Resolution update: January 2012
/In an effort to hold myself accountable to my yearly goals, I post the monthly progress made at the end of each month.
Here are the results for January. They are not impressive.
1. Don’t die.
So far, so good.
2. Lose ten pounds.
I’m off to a great start in 2012. In the month of January, I managed to add three pounds. Now I have to lose thirteen pounds.
3. Do at least 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups five days a day. Also complete at least two two-minute planks five days per week.
Done. The decision to reduce this goal from seven days a week to five has made a big difference. Those two rest days make the workout days much more palatable, and there is considerably less exercising taking place after midnight.
4. Practice the flute for at least an hour a week.
I failed to accomplish this goal in 2011 and little has changed in 2012.
5. Complete my fifth novel before the Ides of March.
Progress continues. The deadline is still well within reach.
6. Complete my sixth novel.
Though I am not currently working on my sixth novel, I have about 12,000 words written already during a period of uncertainty over the summer.
So that’s a start.
7. Sell one children’s book to a publisher.
I have three children’s books in various stages of revision. I met with my writing group last week and received some solid feedback. My focus remains on my adult novel at the moment, however, so this goal will have to wait a bit.
8. Complete the book proposal for my non-fiction, photographic collaborative project.
This project will be tackled during the summer.
9. Complete three chapters of my memoir.
This project is taking a backseat to my novel.
10. Complete at least twelve blog posts on my brother and sister blog.
Computer problems on my sister’s end prevented anything from being posted in January. Hopefully these problems will be rectified in February.
11. Become certified to teach high school English by completing two required classes.
Elysha is currently working on finding a college that is offering the two courses that I need to complete in order to become certified.
Oddly enough, completion of the courses seems to be the least of my problems. The challenge appears to be in finding a school where they are being offered at a time when I can attend.
This has been frustrating to say the least.
12. Publish at least one Op-Ed in a newspaper.
Nothing done on this goal as of yet, but it is likely that I will be publishing pieces as part of the promotion for my new book. I don’t expect the completion of this goal to be a problem.
13. Attend at least five Moth events with the intention of telling a story.
I told a story earlier this week at a Story Collider event at the 92nd Street Y in Tribeca. The Story Collider is a live story telling organization in New York City that focuses on stories with a connection to science. Unlike The Moth, it is a non-competitive event, but Moth regulars have also told stories for The Story Collider, and Moth superstar Erin Barker is a Story Collider producer.
I don’t think I will count this event toward my goal of five Moth events in 2012 unless I appear to be coming up short at the end of the year.
The next Moth StorySLAM that I plan to attend takes place on Monday, March 5th in Brooklyn.
14. Complete the necessary revisions of our rock opera (The Clowns) so that it can be staged as a full production in the fall.
My partner continues to work on securing a commitment from a local playhouse, and once we have a deadline and my novel is complete, work on this progress will commence.
15. Rid Elysha and myself of all education debt before the end of the year.
Incremental progress has been made on this front in January.
16. Give yoga an honest try.
I have signed up for yoga classes being taught after school by a colleague who also happens to be a yoga instructor. I await the first class.
17. Meditate for at least five minutes every day.
I have done a great deal of reading on this subject and feel like I probably know enough to at least begin the process. I plan on starting my meditating on my birthday (February 15).
18. Agree to try at least one new dish per month, even if it contains ingredients that I wouldn’t normally consider palatable.
On New Year’s Even, I tasted and liked the cauliflower potatoes and butternut squash risotto served at our friend’s wedding.
I’m not sure if I ate these foods before or after midnight, but it counts for January.
19. Conduct the ninth No-Longer-Annual A-Mattzing Race in 2012.
No date for the next race has been set, but I would like to target early May if possible/
20. Post my progress in terms of these resolutions on this blog on the first day of every month.
I am four days late posting, but a series of events caused me to take a two day hiatus from my blog. I will explain the reasons in a subsequent post, but suffice it to say the excuses are reasonable.