Things - the return

So before I forget that I did that list of Things and file it away under failed attempts at New Year resolutions (like last year), here's an update, more for me than you.

Some of the list o'Things are just done or not done:

Tick-boxes - completed (or nearly)
x15 Jump drive - purchased, have started filing photos so that I can put the best ones on the stick and hide it.

x18. Buffy - Maia has agreed to be my dealer. First delivery next week!

x31. Dye my hair - done.

x35. Avoid Limewire obsession - have strictly curtailed my visits to around the beginning and end of each month, to avoid totally stuffing up the broadband limit. Keeping a little list of songs as I think of them, not feeling any danger of obsession now that initial splurge is over. Phew.

x37. Mole check - done.

And then there was the stuff that was more vague, and I can't really tick it off until I look back at the year in December and see how it all went:

Amorphous - going well
x3 Exercising more - yep, trying to get to a point where I actually want to exercise every day, and seem to be reaching it. Nickname Pending's sister is an inspiration in this regard, she seems incapable of going a day without a significant jog, and although jogging isn't my bag I am playing a lot of tennis against the wall. Need to find some inside exercise options though, other than the gym (which includes the swimming). Suggestions in comments welcome.

x4 . Haven't worked a single extra hour since we started on Monday. But it's only Thursday. In fact I've been incredibly slack on the whole work ethic thing. I don't feel too bad though, as long as I'm not the worst in the office.

x8 . Keep blogging here - going ok so far, despite the dirge of political news (making stuff up doesn't count apparently).

x10. Commenting more frequently on other blogs. Starting to get into a routine, which is good.

x14. Crosswords - yep, so far.

x21. The Thicket has suffered several concentrated pruning sessions since I posted this photo. However there is still a long way to go. But it's not feeling impossible anymore.

Well that's not too bad for less than a fortnight.

Oh and the pic is heinously uplifted from here.

The thicket

In my x Things List, coming in at x21 is Clear the thicket.

Here's the thicket, as of yesterday.

The picture is taken from quite a narrow viewpoint, and makes it look much smaller than it is. I had a little go at it just before I took the photo, nothing that really made any impact though, so the pic gives a good sense of the dense overgrowth.

When we moved in the thicket was a rose garden. Oops.

My aim is to basically clear it so that it can be abolished for lawn/path/a different garden/a petnaque terrain/a playground for mara/whatever.

I've had a couple of bashes at it in the past. Fingers crossed this time I get to some kind of completion.

Not my New Year's Resolutions

I have a few goals for 2007, some of which I'm keeping to myself of course. I'm not going to indulge in the kind of blogged accountability exercises I did here in 2005 (and tried in 2006, but failed). I don't think anyone was really interested and it became a bit of a chore reviewing it every month.

I was tempted to do a 101 Things list, as suze has done, but it sounds like too much work coming up with them all, so I'm just going to create an x Things list (where x is a variable representing however many things I feel like putting on the list at any given time).

So here it is then, my x Things list, hopefully for completion in 2007. Open to edit of course.

x1. Finish the kitchen (is it just me or was this also on the 2005 and 2006 lists?)
x2. Get to grips with bit-torrent (having just been introduced to the marvels of mp3s, thanks to a very useful Xmas gift, this is surely the next step in bringing Span into the new millenium)
x3. Exercise more (yes, yes, most common new year's resolution and all that, but I actually quite like it). To be more specific, this will be achieved through an increase in the following activities (not exhaustive): tennis, swimming, gymming, roller-skating, walking, cycling (added Jan 2nd), skipping, heavy-duty gardening (added Jan 5th).
x4. Avoid extra hours of work (no more motivation now that I have annual leave again as of today)
x5. Worry less (distraction is the name of the game)
x6. Procure Casino Royale on DVD (whoever thought Cactus and I could agree on anything?)
x7. Get copies of all the Green Wing there is in the world on DVD (this does not include hoovering up all other copies for others, but is limited to one copy of each available for moi)
x8. Keep blogging here, and maybe also elsewhere
x9. Fix the puter (or rather pay someone else to do so) so that my profile works again and I don't have to use Nickname Pending's
x10. Comment more frequently on the blogs of others (first and foremost those on the Regular Reads list)
x11. Purchase some decent black boots without ridiculous heels
x12. Organise a kick-arse reunion in March for my fellow Ancients
x13. Sort out the bookshelves, and hence the books (after all, they aren't going to shift themselves now are they?)
x14. Do more crosswords
x15. Sort out one of those memory stick things (the words, they escape me) to deal with my anxiety about our hard drive being stolen and all of my photos being lost to me.
x16. [secret]
x17. Wear my contacts more often.
x18. Make a commitment to getting more Buffy into my life (starting from a base of zero)
x19. Work out how to be less enraged/irritated/annoyed by The Misanthrope (this may involve removing him from my life, although my most recent attempt was unsuccessful)
x20. Get a spare set of AA Sony Rechargeables (and AAAs)
x21. Clear the thicket
x22. Fix the CD burner (no, it's not the software)
x23. Be less sarcastic
x24. Take B vitamins
x25. Turn the back room into a decent spare bedroom
x26. Play Bastard with Johnny the Red et al

Ok it looks like today x is equal to 26.

That'll do to be going on with.

Update, 2nd January 2007:
As inevitably happens with these kinds of posts, I thought of some more, such as:
x27. Use less petrol
x28. Use less electricity
x29. Do my neck exercises (and fend off those damn migraines)
x30. Go to some live comedy
x31. Dye my hair
x32. Attend at least one Harbour game
x33. Try the Box n Kick class at the gym
x34. Be more assertive with certain workmates who have made dumping an artform
x35. Avoid getting totally obsessive about Limewire.

Update, 5th January 2007:
But wait, there's more!
x36. Clean out the fridge
x37. Get my moles checked
x38. Have a proper dental check-up (not just the hygenicist either)
x39. Tackle the oven
x40. Try Idiot/Savant's hot choc recipe (in comments)
x41. Create that artwork I've been meaning to do
x42. Replace the ugly and odd lampshade in the bedroom (it urks me everytime I look up, which is quite often when you are lying in bed)

Ok I think I should stop now. If x is equal to 42 then that sounds to me a rather appropriate number. In other words - DNA would approve.

Rollin' rollin' rollin'

After only two years of looking I have finally secured my own pair of proper boot roller skates, complete with red sparkly wheels. I spotted them on the weekend on Trade Me and put a bid in but I didn't want to get too excited in case they turned out to be the wrong size, or I missed out.

Today though, instead of supping from the bitter chalice of disappointment, I fulfilled a rather humble dream - to own some proper adult roller skates, with red wheels festooned sparkle-wise.

What a lovely way to end the working year - last day at work tomorrow, and not a moment too soon. Phones have kept ringing and ringing today, it'll be nice to have a fortnight off, despite that background niggle that January is going to be just as hectic as November and December have been.

Part of me can't believe how busy this year has been - I feel like I've worked a whole 12 months despite skiving off to the northern hemisphere for a quarter of it. Every week I seem to have been able to see a clear patch about a fortnight ahead, but by Friday it will be closed in, full to the brims with running and attending meetings, letter-writing, participating in teleconferences, sitting on my butt for some brain-melting wage analysis, making and returning the endless phone calls, reading, visiting, and all the other regular tasks that are necessary in my job.

In November my grey matter really started to dribble out of my ears when we sat down and looked at the calendar for 2007. Only 6 weeks are at the usual level of expectation - all others require extra. I'm trying not to let it get me down.

Still, positive thinking. Work pays well, is often enjoyable, and does have the necessary quota of universe-saving to keep me sane and happy, and it'll be much the better for a bit of a break. Now if we could just level the carpark, to make it suitable for roller derby...

own goals II - Jan update

You can read my original NY resolutions here. The first month has gone ok imho.

However I realised that I forgot to assign myself rewards for each resolution, so these are inserted this month instead.

Underway
1. To start swimming once a week - I have gone swimming the last three Sundays, which I think is pretty good. For various good reasons I can't this morning, but I'm planning on going to the gym a bit later for a work-out anyway. My swimming is hideously bad however - I did 6 lengths (it's a 25m pool) the first time, 8 the next, 10 last time, and I'm doing 2 of each stroke that I know (breaststroke, backstroke, sidestroke, doggy paddle, freestyle without doing the breathing properly). It's much harder than I anticipated.

Reward: If I'm still swimming regularly by the end of September (seeing as I will be out of the country for three months and will then have to get back into my gym routine from the end of June), I'll book myself in to a spa for some pampering for half a day.


3. To eat breakfast - this is going pretty well. I take some toast into work each day, and have furnished myself with some nice jam, and am even managing to do an approximation of this most weekends as well.

Reward: If I'm still eating breakfast every work-day by the end of September (same deal as 1.) I'll buy myself the two Bartimaeus trilogy books that I don't have yet.


4. To take my lunch to work most days - mostly successful, although work is getting insane, which means a lot of time on the road, which in turn means Drive Thru Take Aways (shudder). I shall have to counter with pita pockets of spinach, salami and feta methinks.

Reward: Well the obvious reward for this (same time scale as the previous two) is a slap up long lunch somewhere delightful. Suggestions in comments please folks.


5. To make some decisions about my political activism outside work - I think the trip will probably make some decisions for me in a way. I think it will be valuable (for me) to remove myself from the equation totally for a few months and then reassess without all of the emotional baggage when I return. I'm helping out with Auckland's International Women's Day committee and a film fundraiser for Auckland Sexual Abuse Help at the moment, although I suspect I've over committed myself at a time when (as mentioned in 4.) work is overwhelming.

Reward: I think the main reward here will be a sense of purpose and a lack of guilt. No other reward seems necessary at this stage.


Second Half of the Year Resolution
2. To start learning te reo - has to wait until I'm back from the mini OE.

Reward: Once I'm enrolled in a decent course I'll treat myself to a CD I've been hankering after (probably the latest Goldenhorse), and when I've completed the course I'll add a DVD (I'm thinking Green Wing*, if it's available in NZ by then).


I never did get those sparkly roller skates from last year's reward list. Going to keep my eyes peeled while I'm in Europe and damn the postage!!

Tag:
New Year's resolutions


* Wohoo Season 2 starts in the UK in March!!

eight glasses of bullshit a day

It being a new year and all, I've been trying to clean up my act. For someone who already doesn't drink alcohol or coffee (the latter gives me migraines) and has no interest in anything requiring filling my lungs full of smoke, this has culminated in New Year's Resolutions about exercise and breakfast, and also a vague commitment to drink 8 glasses of water a day.

I read in a book (you know, those things made of paper that exist offline) that a good way to keep track of your eight glasses is to count how many gulps you take when you drink a glass and then try to drink eight times that number of gulps every day. It's quite handy, although I've been converting my gulps into half and quarter glasses cos otherwise I forget where I'm up to. I just thought I'd pass that on, dear readers, because I thought it was a damn fine idea.

But then I actually started drinking all this water. And I discovered that my office is rather a long way from the toilet. Which started me wondering - if so much of this water is, ahem, passing through me, do I really need it all? And how come I got by reasonably well for all this time without drinking all this water?

But then I thought, well how much damage could I really be doing myself by drinking too much water, except perhaps wearing holes in my shoes from all the walks to the conveniences, and decided to persevere for a bit longer.

I mentioned all of this to a friend of mine, who is rather the sceptic (in fact I'm 98% sure he's a signed up member of the NZ Association of Rationalists and Humanists so favoured by Paul and Xavier) and he made a sarky comment that tipped me over the edge from slight cynicism to medium conspiracy theorism.

Here's the International Bottled Water Association's website. You didn't even know there was such a thing as the International Bottled Water Association, did you? Anyway, do the IBWA's hydration calculation for yourself and you'll no doubt discover you in fact "need" considerably more than even 8 glasses a day. (For readers who are more inclined to metrics [like myself] here is a handy metric conversion site.)

There's an interesting article on some big flash report on water intake from Dr Heinz Valtin, who's a professor of physiology at Dartmouth. Here's the money quote:

...he finds it, "difficult to believe that evolution left us with a chronic water deficit that needs to be compensated by forcing a high fluid intake."

Exactly.

Ok I'm convinced - the eight glasses theory is at least a crock and at worst a ploy to get us all to buy bottled water at a time when health conscious consumers are turning away from the other products sold by those who peddle plastic-wrapped H20 - soft drinks.

own goals

I never used to make New Year's Resolutions, but in the last few years I've found them a useful way to give myself a bit of a kick in the arse.

My round up of 2005's attempts at self improvement was posted yesterday, so today must be the day to make some new own goals.

1. To start swimming once a week - I joined the particular gym I'm at partly because it has a pool but I've never had the guts to use it. I love swimming, although my technique is appalling, but being in a swimsuit brings up all those body image issues. I need to get over it. Hoping to go on Sunday mornings, when The Man in the Comfy Chair is at church.

2. To start learning te reo - like Pink Panda, I've put this on my list for 2006. I need a buddy to come on one of those reasonably intensive courses that AUT offers - Emburger I'm looking at you... But I can't start until I get back from my mini OE in July. So it's really a Second Half of the Year Resolution.

3. To eat breakfast - it just fell out of my routine back in T' Day at university, when I was going in to uni ridiculously early. Now the absence of the first meal of the day is creating problems. The Man in the Comfy Chair has been nagging me about this for years, so at the least it might make him a bit happier. The plan is to start breakfasting whenever I go to the gym before work and expand from there.

4. To take my lunch to work most days - I currently spend a fortune on lunches, mostly from the excellent deli in Kingsland, The Fridge, now that Savour has shut it's cafe. The problem is that I don't like sandwiches. Pastas and pita pockets are ok though. I've bought myself some spiffy coloured sandwich bags as a motivator (obviously won't be putting actual sandwiches in them however).

5. To make some decisions about my political activism outside work - I've been in a holding pattern over the last year really. I've found that the political work that my job requires has been enough to a) keep me happy and b) exhaust me too much to pursue much else. I think I really need to decide this year what my involvement can be outside of my job, and where that energy is best spent.

You can read about others' New Year's Resolutions on Technorati too. Plus there's the WSFA's resolutions for a variety of Sci Fi related persons (real and imagined) which may amuse Maia in particular.

calling to account

Being the last day of the year and all that, I suppose I should review my New Year's Resolution success rate for 2005. Regular readers may have noticed that I was recording my progress at the beginning of each month, although I forgot a few.

Here's how it all finally fell out:

1. Get a new job in the area I want to work in - managed in January, started in March, still going strong.

2. Exercise more - regular gym going has been established, tennis buddy is back in NZ, have so much more energy and I'm finding exercise incredibly rewarding for the first time in my adult life. My posture and general health have improved, my clothes fall better, it's All Good.

3. Think positive - going very well - taken a number of important steps this year which have made a big difference.

4. Resist over-committing - now pretty good at this, except at work. Which is rather a big part of my life.

5. Get at least one stamp in my shiny unused passport - Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia visited in February and March - plans underway for a whirlwind OE from late March covering Dubai, Moscow, St Petersburg, Turkey, a whole lot of The Continent (yes, Bordeaux is on the list Flang!), Morocco, the UK, Ireland, and Bangkok.

6. Finish the kitchen - the Heart of the Home is exactly as it was when I concocted this resolution. Except it's currently tidier (Hurricane Re-organise The House has recently hit). Attempted contacts with the Benchtop People by The Man in the Comfy Chair have been unsuccessful, so I think we're just going to have to write that off and start again. It must be finished before we go overseas so that clock is now ticking again.

7. Get up to date with my Alliance projects - this was largely unsuccessful and I need to think a bit more about why.

New resolutions for 2006 coming soon!

Related links:
Original resolutions - that time of the year

Monthly reviews
January
February
March
April
May
July
August
September

that time of year part IX - September

Totally ticked off:
1. Get a new job in the area I want to work in - I can report that there are also no rollerskates in Wellington. The reward is proving to be harder to get than the damn job was.

5. Get at least one stamp in my shiny unused passport - Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia. Working on plans for a whole lot more in 2006!


In train:
2. Exercise more - had three weeks off the gym (election, then away) but during that time i did a whole heap of walking so fitness hasn't fallen much. Bring on the good weather and the return of my tennis buddy from Korea!

3. Think positive - easier now that I know my day to day life is largely going to continue as is (i.e. no nasty Nats in power ruining my life again). However I did have the worst migraine I have ever had, after several months migraine free, after several days of feeling oddly ill and out of sorts. Witch doctor reckons something in my cranium was out of whack. No shit sherlock.

4. Resist over-committing - definitely getting better at saying no.


Totally not ticked off, not even a little bit:
6. Finish the kitchen - reminders about this to The Man In The Comfy Chair are proving fruitless. Am starting to consider some form of sanctions...

7. Get up to date with my Alliance projects - I am so far behind I don't think I could ever possibly catch-up.

Further reports on Span's New Year's Resolutions:
- August
- July
- May
- April
- March
- February
- January

that time of year part IIX - August

Here we go again.

Totally ticked off:
1. Get a new job in the area I want to work in - stupid rollerblades, they appear to have run rollerskates right out of town. :-(

5. Get at least one stamp in my shiny unused passport - Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia.


In train:
3. Think positive - trying but it can be hard, especially with the possibility of a National Government (notice I've put "possibility" not "probability").

4. Resist over-committing - still going well outside of work. Also getting better at it during work, but stupid bosses keep doing stupid unfair and/or illegal things - don't they ever take holidays from their stupidity???

7. Get up to date with my Alliance projects - doing small things as I can.

2. Exercise more - have managed to actually go to the gym quite a bit. I like it. I don't like the meat market aspect from 5pm - 6pm, but otherwise it is all good. One thing baffles me though - people overload the carpark, squeezing their vehicles in any which way, to avoid the slight walk from the road - hang on, aren't you going to the GYM, to, you know, EXERCISE?


Totally not ticked off, not even a little bit:
6. Finish the kitchen - basically this is in the hands of The Man In The Comfy Chair. Until he sorts out the benchtop stuff there's nought to be done. But today I am working on our back room, which is a total tip. Everything related to home-improvement (or in fact home-cleaning) is off the agenda, unless urgently required, until post Sept 17. Back room is only receiving attention because TMITCC's grandfather is supposed to be staying in it tonight.

Further reports on Span's New Year's Resolutions:
- July
- May
- April
- March
- February
- January

that time of year part VII - July

Ok so I didn't do June, but who cares, it's really just an accountability exercise for me anyway.

Totally ticked off:
1. Get a new job in the area I want to work in - still no tick to the Roller Skate Reward as it seems you cannot get boot roller skates in Auckland - I've been all over the place. Not sure about buying them over the internet. Maybe I need to find another reward, seeing as it has been almost six months since I ticked this one off. Suggestions welcome.

5. Get at least one stamp in my shiny unused passport - see Vietnam posts.


In train:
3. Think positive - been hard lately due to extreme workload and the detrimental effect of reading negative arseholes on other people's blogs. Have stopped doing the latter and trying hard to rectify the former.

4. Resist over-committing - doing well outside of work. Inside work is another matter (see 3.)

7. Get up to date with my Alliance projects - have scaled back my commitments and found others to delegate to, which is helping.

2. Exercise more - readers who know me from Yore will be quite stunned to know that I have actually joined a gym. Very gentle programme to start with, but I've been going for a week, and during that time have actually gone through it three times - it would have been four but I had to work Saturday and Sunday was a write-off as a result. I'm trying to build up to the Box and Kick classes they offer, in a few months, to see how I like martial arts stuff.


Totally not ticked off, not even a little bit:
6. Finish the kitchen - but we did manage to get the roof fixed, after approx three months of trying to find a roofer who returned messages. Small steps, small steps.

Further reports on Span's New Year's Resolutions:
- May
- April
- March
- February
- January

that time of year part VII - May

Here's where all this started: Span's New Year's Resolutions.

Totally ticked off:
1. Get a new job in the area I want to work in - still no tick to the Roller Skate Reward though I have found a skate rink not too far from home. I think I am going to get the skates online as I can't find any shops in Auckers with what I want. And I want it noted that I started going on and on about roller skates before the cool Diet Coke and Shuffle ads.

5. Get at least one stamp in my shiny unused passport - see Vietnam posts.


In train:
3. Think positive - seem to have finally broken through regarding my new job being considerably different (environmentally) from my old job, which is a big step. All in all going pretty well despite several Bad News Assaults recently. Thank goodness for homeopathic seratonin and realising when you have Bridget Jones' Brain.

4. Resist over-committing - have slipped a little but still under control. Succeeding well in the Not Thinking People Have Huge Expectations Dept, which makes a big difference.

7. Get up to date with my Alliance projects - haven't done the project that has been on my desk Forever, but others are coming along nicely.

2. Exercise more - Finally back in this category after a few months off - I am thinking about exercise a lot and have started doing my little exercise routine again - yay! And I've been seriously considering taking a martial arts class of some sort. Any suggestions in comments would be most welcome. My aims would be to a) get fit, b) be able to kick some arse, and c) feel a little Uma Thurman-esque from time to time.


Totally not ticked off, not even a little bit:
6. Finish the kitchen - although I admit that I did bitch about it a bit just yesterday.


Past progress reports:
- April
- March
- February
- January

that time of year part VI - progress report

Yes yet more in my ongoing accountability exercise that revolves around those now nearly ancient New Year's Resolutions.

Totally ticked off:
1. Get a new job in the area I want to work in - still no tick to the Roller Skate Reward though.

5. Get at least one stamp in my shiny unused passport - see Vietnam posts, more on that still to post - yes I know I'm a Lazy Arse about finishing those off but hopefully Mr Tin's impending visit to 'Nam will encourage me


Ticking in train:
3. Think positive - still going well, with a few blips from time to time. Need to realise that I am in fact no longer working in an environment that is akin to a minefield.

4. Resist over-committing - definitely doing well here - mainly by keeping my mouth shut.

7. Get up to date with my Alliance projects - have this nice little list that is progressing very slowly, but progress is progress, isn't it?


Totally not ticked off, not even a little bit:
2. Exercise more - I don't think I've done any exercise at all since the March report. Too many excuses, not enough spare time, etc.

6. Finish the kitchen - gosh now it isn't even tidy. Oops.


Past progress reports:
- March
- February
- January

that time of year part V - Mar progress report

The latest on those pesky New Year's Resolutions.

1. Get a new job in the area I want to work in - tick to the new job, no tick to the roller skates.

2. Exercise more - tennis mates have deserted me but I am going to kick their arses into action for this Wednesday. Also no more valid excuses to put off swimming. But have definitely been totally lard this last month, urgh.

3. Think positive - definitely going well. New job helping a great deal.

4. Resist over-committing - have set myself specific tasks to commit to in a set time period and hoping to manage to stick to them. Recent events have made me rethink my (lack of) commitment to family and I am definitely going to spend more time on this now.

5. Get at least one stamp in my shiny unused passport - tick (see Vietnam posts, more on that still to post)

6. Finish the kitchen - well right now it is pretty tidy. But I don't think that cleaning counts as decorating.

7. Get up to date with my Alliance projects - didn't knock the one off that I had intended to have well finished by now, but hopefully will do so soon. (Although this could be a tui ad in the making). Am being more realistic about what I can achieve, so that is All Good.

Past progress reports:
- January
- February

that time of year part IV - Feb progress report

Further accountability, carrying on from my Jan Progress Report on my New Year's Resolutions. Better late than never, etc.

1. Get a new job in the area I want to work in - as reported at the end of Jan, this is completed. I start next Monday - quite excited and a bit daunted. Haven't found any roller skates yet, but have been a bit too busy to look. Any leads much appreciated.

2. Exercise more - certainly did a lot of exercise over the last two weeks - walking lots and lots and lots, also some cycling and swimming. Looking forward to starting tennis back up again on Wednesday night and also starting swimming at the local pool once my sunburn has gone down enough. Definitely feeling fit and certainly my arms look toned, not sure about the rest of me.

3. Think positive - first measure about to be reactivated due to being back in the country. Second measure underway and is working when i remember. Overall attempts to think positive have been much more successful since i knocked the bugger off in February.

4. Resist over-committing - working well so far, but has been easy to say I couldn't do anything until i was back from overseas. Now i'm back the challenge is to come up with another excuse ;-)

5. Get at least one stamp in my shiny unused passport - Wohoooo! Can tick this one off too - managed to go to three countries in the last two weeks - Singapore (not sure if that counts), Vietnam and Indonesia. Having a mini-break in June, so will investigate cheap overseas options (read: Australia) for that but will probably stay in NZ. Travelling was great and am really hanging out for a mini OE through Europe next year. My sister and her family gave us a Lonely Planet Europe on a Shoestring guide and I started thumbing through it basically as soon as we got back yesterday.

6. Finish the kitchen - have still done absolutely nothing. But feeling much more motivated after coming home to a house that seems much shabbier than I remembered.

7. Get up to date with my Alliance projects - hoping to knock another big bastard off this week, as I'm not working. Plus I need to draw up a plan for the other big job I want to get done. There is just so much to catch up on after a month of not being able to do anything substantial. Urgh.

So all in all not bad - two resolutions completely done and have managed to continue with the harder ones since the start of the year (2, 3 and 4).

that time of year part III - Jan progress report

In the interests of accountability, and because I have a resolution to totally tick off, here is my Jan progress report on my New Year's resolutions.

1. Get a new job in the area I want to work in - well this is now done. Got the job I really really wanted, which is a huge relief and quite exciting. Will start mid March (my goal was to start by end of March). Have commenced roller skate shopping but they are proving elusive (any at all, not just the ones with sparkly wheels). Any advice on the location of said roller skates (I spit on roller blades, a terrible corruption of the perfect original) much appreciated.

2. Exercise more - going quite well. Tennis is generally happening either once or twice a week. Have been a little slack about other forms of exercise lately due to extreme busy-ness. However now need to stay exact same shape for the next two weeks, so that should provide some impetus. Managed to walk very easily up a large hill (Bond St) on Wednesday, however that may have been partly due to the adrenalin from good job interview.

3. Think positive - one key measure is underway and have plans for a second. The first one should enable me to identify more possibilities for furthering this resolution as well.

4. Resist over-committing - this is commencing a pace. One helpful hint - put yourself in a position where you cannot actually speak on a conference call without difficulty. This way you will minimise your well-meant but doomed volunteering ;-)

5. Get at least one stamp in my shiny unused passport - no progress yet but hopefully in three weeks time i will be flying through the air right now to far off shores. Not sure where the far off shores are. And don't think of robbing us as we are getting a cat-sitter.

6. Finish the kitchen - have done absolutely nothing. Not a bean. No regrets though (refer resolution 3)

7. Get up to date with my Alliance projects - doing pretty dismally on this one too, although I did finish one large project. Have scheduled some time to finish the other really big one too and should knock off a small one this weekend. Phew.

All in all not too bad, given how incredibly busy I have been in January. Let's see what Feb will achieve...

that time of year part II - my resolutions

Ok this is the one with the actual resolutions for 2005, after a bit of reflection.

It mostly boils down to Stop Doing Things That Are Bad For Me/Start Doing Things That Are Good For Me.

1. Get a new job in the area I want to work in - to start by end March. One job application already submitted, plus one other job offer to currently consider.
Reward: some sparkly roller skates

2. Exercise more - two major efforts a week, plus a bike ride a day whenever fine. Tennis once a week is currently going well, and swimming will be added in once a) my ears heal and b) I get some togs that fit.
Reward: looking and feeling better and being able to walk up hills!

3. Think positive - a daily effort, to be aided by some specific activities that I am going to be vague about.
Reward: being easier to live with and happier

4. Resist over-committing - at work and in politics. Just because I am going to have actual free time again from March doesn't mean I have to use it all up (repeat often).
Reward: more leisure time, specifically for mini-breaks in June and September (post-election).

5. Get at least one stamp in my shiny unused passport - should happen in mid Feb, fingers crossed.
Reward: A strange object from each place to bring home for The House.

6. Finish the kitchen - by the end of the year need to: get ugly tiles removed, get walls plastered, get benchtop and taps installed, put in new not-ugly tiles, rip up lino. paint walls and ceiling, polish floors, consider new handles, do something about the damn table and chairs, put microwave box thing back up, get new light fittings. Considering we started* the kitchen just after we moved in, and have been here nearly two years, I think 2005 must be The Year of the Kitchen. Or it would be if it wasn't Election Year.
Reward: Nice artwork for the kitchen.

* started = stripped the incredibly hideous bamboo wallpaper and took all the bits off the walls

7. Get up to date with my Alliance projects - time to clear the decks, so that I can actually carry out 4.
Reward: Being able to volunteer for new projects in the future.

Righto, seven seems like a nice, lucky number. But I'm sure I'll think of something else.

Update: Here's the Technorati list of bloggers' new year's resolutions.

that time of year part I - last year's resolutions

Need to review last year's resolutions, conveniently immortalised on h2g2 before I forgot my sign in details. I recreate them here:

- to learn meditation
- to pay more attention to
1. marathecat
2. kay my sister
3. ang my good friend
- to beat the itch-scratch cycle
- to paint my nails more often
- to get fitter and walk up some volcanos

Meditation was a non-event. I signed up for the free Sri Chinmoy classes, then discovered they were a scary cult so wimped out at the last minute. Would still like to learn though.

In the paying more attention stakes, marathecat has done ok. Kay not so well - I'm beginning to think it will take some sprog production on my part to break down those ancient barriers. Will try again this arvo though. Ang bloody decamped to Ireland in about March (or was it April?) making it a little difficult. I've sent her lots of postcards though. Got an email from her the other day for my efforts - she's in North Africa now, with a mysterious Irishman called, stereotypically, Declan. I imagine that he has one blue eye, one green, and a gammy leg. She has yet to confirm or deny.

Itch-scratch cycle - largely successful. Took me absolutely months and months and months though. My advice to anyone considering developing some eczema - don't.

Painting my nails happened a fair bit. Certainly enough that I feel that resolution gets the completed tick. I think I now qualify for my girly girl card.

To get fitter - well isn't this just my perennial resolution. I think I walked up two volcanoes. That's one every six months. Oops. I am definitely fitter than this time last year. But then I was starting from a very low base. (Living like a cat who doesn't chase birds for three years will do that to you.)

So I guess I'd better come up with some resolutions for 2005...