Monday, December 22, 2008

The End of the Year Wrap

The small stuff:

1.  Watch TV for 3 hours or less per week - Success! - I no longer have cable so there is not even the option to waste multiple hours in front of the Food Network or any of my other choice domestic-focused brain drains.  In spite of this seemingly monumental achievement however, I have managed to find many other ways to waste my time - the lesson I have learned is that I am and probably always will be a procrastinator.   There appears to be no hope for changing this unfortunate character flaw - with TV or without.

2. Take the dog on a walk each morning - Somewhat irrelevant- With the divorce Sully moved back to Arizona with my parents in February.  Here she gets walked nearly every day and has a canine companion to call her very own.  It seems that Arizona is where she will stay.

3.  Stop drinking soda - Mostly successful - I do indulge in the occasional soda but in a way that I feel is entirely healthy.

4.  Keep a regular workout schedule - Success!  - I have become fairly obsessive about regular workouts and find some way to run or get to the gym almost every day.  In a somewhat turbulent year this has been my release.  

5. Eat healthier - Less than successful - I made it through most of the year (when I was still employed) doing fairly well with this but since becoming a student my diet has become alternating meals of peanut butter and jelly, quesadillas and bagels.  I would like to say I will try harder in the new year but I fear my attempts may be dire.  Despite a poor performance, I have more than achieved my goal of 30 pounds this year - most of the credit being due to my success in #4.  For the first time in a very long time I am a "healthy weight" or at least according to Mr. BMI.

The big stuff:

1. Start my novel - Complete failure -  This is still something that I hope to do someday but it does not seem to be achievable in the near term future.

2. Go back to school - Success!- I have made it through the first quarter of my studies at UCLA Anderson.  I am SO glad that I made the decision to take a two year "pause" in my career.  I have already done a lot of reflecting and although I am still not sure what I "want to be when I grow up" I feel like I have a much better idea of where my life is heading than I did a year ago.

3. Make 2008 about me - Success! - I have been one selfish SOB this year and I am rather proud of it.