I'm not a huge believer in new year's resolutions. I don't sit down and make a list with "lose 20 pounds" or "get organized" or "knit the great american sweater." Those are vague and set up for almost immediate failure. However, I am a big believer in starting as you wish to go on, and so I try to spend each January breaking bad habits from the year before. By baddest habit from 2010 was eating out too much (especially across the street at the Mexican restaurant) because I never went shopping with a list, and therefore never procured any food fit for lunch or dinner for more than one night. So this year I'm breaking that habit and replacing it with meal planning, grocery lists, and home cooked meals complete with sides. My grandmother gave me her old miniature food processor, complete with the shredder/slicer blade, and I've used it 3 times already this year.
The second bad habit I'm working to break is inactivity. Towards this end I'm enrolled this quarter in Taiji (more commonly but incorrectly, it turns out, known as Tai Chi) and Ballroom Dance I. For one hour each day, four days a week, I will be engaged in some sort of physical activity. I'm especially excited about the Taiji. It's very centering, the way Aikido used to be for me, and is going to be great for toning my lower body.
Another thing I'm keen on in January is finishing up any projects left over from the year previous. Procrastination is something I've worked against my whole life, and I'll leave a project left undone forever if I don't make an effort to get it done. 2010 seems to have left more projects unfinished than years previous. Currently there is:
Damson (counting issues, garter section done, needs border)
Valium Bandit (working on edge chart)
NaKniSweMo sweater (collar needs frogging and re-knitting, 2 seams)
Percy (stalled in second repeat of chart B)
Knitter's Carry-All Bag (needs handles, pocket lining, interfacing, and putting together)
Plaid Coat (sleeves hemmed, buttons and button holes)
Brown and Teal Sundress (hem at bottom and arm holes)
Maroon Sweatshirt (front facings, sleeve treatment, button, snaps, neck treatment)
Thesis (redo data analysis, write last 2 chapters, revise, revise, revise, defend).
That's 5 knitting, 4 sewing (the bag gets counted as both), and one thesis. I'll feel very accomplished if I finish all but Percy and my thesis (I'm not really aiming to be done with my thesis by the end of January, but I will hopefully be in the "revise revise revise" stage). I also have a TSP (top secret project) that I started on the 31st. I wasn't going to start anything new, but NOTHING on that list is appropriate for bus/travel knitting.
Now, on to some pictures. First, pictures from my trip to Texas. Mom and I spent my last day there (the 30th) at two of the university's art museums. One had an exhibit "Turner to Monet" and the other was "The Language of Photography." Pictures were allowed at neither exhibit. However, in the first museum pictures were OK outside of the traveling exhibit, and downtown Austin has some magnificent architecture.
Both Westley and I traveled to Texas for 10 days (+2 for travel). He had lots of fun once we managed to get down there. The windows were particularly fun.
My parents have a cat, Betty Boop, who is much shyer than my big pirate. She wasn't too thrilled about having her house commandeered.
I also finally got my package from the Buffy Swap I participated in back in October.
The last picture is for the witch PEZ dispenser that I forgot to put in the full picture. And yes, Angel's nose comes off (with velcro).
That's all I've got for this post. I'm also working on breaking my bad habit of not posting for long stretches. We'll see how that goes.
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