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2009 and 2010 Resolutions
Jan. 6th, 2010 09:22 pmI made three big resolutions for 2009:
1) Fix my job, which might help me
2) Fix my weight, which might help me
3) Fix my house.
I failed at all three. Oops.
1) I have the same job as last year. I did make some small improvements. Pretending that some job duties I think of as being my boss's are really mine is helping reduce my stress. And I realized I could retire before the official earliest retirement date by just quitting and living on savings. And I have decided to quit doing some of the things for which I have volunteered but which I am not good at to give me more time for more rewarding pursuits.
2) My weight is exactly the same as at the beginning of last year. I am pretty pleased that I actually did get into the habit of jogging for at least 20 minutes every week. One extremely minimal aerobic session per week is not enough, but it's much better than the zero sessions I was doing each week the previous year.
3) There have been definite improvements in the house, but I'm still not ready to invite people over.
I still had a lot of fun. Besides watching lots of movies like I usually do, I also got a lot more reading done than usual and found several good TV shows to follow. I got to do a lot of cuddling and smooching. I ate many delicious foods. I went on plenty of local tours and festivals. I didn't have a big travel vacation, but I had three small ones. I got a new niece and I got to see her a lot and so far I still like her. I donated blood a couple of times and finally got on the organ donor registry. I learned how to bring my own bulk containers to Wheatsville (have a cashier write the starting weight on the container before filling it) and took a load of old light bulbs and batteries to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility (now open occasional Saturdays). And I started a notebook on house renovation ideas and got three more fire extinguishers.
For this year, I'm going to get a little more specific about my weight. None of the easy things I did worked. Therefore I'm ready to conclude that I have to change my eating habits. Fortunately, I know exactly how I can lose weight because I've done it before: eat only my own cooking. (I can lose 7 pounds in 10 months using this method. Not huge, but real.) I think there are two reasons this works. One is that my cooking is generally healthier than restaurant cooking (I know that's not saying much). The other is that laziness works in my favor. Unfortunately, I'm not willing to eat only my own cooking. If I am at a party, I want to eat party food. That includes work parties. And work lunches. And when Robin goes out to eat and invites me along, I want to come with and then eat.
However, I could refrain from eating out by myself. I could keep looking for ways to handle stress at work other than snacking. I could cook more so that I am less tempted to eat out.
My second resolution is to take a moratorium on dance lessons so I can have more time for other activities. I still want to go dancing, just not take so many lessons.
And my third resolution is to reduce irritants. I've already thought of a few irritants I want to get rid of: I want a better coat, I want a warm hat (I can't find any of mine), I want a bigger purse (or at least with a longer zipper so I can get things in and out of it more easily), I want to find my wallet, and I want to Rain-X my windshield. Already I've gotten a better coat: It's prettier (and less dated), warmer, and lighter than my old coat, plus it's washable. And Robin's lending me a warm hat he never wears.
1) Fix my job, which might help me
2) Fix my weight, which might help me
3) Fix my house.
I failed at all three. Oops.
1) I have the same job as last year. I did make some small improvements. Pretending that some job duties I think of as being my boss's are really mine is helping reduce my stress. And I realized I could retire before the official earliest retirement date by just quitting and living on savings. And I have decided to quit doing some of the things for which I have volunteered but which I am not good at to give me more time for more rewarding pursuits.
2) My weight is exactly the same as at the beginning of last year. I am pretty pleased that I actually did get into the habit of jogging for at least 20 minutes every week. One extremely minimal aerobic session per week is not enough, but it's much better than the zero sessions I was doing each week the previous year.
3) There have been definite improvements in the house, but I'm still not ready to invite people over.
I still had a lot of fun. Besides watching lots of movies like I usually do, I also got a lot more reading done than usual and found several good TV shows to follow. I got to do a lot of cuddling and smooching. I ate many delicious foods. I went on plenty of local tours and festivals. I didn't have a big travel vacation, but I had three small ones. I got a new niece and I got to see her a lot and so far I still like her. I donated blood a couple of times and finally got on the organ donor registry. I learned how to bring my own bulk containers to Wheatsville (have a cashier write the starting weight on the container before filling it) and took a load of old light bulbs and batteries to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility (now open occasional Saturdays). And I started a notebook on house renovation ideas and got three more fire extinguishers.
For this year, I'm going to get a little more specific about my weight. None of the easy things I did worked. Therefore I'm ready to conclude that I have to change my eating habits. Fortunately, I know exactly how I can lose weight because I've done it before: eat only my own cooking. (I can lose 7 pounds in 10 months using this method. Not huge, but real.) I think there are two reasons this works. One is that my cooking is generally healthier than restaurant cooking (I know that's not saying much). The other is that laziness works in my favor. Unfortunately, I'm not willing to eat only my own cooking. If I am at a party, I want to eat party food. That includes work parties. And work lunches. And when Robin goes out to eat and invites me along, I want to come with and then eat.
However, I could refrain from eating out by myself. I could keep looking for ways to handle stress at work other than snacking. I could cook more so that I am less tempted to eat out.
My second resolution is to take a moratorium on dance lessons so I can have more time for other activities. I still want to go dancing, just not take so many lessons.
And my third resolution is to reduce irritants. I've already thought of a few irritants I want to get rid of: I want a better coat, I want a warm hat (I can't find any of mine), I want a bigger purse (or at least with a longer zipper so I can get things in and out of it more easily), I want to find my wallet, and I want to Rain-X my windshield. Already I've gotten a better coat: It's prettier (and less dated), warmer, and lighter than my old coat, plus it's washable. And Robin's lending me a warm hat he never wears.