[Edit: I started this post while I was waiting to board the plane in Richmond. Now, I am back in Illinois.]
Here are some photos from our last few days in Richmond:
In past years, I have made a vague resolution to “be a nicer person” and then immediately failed. Thus, I gave up that resolution this year.
In general, I think I’m a pretty nice person. This is not to say that I don’t have room for improvement (swearing and judging!). However, I finally realized that instead of just trying to be nicer, I should try to fix the things that contribute to my not-being-nice, such as feeling unproductive or inadequate.
Here are my three resolutions for 2012:
Dress up in a skirt or dress (or other lady-like ensemble) at least once a week. My normal grad school attire is jeans, a t-shirt, a jacket/sweater, and sneakers. Obviously, this isn’t going to fly in the “real” workplace. I don’t intend to become a fashionista (anti-minimalist), but I want to work on looking and acting slightly more polished in anticipation of getting a job in the near-ish future. I think I deserve respect, so if I look like I respect and take care of myself, I think we’re getting somewhere. This resolution does not include make-up, but if I figure it out along the way, all the better! [I already wore a dress and cardigan to dinner with Ashley last Wednesday. One week down!]
Learn to play the ukulele. I don’t want to be one of those adults who bemoans losing any and all musical training, and I want to pick up a fulfilling hobby. I was debating learning to knit or quilt, but neither of those jive as nicely with my minimalist lifestyle as an instrument does. Plus, a ukulele will allow me to accompany myself when I sing off-tune in the apartment, but it won’t bother the neighbors like a tuba would.
Spend less time on the Internet. This is the most ambiguous of my resolutions because I’m not quite sure how to implement a plan of attack. In general, I want to reduce to amount of time that I feel is wasted on the Interwebs (Facebook! Blogs!). That is, I will still be connected, but I want to reduce the amount of time I could use more productively (on Resolution #2, for example)!
And there you have it. My three resolutions for 2012. I have other goals, such as cleaning the apartment bi-weekly and opening an index fund, but I really want to focus on these specific three this year. When I ring in 2013 (provided we haven’t all perished in the apocalypse), I hope to be better-dressed, proficient at the ukulele, and a savvy consumer of Internet media–and through these things, a happier person.
(Not a real dog, Bodger.)
And here are the boyfriend’s resolutions for the year:
- Avoid spending time watching movies he has seen/dislikes on Saturday afternoon TV.
- Do a programming project
- Read articles on The Economist instead of sports articles on ESPN
Related posts:
I actually thought about buying a ukulele over break. Did you buy one yet? I was surprised at how inexpensive they are. I didn’t end up getting one, but that may change.
http://ukulelehunt.com/ is a good resource. It’s got info and reviews, as well as tabs and chords.
Is that southstreet?
Great resolutions! I have the same struggle with a lack of productivity and then feeling inadequate as a student. But you shouldn’t! You’re a much better student/person/friend than me!
Also, tell Harrison that I do the same thing with saturday afternoon movies – and then hate myself for watching terrible ones that I hated the first time around and wasting my saturday.
4 days until Izzy arrives at my parents house! I’ve been obsessively researching house training. Did Bodger sleep in his crate? My parents aren’t sure what to do at night. It seems mean to shut her up in a crate but most websites say dogs actually like their crates – they make them feel safe and secure? I have no idea. We weren’t sure, if we put her in the crate, and put the crate next to my parent’s bed, that she’d know to get their attention when she wants to come out to ‘eliminate’. I think the current plan is to keep the crate in their room, and just wake up at 2 to let her out. I thought that if they did that but moved the time back half an hour every week or so that might help her get through the night without accidents… is that unrealistic? I have no idea what I’m doing and the internet is just confusing. But still, exciting!
I’m wish you on wearing a dress/skirt or at least dressing up in something other than jeans and a jacket. I’m soooo bad about that!! Biologists don’t need to dress up!
Ooo, great goals! I am going to steal that first one.
The last one though?! Sigh. I hate how much I rely on the internets for fun
Let us know how that goes… you have my number if you want to call (to avoid the computer).