Day 244--New Year's Resolutions

This year is about finding my "norm".  What do I want to be my norm?  What climate, what job, what level of wealth, what style, what expectations, what type of person do I want to be?  Here are my 2012 goals that focus on mind, body, and spirit. 

Here's the condensed version:

1.) Donate $10 each month to a different organization

2.) Be braver about calling "adults" on the phone

3.) Move out of California

4.) Can my own jam

5.) Eat more cheese

6.) Buy new clothes, preferably a new outfit a month. dress rich, be rich

7.) Dye my hair

8.) Jog more/Run in a 5k (?)

9.) Wear make-up to work mostly every day

10.) Get a smart phone

11.) Get a new job

12.) Keep a clean car

13.) Freelance articles

14.) Confidence

15.) Use chapstick mostly every day

16.) Be more of an activist

17) Make more friends

18.) Research things

19.) Learn how to fly a kite

20.) Write to my congress person at least once this year

Spirit

1.) Donate $10 to a different organization each month

This is something I've always wanted to do but I have been stuck each time I had to pick which organization to donate to.  In being super poor this year I've gain a new appreciation for social programs and that little boost a program can give to someone in need.  Ten dollars isn't a lot, but it's something, and if we all put in a little something we can change things for the better.  I don't have all of my 12 charities/programs/organizations picked yet but I know that Planned Parenthood (cheap reproductive heath care), Outreach (shuttle buses for seniors), and programs like the Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center (building forest trails meant for those in wheelchairs or disabilities) will be included.

2.) Be braver about calling "adults" on the phone

Confession time: I have no problem talking to "adults" on the phone when I'm at work, but in my own personal life I have a huge phobia about talking to "grown-ups" on the phone.  I don't know when this phobia happened or why, but I'm petrified in talking to people like the dentist office or making dinner reservations or getting information about anything.  I really need to get over this.

3.) Move out of California

I'm looking for a place full of coffee shops, literature, feminists, hipsters, foodies, plaid on weekends, pencil skirts during the week, and a place just right for a blogger/wannabe magazine writer/possible book publishing editor. I've lived in Cali most of my life so I would prefer if SF isn't an option and San Diego isn't the most motivated city to live in. I want that
"space between peace and inspiration" and get out of limbo,which is that unfortunate space between frustration and anxiety. So I'm looking at Portland (Oregon) and Washington DC, currently.

Body

4.) Can my own jam

I got this pretty awesome cookbook this Christmas which has break away sections involving everything from technique tips of phyllo dough to a guide of the different parts of a pig.  One of the sections is how to can your own jam. It's something I've always wanted to do and what a fun thing to do in hipster Portland...

5.) Eat more cheese

I'm trying to turn into a cheese person this year and want to explore cheese beyond cheddar, jack, and brie. Update I've been doing so well on this resolution,and have had about 6 different cheeses this month from France and Canada.

6.) Buy new clothes, preferably a new outfit a month. dress rich, be rich

Buying clothes is the bane of my existence.  I'm super short and super skinny, so it's extremely difficult to find clothes that fit, which just discourages me even more. Update: Bought two dresses in January in time for Spring!  And I wore my new tight aqua dress yesterday. Must buy white flip-flops to match.

7.) Dye my hair 

I have this thing against dying my hair due to the unfortunately genetic trait that I will be going gray by my early 30s and will be dying my hair for the next 60 years after that.  Still, let's mix it up, shall we?  I want Emma Watson hair circa her long hair with high and low lights.

8.) Exercise

I really enjoyed doing a 5k last year (Pat's Run) and I think I might try to find a run somewhere in town in Spring or Summer.  If not, I really would like to do yoga again.  Though truthfully with yoga I tend to do a few classes then completely drop off.

9.) Wear make up to work mostly every day

I've gotten so lazy about this.  Most days I wear my glasses, and some days I don't even bother brushing my hair because I really couldn't give a fuck about this job.  This year: give a fuck!

Mind

10.) Get a smart phone 

My phone is so ghetto that I'm literally embarrassed to use it around people. Thing is, I can't really afford $80 cell phone payments when they're current $50 a month.  Still, I need an upgrade bad and I think it would help my confidence.

11.) Get a new job

This one is self-explanatory. 

12.) Keep a clean car

My car has reflected me a little too much this year: messy, disorganized, needs to get its shit together.  I used to keep my car spotless and I want to return to that.  Clean car, washed often, and with CA plates, registration, and smog test. Update: Well, it's mostly emptied out of clothes and water bottles and I have temporary Cali registration. 

13.) Freelance articles

I write a lot (clearly) but I need to take that next step and try to get published. I'm thinking of buying a calendar and markign down deadline for various papers and writing contests.

14.) Confidence

I used to be more confident in my early 20s and my decline has lots to do with my surroundings because having jobs that's aren't fulfilling, living in places that are temporary, and having friendships with too little depth ain't good for the self.  As I said to my boyfriend in June; everything in my life has cracks in it in. I need to build up my confidence to live a life of choice.

15.) Use chapstick mostly every day

I have an awful habit of picking at my dry lips.  It's gross.  I need to stop.

Gloria Steniem

16.) Be an activist

I'm really beginning to care about The Poor, The Worker, The Artist, and the In Debt Post College Grad.  I want to be a part of making changes in policy or attitudes, and I hope I can make a tiny bit of difference this year somehow.

17) Make more friends

Really need to work on this.  I hang out with roommates and have good reports with people at work, but I need to do much much better.

18.) Research things

There a number of things I'm interested in this year and my current books I'm reading/books I'll be buying reflect that.  They are: Banker to the Poor (about micro-finance loans to the poor) , Utopia by Thomas More (the 1516 book which was one of the first concepts of socialism with a republic), Sandwiches, Panini, and Wraps, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat (why we love certain animals, hate certain animals, and eat certain animals), Buyology (a psychosocial view on our buying habits), Tea (all about the history and varieties of tea), and a few issues of Ms. Magazine.  I want to learn things so I can be a better activist, a better cook, and a better intellectual.

19.) Learn how to fly a kite

I am dismal at flying kites. I flew them with my dad and my Filmaker Friend once, but beyond that I can't fly one AT ALL with my mom nor my boyfriend.  I get super frustrated with kites, so I want to conquer this annoyance by flying proud.

20.) Write a letter to my congress person at least once this year

In being more of an activist I need to actually tell my congress person what I'm happy about/not happy about.  I mean, I can bitch on facebook or my blog all I want, but maybe it should reach ears who can actually do something about it.