyJ and I were talking about getting back together (after he calmed down and recognized that I was not, in fact, making a huge and horrible mistake). The premise of the book is that therapy, as most therapists currently practice it, is screwed up. Happiness doesn't come from talking about our problems, but rather from recognizing that our "problems" are just products of our thoughts, which come and go depending on our moods. The way to be happy is to build on the thoughts we have when we're in a good mood and dismiss the thoughts that come when we're in a bad mood. Compassion comes into play when we recognize that the same thing is true of everyone else--when our spouse or child or friend does or says something to hurt us, it's because they're in a low mood, not because they really want to hurt us. All too often, I react to FoxyJ's or S-Boogie's or Little Dude's or my own bad moods, causing us all to spiral down into worse moods. As I've tried in the past couple weeks to view myself and others with more compassion and patience, I've been much happier and have been a better father and husband. I would like for this to become a regular part of my life.
I would also like to be able to better explain what this book is all about, as I don't think I've done it justice here. But that's not one of my goals this year. If you're curious you should read the book--it's cheap, short, and very easy to understand and apply (even if not so easy to explain secondhand). One of the reviewers on Amazon.com says that every couple should be required to read this book before getting married or divorced; I second that motion.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
My 2007 Report Card
I'll just come out and say it: 2007 was a shitty year. It's rare for me to admit such a thing, even to myself, because I tend to believe in the adage "All's well that ends well," and I tend to assume even in the midst of whatever's happening that it will eventually end well. But when I step back and objectively think about everything I've been through this year--emotionally, physically, and fiscally--and then add on top of that all the crap I've made my loved ones endure, I have to admit that as years go this one kind of sucked.
That said, this year really does look like it's going to end well. I'm at a happy place right now, at peace with myself as a husband, a father, a student, a writer, and a human being. Despite many setbacks throughout the year and the most recent news that FoxyJ will have to find a new job this quarter because her classes have been canceled, I think our family is doing well too. Foxy is a confident woman, I suspect even more aware now than she was a couple years ago of what she is capable of. S-Boogie loves preschool and seems to make friends everywhere she goes (and at the moment she wants me to write SUIIEL, which is apparently pronounced "cage-on"). Little Dude is bursting with cheer most of the time and communicates quite well with his two dozen signs and half-a-dozen words.
And through it all, I feel like I've done pretty well on the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year. Which is why it's surprising to look objectively and see that I haven't. Here's the breakdown:
1. Cut down to 15% body fat. This is the one I'm most surprised by. I've worked out pretty consistently through the year and probably lost about ten pounds. I feel healthier and in better shape than I was a year ago. Nevertheless, the body fat scale I borrowed in January told me I was at 22%, and the body fat scale I bought with the gift card my dad sent last week has been telling me pretty consistently that I'm still at 22%. It may just be the difference in scales, so I'm going to go with my gut instinct and believe that I've made progress here, even if not all the way to 15%. I think I'll make this a goal again in 2008, except this time I'll have a better plan as to how I'm going to get there, taking into account not only exercise but also eating habits. And now that I own a scale I can better keep track of my progress.
2. Make five writing submissions, or one successful submission, whichever comes first. I haven't quite met this one, unless you count the fact that two of my pieces will be appearing in the forthcoming Fob Bible as a "successful submission." As excited as I am about this anthology of Fob literature, self-publication isn't quite what I had in mind. I did, just this very afternoon, finally submit my paper on lesbianism and homosexuality in the Library of Congress Subject Headings and Classification systems to a journal, as well as a query for my current novel to an agent. Cross your fingers for me!
3. Read at least twelve leisure books. Pshaw. I totally kicked this goal's butt. I think it's safe to say that I'm finally at a place where, despite all the reading I have to do for school, I've made enough of a habit of reading for fun that I don't need to make it a goal anymore. I've read two books just in the last three days.
4. Read the New Testament. Meh. Making the transition from reluctant Mormon to confused Christian to comfortable agnostic this year has sort of killed this goal. I read some at the beginning of the year with Foxy, then a bit more when I was attending the United Church of Christ, but then I lost interest. I have been reading a lot of Bible stories and poems written by my fellow fobs, though. I'm sure that counts for something.
So I guess that all adds up to about a C-. I'll do better next year. And of course there's still tomorrow left for 2007.
2008 goals to come.
That said, this year really does look like it's going to end well. I'm at a happy place right now, at peace with myself as a husband, a father, a student, a writer, and a human being. Despite many setbacks throughout the year and the most recent news that FoxyJ will have to find a new job this quarter because her classes have been canceled, I think our family is doing well too. Foxy is a confident woman, I suspect even more aware now than she was a couple years ago of what she is capable of. S-Boogie loves preschool and seems to make friends everywhere she goes (and at the moment she wants me to write SUIIEL, which is apparently pronounced "cage-on"). Little Dude is bursting with cheer most of the time and communicates quite well with his two dozen signs and half-a-dozen words.
And through it all, I feel like I've done pretty well on the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year. Which is why it's surprising to look objectively and see that I haven't. Here's the breakdown:
1. Cut down to 15% body fat. This is the one I'm most surprised by. I've worked out pretty consistently through the year and probably lost about ten pounds. I feel healthier and in better shape than I was a year ago. Nevertheless, the body fat scale I borrowed in January told me I was at 22%, and the body fat scale I bought with the gift card my dad sent last week has been telling me pretty consistently that I'm still at 22%. It may just be the difference in scales, so I'm going to go with my gut instinct and believe that I've made progress here, even if not all the way to 15%. I think I'll make this a goal again in 2008, except this time I'll have a better plan as to how I'm going to get there, taking into account not only exercise but also eating habits. And now that I own a scale I can better keep track of my progress.
2. Make five writing submissions, or one successful submission, whichever comes first. I haven't quite met this one, unless you count the fact that two of my pieces will be appearing in the forthcoming Fob Bible as a "successful submission." As excited as I am about this anthology of Fob literature, self-publication isn't quite what I had in mind. I did, just this very afternoon, finally submit my paper on lesbianism and homosexuality in the Library of Congress Subject Headings and Classification systems to a journal, as well as a query for my current novel to an agent. Cross your fingers for me!
3. Read at least twelve leisure books. Pshaw. I totally kicked this goal's butt. I think it's safe to say that I'm finally at a place where, despite all the reading I have to do for school, I've made enough of a habit of reading for fun that I don't need to make it a goal anymore. I've read two books just in the last three days.
4. Read the New Testament. Meh. Making the transition from reluctant Mormon to confused Christian to comfortable agnostic this year has sort of killed this goal. I read some at the beginning of the year with Foxy, then a bit more when I was attending the United Church of Christ, but then I lost interest. I have been reading a lot of Bible stories and poems written by my fellow fobs, though. I'm sure that counts for something.
So I guess that all adds up to about a C-. I'll do better next year. And of course there's still tomorrow left for 2007.
2008 goals to come.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Calories and Pounds
According to the display on the exercise bike, after sixty minutes of riding this morning I had burned about 450 calories. That's equivalent to what? A Snickers bar?
Mmm... Snickers...
On the bright side, according to the locker room scale, this morning I broke the 170 mark--169.8, to be exact--for the first time in recent memory. Granted, my 2007 goal is based on body fat, not weight, but still I think that's a sign I'm making some progress, if only 450 calories at a time.
Mmm... Snickers...
On the bright side, according to the locker room scale, this morning I broke the 170 mark--169.8, to be exact--for the first time in recent memory. Granted, my 2007 goal is based on body fat, not weight, but still I think that's a sign I'm making some progress, if only 450 calories at a time.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Healthy Choices Made at Dinner Tonight, Eaten at Kidd Valley in Celebration of FoxyJ's New Job
- Instead of a double cheeseburger or bacon cheeseburger, a cheeseburger.
- Instead of sweet potato fries and onion rings, sweet potato fries.
- Instead of a large chocolate shake, a regular chocolate shake.
I am so on my way to losing that extra body fat.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Midterm Report
We hit the halfway point of 2007 the other day, so I figured it's a good time to, I don't know, remember that I have goals I'm trying to accomplish this year. So here's my report:
1. Cut down to 15% body fat. I haven't actually measured my body fat since the beginning of the year, but I have to say, subjectively speaking, I think I'm doing okay on this. I've incorporated cardiovascular exercise into my more-or-less regular gym routine, and a positive side effect of living alone is that I haven't had so many snacks in my kitchen, which has cut down on the eating-out-of-boredom thing. Also, I've been weighing myself in the locker room every time I go and I've gone down from 175 to 170 in the past couple months.
2. Make five writing submissions, or one successful submission, whichever comes first. Basically, I suck. I had a lot of grand ideas at the beginning of the year but none of them have come to fruition. Fob (the writing group) sort of stopped happening a few months ago, and without that regular motivation to write I haven't been writing. I do have a research paper I plan on polishing up and submitting somewhere, which isn't quite what I had in mind with this goal, but it's something. I should at least give myself a deadline for that. How about if I haven't submitted that paper somewhere by September 30th, you all threaten to stop reading my blog? If nothing else, vanity will motivate me.
3. Read at least twelve leisure books. I'm pretty sure I'm on track here, but I haven't been keeping track very well. Let's see, off the top of my head, I've read (or listened to):
4. Read the New Testament. Um, yeah, I'm doing about as well with this one as I did with the Old Testament last year. I would still like to do this, and it's certainly not too late.
How are you doing on your goals? If you've all but forgotten them, like I did, or even if you didn't make any in the first place, there's no reason to wait until next January to set some new ones.
1. Cut down to 15% body fat. I haven't actually measured my body fat since the beginning of the year, but I have to say, subjectively speaking, I think I'm doing okay on this. I've incorporated cardiovascular exercise into my more-or-less regular gym routine, and a positive side effect of living alone is that I haven't had so many snacks in my kitchen, which has cut down on the eating-out-of-boredom thing. Also, I've been weighing myself in the locker room every time I go and I've gone down from 175 to 170 in the past couple months.
2. Make five writing submissions, or one successful submission, whichever comes first. Basically, I suck. I had a lot of grand ideas at the beginning of the year but none of them have come to fruition. Fob (the writing group) sort of stopped happening a few months ago, and without that regular motivation to write I haven't been writing. I do have a research paper I plan on polishing up and submitting somewhere, which isn't quite what I had in mind with this goal, but it's something. I should at least give myself a deadline for that. How about if I haven't submitted that paper somewhere by September 30th, you all threaten to stop reading my blog? If nothing else, vanity will motivate me.
3. Read at least twelve leisure books. I'm pretty sure I'm on track here, but I haven't been keeping track very well. Let's see, off the top of my head, I've read (or listened to):
- Superfolks
- The Power of Now
- Stillness Speaks
- Fun Home: A Tragicomic
- It's a Bird!
- Up on Cloud Nine
- Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
- Me Talk Pretty One Day
- Barrel Fever and Other Stories
- The Amulet of Samarkand
4. Read the New Testament. Um, yeah, I'm doing about as well with this one as I did with the Old Testament last year. I would still like to do this, and it's certainly not too late.
How are you doing on your goals? If you've all but forgotten them, like I did, or even if you didn't make any in the first place, there's no reason to wait until next January to set some new ones.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Body Fat
Inspired, perhaps, by my brother's decrying of the inaccuracy of web-based body fat measurements, a kind member of the blogging community (who may not want you to know he lives in my real world vicinity and therefore shall remain anonymous) has lent me his body fat scale. According to the scale, I have 20% body fat with my clothes on and 22% with my clothes off (this actually makes sense if you think about how it works). So, as it turns out, I need to shave off 7%, not 5.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
2007 Goals
1. Cut down to 15% body fat. According to this site, at least, I am currently at 20%. Getting down to 15% is the equivalent of losing fifteen pounds, but I'm focusing on body fat percentage instead of weight because ideally I'm adding muscle weight as I go.
2. Make five writing submissions, or one successful submission, whichever comes first. This will make Th. happy, I hope. By "successful" I mean someone actually wants to buy my work.
3. Read at least twelve leisure books. Yes, I more than doubled this goal last year, but I wasn't in school most of last year. I've mainly made this goal again because it's a good way to read for fun without feeling guilty about it.
4. Read the New Testament. This is a joint goal with FoxyJ, and hopefully we'll do better than we did with the Old Testament.
2. Make five writing submissions, or one successful submission, whichever comes first. This will make Th. happy, I hope. By "successful" I mean someone actually wants to buy my work.
3. Read at least twelve leisure books. Yes, I more than doubled this goal last year, but I wasn't in school most of last year. I've mainly made this goal again because it's a good way to read for fun without feeling guilty about it.
4. Read the New Testament. This is a joint goal with FoxyJ, and hopefully we'll do better than we did with the Old Testament.
Monday, January 01, 2007
My 2006 Report Card
My 2006 goals:
i. Read the Old Testament.
Meh. We made it through Leviticus, I think. Almost.
D-
ii. Get a six-pack (my own, not someone else's).
See results below.
iii. Read at least one book per month.
Woo hoo! Take a look at the list in my sidebar. 27 divided by 12 equals 2.25, meaning I met this goal and raised it another 125%. Go me!
A+
iv. Read more poetry.
Well, technically, I did read more poetry, meaning I started two or three books of poetry over the course of the year. Maybe I'll be more specific next time I try to get me some culture.
C
v. Do something fun and surprising for Foxy on a regular basis. (This one's a secret; don't tell her.)
As I've mentioned before, this goal was way too foggy. Over the last few months, though, I have managed to surprise FoxyJ with flowers and chocolates and stuff like that more than once.
B
And now for the six-pack goal. I really didn't put as much effort into this as I wanted to until the last three months, but I made a lot of improvement in that time. It pays to use the ab machines at the gym--when I tried to do crunches at home, it just didn't happen consistently. Also, my bathroom scale says I've lost 15 pounds since moving to Seattle, which helps.
So I present to you the results of my efforts, with a warning that if you are grossed out by sexy man abs, or conversely if you are turned on by sexy man abs but don't want to be turned on by my sexy man abs, you should stop scrolling now.
I'm warning you...
Resist temptation!
Stop!
Okay,
for those of you who have persevered,
my abs as of this morning:
Can't see the six-pack? Maybe this will help:
And in case you need a before picture to compare the after to, here is me three years ago:
(I'm the fat one holding the baby.)
RETROACTIVE WARNING: If you are grossed out by flabby man bellies, or conversely if you are turned on by flabby man bellies but don't want to be turned on by my flabby man belly, you should have stopped scrolling before you saw the above picture.
So I give myself a B+ on the six-pack goal because I didn't quite get that six-pack, but I made some progress, and my wife says my tummy is sexy.
GPA for the year:
2.66
I'll do better next year. (2007 goals to come.)
i. Read the Old Testament.
Meh. We made it through Leviticus, I think. Almost.
D-
ii. Get a six-pack (my own, not someone else's).
See results below.
iii. Read at least one book per month.
Woo hoo! Take a look at the list in my sidebar. 27 divided by 12 equals 2.25, meaning I met this goal and raised it another 125%. Go me!
A+
iv. Read more poetry.
Well, technically, I did read more poetry, meaning I started two or three books of poetry over the course of the year. Maybe I'll be more specific next time I try to get me some culture.
C
v. Do something fun and surprising for Foxy on a regular basis. (This one's a secret; don't tell her.)
As I've mentioned before, this goal was way too foggy. Over the last few months, though, I have managed to surprise FoxyJ with flowers and chocolates and stuff like that more than once.
B
And now for the six-pack goal. I really didn't put as much effort into this as I wanted to until the last three months, but I made a lot of improvement in that time. It pays to use the ab machines at the gym--when I tried to do crunches at home, it just didn't happen consistently. Also, my bathroom scale says I've lost 15 pounds since moving to Seattle, which helps.
So I present to you the results of my efforts, with a warning that if you are grossed out by sexy man abs, or conversely if you are turned on by sexy man abs but don't want to be turned on by my sexy man abs, you should stop scrolling now.
I'm warning you...
Resist temptation!
Stop!
Okay,
for those of you who have persevered,
my abs as of this morning:
Can't see the six-pack? Maybe this will help:
And in case you need a before picture to compare the after to, here is me three years ago:
(I'm the fat one holding the baby.)RETROACTIVE WARNING: If you are grossed out by flabby man bellies, or conversely if you are turned on by flabby man bellies but don't want to be turned on by my flabby man belly, you should have stopped scrolling before you saw the above picture.
So I give myself a B+ on the six-pack goal because I didn't quite get that six-pack, but I made some progress, and my wife says my tummy is sexy.
GPA for the year:
2.66
I'll do better next year. (2007 goals to come.)
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Three Months to Go
2006 is three-quarters done and I can't say I'm three-quarters done with my new year's resolutions. Here's my report:
i. Read the Old Testament. Um, yeah, not so much. We fizzled out somewhere in Leviticus, I think. That was several months ago.
ii. Get a six-pack (my own, not someone else's). Not doing so great here, either, but I still have hope. I've been quite a bit more active since we moved, biking and walking a lot, which should help get rid of the excess layer of fat. And yesterday Tolkien Boy and I went to the gym for the first time in four months. In the past I haven't worked my abs at the gym because I figured I could at home, but I've rid myself of that illusion by now, so I intend to include ab exercises in my regular gym routine. Today my tummy hurts. In a good way.
iii. Read at least one book per month. This is the one goal I've blown out of the water, as you can see by looking down my sidebar. I'm not sure how much time I'll have for leisure reading now that I'm back in school, but I'm glad to know I took advantage of the school-free time I had.
iv. Read more poetry. Hm. No comment. Okay, one comment: I borrowed two poetry books from editorgirl, started to read one, then left both of them to collect dust on my shelves for about six months until eg asked to have them back.
v. Do something fun and surprising for Foxy on a regular basis. I intentionally didn't make this goal very specific because I didn't want to make it something I check off of a list of things to do, but that also makes it hard to track progress on. I know I've made some effort, but not as much as I'd like to. This is another one for me to work on salvaging over the next three months. I'll let you know how it goes.
How are you doing on your resolutions and goals?
i. Read the Old Testament. Um, yeah, not so much. We fizzled out somewhere in Leviticus, I think. That was several months ago.
ii. Get a six-pack (my own, not someone else's). Not doing so great here, either, but I still have hope. I've been quite a bit more active since we moved, biking and walking a lot, which should help get rid of the excess layer of fat. And yesterday Tolkien Boy and I went to the gym for the first time in four months. In the past I haven't worked my abs at the gym because I figured I could at home, but I've rid myself of that illusion by now, so I intend to include ab exercises in my regular gym routine. Today my tummy hurts. In a good way.
iii. Read at least one book per month. This is the one goal I've blown out of the water, as you can see by looking down my sidebar. I'm not sure how much time I'll have for leisure reading now that I'm back in school, but I'm glad to know I took advantage of the school-free time I had.
iv. Read more poetry. Hm. No comment. Okay, one comment: I borrowed two poetry books from editorgirl, started to read one, then left both of them to collect dust on my shelves for about six months until eg asked to have them back.
v. Do something fun and surprising for Foxy on a regular basis. I intentionally didn't make this goal very specific because I didn't want to make it something I check off of a list of things to do, but that also makes it hard to track progress on. I know I've made some effort, but not as much as I'd like to. This is another one for me to work on salvaging over the next three months. I'll let you know how it goes.
How are you doing on your resolutions and goals?
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Goal Report 1
As promised, I'm reporting on my goal progress. (And, incidentally, Foxy's goal progress, but I'm sure she won't mind.) I don't do this because I pretend you care, but because this provides added motivation to do what I said I would. Foxy and I figured out a while ago that goals work best when we break them down into small, specific chunks, and keep track of them in a public place--we hang this sheet on our fridge for all our visitors to mock.Notice the goal I do most consistently is going to the gym. It helps that I have several motivations: in addition to keeping the goal for the goal's sake, I have Tolkien Boy and Sethillama expecting me to meet them at the gym at least two of the three times a week I need to go, I have the Spring Into Fitness program at work encouraging me with the promise of Mall Bucks, and, perhaps the strongest motivator of all, I am vain. I don't mean that I suffer from delusions of buffness or even general attractiveness, but that I really want to be buff and attractive and I'm hyperaware of my physical strengths and flaws. And working out makes me feel good, both physically and emotionally.
I should clarify that I don't count blogging toward my writing goal and I don't count comic books toward my reading goal, nor do I think 15 minutes a day is an ideal amount of time to spend on either, but it's a good bare minimum to start with. On the days I manage to do 15 minutes I often end up doing more. The number of days I don't even get that 15 in is pitifully high. I hang my head in shame. I am happy to report, though, that I've nearly completed reading my second book of the year and February has barely started, so I'm ahead of my book-a-month goal.
You'll notice neither Foxy or I am very good at getting in bed by 10:30. Oh well.
On the other hand, we're doing pretty well on our Spice goals. Spice, of course, being the plural of spouse, not a reference to the porn channel of the same name.
S-Boogie, also, is doing a good job of reading more than twenty minutes a day (not counting naptime and bedtime reading) and getting on-the-floor interactive playing time with each of her parents.
As for Goal V, I decided it would be weird to quantify and report, but I've been making a decent effort, I think.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Goal II: Mission Accomplished
Edgy Killer Bunny brought me a six-pack tonight. First day of the year, and I've already accomplished one of my five goals.
Three Posts for the Price of One
1. Bad Parents
We honestly had no intention of keeping S-Boogie up past midnight. Traditionally we don't even stay up till midnight ourselves, even if we try. We were going to let her stay up a little later than usual, come home about ten, and put her in bed. And that plan would have worked, were S-Boogie and Foxy J and I not having so much fun. I blame editorgirl for throwing such a great party.
Lately, S-Boogie tends to wake up just a little before Foxy and I are ready to, so she gets in bed with us and kicks our faces until we wake up. This morning, she got up at about the usual time, climbed into our bed, and went back to sleep. We went to sacrament meeting at nine, came home because her nose is too runny to go to nursery, and she asked to take a nap. What we have here is a tired Boogie.
2. Good Music
Last night I finally succeeded in transferring all our music to the MP3 player we got with the gift card my dad gave us for Christmas (thanks again, Dad). The total rings in at 2552 tracks from 224 albums, using up less than half of the 20 GB capacity of the player.
3. New Year's Resolutions
i. Read the Old Testament. The Sunday school teacher recommended the New Jewish Publication Society Translation of the Tanakh, and I think I might try it out, just to do something different.
ii. Get a six-pack (my own, not someone else's).
iii. Read at least one book per month. I'm embarrassed to admit that, as a librarian and an English teacher, I need to make this a goal. This past semester I just didn't have any time left over after preparing lesson plans, hanging out with S-Boog, working, eating, sleeping, writing, blogging, and occasionally running into Foxy J. I need to make time, though. Somehow.
iv. Read more poetry. I've been reading Foxy's copy of Leaves of Grass and I've been enjoying it. Considering the length and my pace, maybe my goal should just be to finish Leaves this year.
v. Do something fun and surprising for Foxy on a regular basis. (This one's a secret; don't tell her.)
I'll report back throughout the year. Please harass me if I don't.
We honestly had no intention of keeping S-Boogie up past midnight. Traditionally we don't even stay up till midnight ourselves, even if we try. We were going to let her stay up a little later than usual, come home about ten, and put her in bed. And that plan would have worked, were S-Boogie and Foxy J and I not having so much fun. I blame editorgirl for throwing such a great party.
Lately, S-Boogie tends to wake up just a little before Foxy and I are ready to, so she gets in bed with us and kicks our faces until we wake up. This morning, she got up at about the usual time, climbed into our bed, and went back to sleep. We went to sacrament meeting at nine, came home because her nose is too runny to go to nursery, and she asked to take a nap. What we have here is a tired Boogie.
2. Good Music
Last night I finally succeeded in transferring all our music to the MP3 player we got with the gift card my dad gave us for Christmas (thanks again, Dad). The total rings in at 2552 tracks from 224 albums, using up less than half of the 20 GB capacity of the player.
3. New Year's Resolutions
i. Read the Old Testament. The Sunday school teacher recommended the New Jewish Publication Society Translation of the Tanakh, and I think I might try it out, just to do something different.
ii. Get a six-pack (my own, not someone else's).
iii. Read at least one book per month. I'm embarrassed to admit that, as a librarian and an English teacher, I need to make this a goal. This past semester I just didn't have any time left over after preparing lesson plans, hanging out with S-Boog, working, eating, sleeping, writing, blogging, and occasionally running into Foxy J. I need to make time, though. Somehow.
iv. Read more poetry. I've been reading Foxy's copy of Leaves of Grass and I've been enjoying it. Considering the length and my pace, maybe my goal should just be to finish Leaves this year.
v. Do something fun and surprising for Foxy on a regular basis. (This one's a secret; don't tell her.)
I'll report back throughout the year. Please harass me if I don't.
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