It’s been so long since I even mentioned the 2010 Goals, you probably assumed I’d given up on them. Well, gentle reader, though given up is probably not an accurate description of the state of things, there’s no denying that the goals could have progressed a bit more. But I’m cutting myself some slack. I bet 90% of people who made a New Year’s resolution have already forgotten what it was.
2011 Goal: Stop making excuses for myself.
Let’s take a closer look and see how things are going, shall we?
1. Taking More Pictures
If you’ve been looking at the site, I guess this has gone pretty much okay. I’m taking way more pictures than I did with my crappy Canon that was like a grillion years old. And even looking at the photos I shot over the Christmas holiday (when I first got the camera) to more recently, I think there’s been some progress in terms of composition and understanding all the features on the camera in order to maximize the quality of the photo.
I’ve learned pretty quickly that in order to get the composition I want on a lot of shots, I probably need to buy a wide angle lens at some point. (See Goal #3, and 2011’s Goal #1)
2. Writing More
Uff, my biggest disappointment. While updates on the site have been far more frequent than this time last year (or during 2009 in general), I haven’t written anything creatively outside of the blog. Must work on this. The year is already a quarter over!
3. Saving Money
Moderately successful. Successful enough that I could book a trip to Paris. But, there’s a lot of work to be done for the rainy day fund. Q2 will be spent saving money for Parisian bistros (well, duh, of course dining out is going to be a huge part of the Paris budget!), and also general savings. Perhaps I’ll stow enough away to get that wide angle lens, and could even – gasp! – start to put some money into that crazy stock market thingamajig.
4. Learning more French
C’est un peu difficile à apprendre la Français quand il n’ya pas personne avec à parler. Mais, j’ai trouve quelques livres de leçons et ressources de en ligne pour aider. Maintenant, j’ai besoin (et je veux!) d’etudier en plus.
Également, je dis, “Je t’aime” à Joe tous le jours. C’est mignon, je suis.
5. Exercising More
This is a bad one, y’all. I’ve given up walking hom from work. Honesty is the best policy, and when I was honest with myself, I learned that I was so miserable walking over 2.5 miles after 8 hours at work. I’d get home after 6, then have to put dinner together, when all I wanted to do was take a shower and rot in front of the TV for a few hours. So now, I either take the bus home, or Joe will pick me up. Most mornings, I try to walk, unless the weather is bad or I’m running late. As it’s been warming up in SF lately, it’s been much easier to walk more frequently.
No comment on the embarrassing amount of inevitable muscle atrophy from not lifting any weights this year. But my leg muscles are super strong!
6. Staying in better touch with friends and family
I dunno. Have I done better? You guys tell me. I feel like I just really suck at this one. Part of this is that I really hate talking on the phone (honesty again), and much prefer penning emails with updates, and receiving them in turn.
Total aside. There’s a Sprint commercial that’s been running in which the CEO makes the comment, “These days, there aren’t many of us that use a cell phone just to make calls…” Talk about role reversal — here’s a 60 year old man telling me what a loser I am for not having text messaging and an unlimited data plan. Then I think about the fact that my mom has an iPod Touch, and regularly checks her email on the go…and I officially resign myself being a mobile technology ludite.
I went into an AT&T store yesterday to investigate a new phone, as I’m totally due for an upgrade. All the options were overwhelming. Most all the phones either require that you have a data plan, or have so many features that you feel guilty not buying one. I had to grab Joe and leave after about 5 minutes. It was too much.
I’m admitting here and now that I still have a Motorola Razr, that it does not send nor does it receive text messages, and that never once in my 10 years of owning a cell phone have I ever purchased a data plan. I guess I just don’t feel like anything is missing from my life, having access to all that information while on the go, or constantly being available to anyone who needs me. And the thing is, if I succumb to a fancy new iPhone or it’s ilk, I know it’s a slippery slope. I wouldn’t be able to save any money because of all the stupid apps I’d buy. Gah!
This aside was probably a way to deflect from the fact that I haven’t been that great at keeping up with people. Maybe it’s time to pen another email to a few folks, and make a few calls. If you get a phone call within the next month, you are obviously a baller in the world of VMAC.
What about you? Are you keeping up with your New Year’s resolution?
