In 2009, I made the following resolutions:
1. To Knit
2. To Learn
3. To Be
Here is a link to the full explanation of my 2009 resolutions.
So, how did I do? Truth time.
1. My explanation of the resolution To Knit, included designing and knitting a cabled blanket. This part of the resolution did not happen for a very good reason. Shortly after I made the resolution, I had a resurgence of moth issues in my stash. With all of that work to battle the moths, the last thing I wanted to do was knit this huge, woolen labor of love and then have it get attacked by moths. I eventually did challenge myself when I made Oblique and I used the yarn that I wanted to use for the blanket. And, I definitely knitted a lot in 2009. So, even though the resolution didn't work out exactly as I had originally envisioned, I don't feel like I missed out.
2. To Learn was explained in terms of technology. I tasked myself with learning how to be independently capable of operating our computer/TV, watching a DVD, burning/ripping CDs, managing my music files and processing photos. I'd say I kicked ass on this resolution. And, I barely needed Paul's help to do it! It helps that he hasn't made any major changes to our set-up in a while. I can now rip, burn, compile and backup our music. I now know how to power cycle our wireless internet and can troubleshoot problems with our entertainment system, wireless internet and laptop. I now back-up photos on a regular basis and can make adjustments in photoshop without my shortcuts/macro keys. I even took a photo workshop class that was fun AND taught me more photo processing skills. Yay!
3. To Be was a more vague resolution, but a very necessary one considering how mired I was in job searching and the challenges of settling into life in a new/old city. This resolution involved being mindful of my needs and my choices this year in regards to nutrition, exercise and stress.
Let's break this third resolution down further:
NUTRITION: Damn, I like sweets! I like to bake. I like to finish off a meal with something sweet. So, sugar is still a part of my diet. Maybe it is a little more limited than before. Maybe not. It probably depends on the week. As far as other nutritional considerations, I feel like I eat a pretty balanced vegetarian diet, with a majority of my meals being homemade. I still have the occasional pre-packaged meal when circumstances warrant it. I have been totally dedicated to taking my vitamins and supplements throughout 2009 and feel like they have really helped me fight off most of the bugs my co-workers pass around.
EXERCISE: I learned something valuable about myself through this resolution. I learned that I will stick with exercise that is fun. That I will likely practice avoidance if I do not get enjoyment from exercise. Part of what makes exercise fun for me is variety. This year I took a bunch of classes from Minneapolis Community Education, including African Dance, Belly Dance, Hoop Dance, Cardio Kickboxing and Toning Aerobics. Through my new gym, I take Zumba and Bosu Ball classes. I also tried my hand at the Couch to 5K, but by week 7 it started to get cold and I started to find it to be VERY repetitive and slightly torturous. Luckily, through my new job, I was able to join a gym that allows me to fit in the occasional lunch break workout and go to the gym straight from work. Hopefully I have set myself up for keeping the momentum going through 2010.
STRESS: The past year has brought some stress in relation to both good and bad things. Let's talk about the good. I have a job! Hooray! Also, we bought a house! I feel proud of how well I handled the stress of all of the life changes Paul and I encountered in 2009 and proud that we have accomplished some really major goals. Of course, not everything is perfect. Overall we are very fortunate and I have chosen to recognize that as often as possible, which has really helped with managing stress and keeping a healthy perspective throughout the year.
As has been the case in past years, my resolutions really helped me direct my energy and stay on track towards my goals. I am definitely on board for making more resolutions in 2010. Tune in tomorrow to find out about my 2010 resolutions.
Showing posts with label Resolution09. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Resolution09. Show all posts
Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday, January 12, 2009
Resolutions Present
Now that I have reflected on my past year's resolutions, I am ready to move onward and declare my resolutions for 2009. They fall under 3 categories:
To Knit
In 2009 I resolve to design and knit a cabled throw. I have done a little bit of cable work, but I have loads to learn. I imagine that this throw will be knit in strips, rather than blocks. I hope to divide up the knitting into monthly chunks to prevent it from taking over the entire year's worth of knitting time. At this point, I am thinking of using Cascade Eco Wool as it fits my image of a really rustic, natural-looking, super warm, cabled blanket that doesn't cost more than all of my living room furniture combined.
To Learn
I hereby admit that I am dependent on Paul for my technology needs. It is the thing that comes naturally to him. He is very capable of handling the things that need handling in regards to our home entertainment technology, our computers, our music, photos...you name it, he is the one who knows how to deal with it in our home. I have been OK with this in the past, as it seemed our division of duties included me handling other things around the house and him handling the stuff that plugs in.
Well, I am over it. I resolve to be independently capable of operating our computer/TV, watching a DVD, burning/ripping CDs, managing my music files and processing photos. Part of the reason I have avoided this area in the past was that it seemed whenever I learned how to operate something, he would "update" or adjust something without telling me and it wouldn't work the next time I tried to use it. It made me really frustrated so I sort of surrendered to not knowing in order to avoid being regularly thwarted and made cranky by our technology.
Now, I am not a stupid person. I can understand basic technology. However, because Paul is interested in techie stuff, our "system" is not user friendly. It is complicated and convoluted to anyone who didn't set it up in the custom way that is oh-so-awesome and just what we needed, AKA Paul. I spoke with Paul and he has agreed to explain it all to me AND to keep me in the loop whenever he tweaks something that impacts the functionality.
So that is the home entertainment component, but that isn't all I want to learn. I also want to learn how to be independent with my music and photos. In order to accomplish that goal, I will need to learn the following: using an external drive to rip and burn music files, gain more in depth knowledge of how itunes functions, learn more photoshop skills, learn how to backup files on CD.
This resolution sounds pretty awful to me, but I know it is necessary and I will feel better knowing I can be the boss of our inanimate objects.
To Be
This is my most vague resolution this year, but I feel it is important to put it out there and remind myself of regularly. I resolve to be mindful of my needs and my choices this year in regards to nutrition, exercise and stress. This is probably the most common resolution EVER, but I think it is especially relevant to my life this year.
I am adjusting to a life that does not include as much daily walking and in order to compensate and feel physically well, I need to find other outlets for exercise. I just signed up for some dance classes through community education, so if those go well, I will keep taking them each quarter and be all set. My fingers are crossed.
I am still job searching with no way of knowing when that will be over and that is, as you can imagine, stressful. I have been doing pretty well with managing that stress and keeping a level head about my situation and I want to continue in that way.
I like sweets. Probably too much. So, this year I am going to try to be more conscious of how much sugar I am consuming and minimize my consumption. I am not "dieting" or freaking out and cutting it out of my diet, I just want to be more mindful about my sugar consumption.
So there you have it. I've declared them and now I have my work cut out for me in 2009.
- To Knit
- To Learn
- To Be
To Knit
In 2009 I resolve to design and knit a cabled throw. I have done a little bit of cable work, but I have loads to learn. I imagine that this throw will be knit in strips, rather than blocks. I hope to divide up the knitting into monthly chunks to prevent it from taking over the entire year's worth of knitting time. At this point, I am thinking of using Cascade Eco Wool as it fits my image of a really rustic, natural-looking, super warm, cabled blanket that doesn't cost more than all of my living room furniture combined.
To Learn
I hereby admit that I am dependent on Paul for my technology needs. It is the thing that comes naturally to him. He is very capable of handling the things that need handling in regards to our home entertainment technology, our computers, our music, photos...you name it, he is the one who knows how to deal with it in our home. I have been OK with this in the past, as it seemed our division of duties included me handling other things around the house and him handling the stuff that plugs in.
Well, I am over it. I resolve to be independently capable of operating our computer/TV, watching a DVD, burning/ripping CDs, managing my music files and processing photos. Part of the reason I have avoided this area in the past was that it seemed whenever I learned how to operate something, he would "update" or adjust something without telling me and it wouldn't work the next time I tried to use it. It made me really frustrated so I sort of surrendered to not knowing in order to avoid being regularly thwarted and made cranky by our technology.
Now, I am not a stupid person. I can understand basic technology. However, because Paul is interested in techie stuff, our "system" is not user friendly. It is complicated and convoluted to anyone who didn't set it up in the custom way that is oh-so-awesome and just what we needed, AKA Paul. I spoke with Paul and he has agreed to explain it all to me AND to keep me in the loop whenever he tweaks something that impacts the functionality.
So that is the home entertainment component, but that isn't all I want to learn. I also want to learn how to be independent with my music and photos. In order to accomplish that goal, I will need to learn the following: using an external drive to rip and burn music files, gain more in depth knowledge of how itunes functions, learn more photoshop skills, learn how to backup files on CD.
This resolution sounds pretty awful to me, but I know it is necessary and I will feel better knowing I can be the boss of our inanimate objects.
To Be
This is my most vague resolution this year, but I feel it is important to put it out there and remind myself of regularly. I resolve to be mindful of my needs and my choices this year in regards to nutrition, exercise and stress. This is probably the most common resolution EVER, but I think it is especially relevant to my life this year.
I am adjusting to a life that does not include as much daily walking and in order to compensate and feel physically well, I need to find other outlets for exercise. I just signed up for some dance classes through community education, so if those go well, I will keep taking them each quarter and be all set. My fingers are crossed.
I am still job searching with no way of knowing when that will be over and that is, as you can imagine, stressful. I have been doing pretty well with managing that stress and keeping a level head about my situation and I want to continue in that way.
I like sweets. Probably too much. So, this year I am going to try to be more conscious of how much sugar I am consuming and minimize my consumption. I am not "dieting" or freaking out and cutting it out of my diet, I just want to be more mindful about my sugar consumption.
So there you have it. I've declared them and now I have my work cut out for me in 2009.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Resolutions Past
In 2007 I made the first New Year's Resolutions of my adulthood. I found them to be great motivators and they provided me with focus. Granted, a few of the resolutions were vague and sort of fell by the wayside, but I largely felt the experience was beneficial.
I continued the tradition in 2008 and made the resolution to cook at least 3 new recipes each month. Paul had agreed to be a part of it, but as it turns out he wasn't really that interested when the time came to plan, shop and cook. I was fine with going solo, so over the past year I have been making tons of new recipes and, in the process, feel more comfortable making up my own dishes, deviating from recipes and have broadened my knowledge and use of spices.
Luckily Paul WAS interested in eating new foods, so I shared them with him and with friends and family. Many of the recipes I tried throughout the year have become new go-to favorites of our house. I also realized this year how good soup can be. Soup made from scratch tastes infinitely better than soup from a can! I received an immersion blender from my mom and Roger this Christmas, so I foresee making many batches of soup in the future!
The other component of the 2008 resolutions was that Paul and I declared it to be The Year of Honesty in our home. I wrote at the beginning of the year what that meant in terms of possessions and knitting, but that declaration came to mean something totally different towards the latter part of the year. After our move from Boston to Minneapolis and the subsequent uphill and still in progress job search, we needed to be honest about what our true needs are. Together we have tackled the concepts of "need" vs. "want", evaluated the careful balance between money-making and mental health, and have questioned many of our assumptions and perspectives about our place in the world. When we get down to it, the honest truth is that our needs are being met, but we both have many desires that are not. We have come to the conclusion that we can exist how we are right now, but we are both eager for the growth we were seeking when we planned our move. The latter part of the year has been full of love and at the same time it has been a bit harsh to us. I guess, if we are honest, that is what life is, isn't it? We struggle, but if we are lucky, we are loved and we get through it with eyes set on bigger goals.
I continued the tradition in 2008 and made the resolution to cook at least 3 new recipes each month. Paul had agreed to be a part of it, but as it turns out he wasn't really that interested when the time came to plan, shop and cook. I was fine with going solo, so over the past year I have been making tons of new recipes and, in the process, feel more comfortable making up my own dishes, deviating from recipes and have broadened my knowledge and use of spices.
Luckily Paul WAS interested in eating new foods, so I shared them with him and with friends and family. Many of the recipes I tried throughout the year have become new go-to favorites of our house. I also realized this year how good soup can be. Soup made from scratch tastes infinitely better than soup from a can! I received an immersion blender from my mom and Roger this Christmas, so I foresee making many batches of soup in the future!
The other component of the 2008 resolutions was that Paul and I declared it to be The Year of Honesty in our home. I wrote at the beginning of the year what that meant in terms of possessions and knitting, but that declaration came to mean something totally different towards the latter part of the year. After our move from Boston to Minneapolis and the subsequent uphill and still in progress job search, we needed to be honest about what our true needs are. Together we have tackled the concepts of "need" vs. "want", evaluated the careful balance between money-making and mental health, and have questioned many of our assumptions and perspectives about our place in the world. When we get down to it, the honest truth is that our needs are being met, but we both have many desires that are not. We have come to the conclusion that we can exist how we are right now, but we are both eager for the growth we were seeking when we planned our move. The latter part of the year has been full of love and at the same time it has been a bit harsh to us. I guess, if we are honest, that is what life is, isn't it? We struggle, but if we are lucky, we are loved and we get through it with eyes set on bigger goals.
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