Thursday Thirteen

I just read back over my list of resolutions for 2011, written on January 6 as a Thursday Thirteen. I wanted to see how I did.

I didn't do too badly. I did okay on seven out of the thirteen. Better than half. Many of them were health-related, and I have some of that under control. However, new issues have cropped up.

But anyway, with the new year coming up, I thought I'd finish out 2011 with a list of resolutions for 2012.

1. Write my thesis. This has to be done if I am to graduate in May with my masters of arts in liberal studies degree. I have about 20 pages but am seriously running out time.

2. Graduate. Obviously this is the next step after the thesis. It is step two leading to the next item.

3. Find work. This could be a job "working for the man," as my husband calls a salaried position, or a strong return to freelancing, or adjunct teaching, or something I haven't even thought of yet, but it needs to happen.

4. Continue with Weight Watchers. I lost about 25 pounds, then the holidays came, and I've fallen off the potato cart and landed in the potato pile. Or something. Anyway, I need to get back to this in earnest.

5. Find an organization to volunteer with. I spent 10 years volunteering as an appointed member of the county's library board, and my time ends December 31. I enjoy doing things that help the community, so I will be looking for someplace to give of my time. We'll see what comes about.

6.Exercise. I did well with this until September of this year, when I was overcome with health issues that basically stopped most of my exercise efforts. However, I have started back on the treadmill, albeit at a little slower pace for now, but I have hope that I will be able to manage this.

7. Keep my journal. I used to journal every day. Then I stopped, and I have not been able to pick it back up again. Part of that is because I began blogging instead of journaling, but writing in a journal, which is private and secret, is much different than writing for this blog, which is read by oodles of people I don't know. I need to do both, and better. I want to reread The Artist's Way and go from there, I think.

8. Write fiction. Most of my writing career has centered on nonfiction. My thesis is creative nonfiction, which is to say, mostly nonfiction with a lie or two thrown in. I would like to try my hand at writing fiction, though.

9. Finish my local history things. I have started a couple of local history books and I have a local history blog. I need to work on all aspects of this. This project has languished for several years now and I want to finish it.

10. Organize the closets. We have lived in our house for 25 years. We have stuff crammed everywhere. I have slowly been tossing things but it seems more stuff comes in than goes out. I am interested in moving some things out of here, somehow.

11. Read the books in my to be read pile. I used to only have a couple of books in my to-read pile at a time; now I have shelves full of books that I want to read but seldom have time to get to. I would really like to make a dent in this pile before I go spend all of the Barnes & Noble gift certificates I received for Christmas. But I have a feeling the gift certificates will be spent long before I have made a dent in the book pile.

12. Learn website design. This is something I sort of know how to do but I don't know how to do it well. I would like to take a class or something.

13. Take a vacation. I haven't had a vacation away from home, at least not one that involved more than an overnight stay, in almost three years. I think I am overdue.



Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 222nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.