I guess it is that time of year again...

So I just read an interesting article on Cracked.com called 5 Reasons Your New Years Resolution is Going to Fail. It is pessimistic, but while the author is being sarcastic and mean, he is also giving suggestions on crafting resolutions that aren't doomed to fail. And that got me thinking about my resolutions. In the past they've always been vague (one of the no-nos, according to this article) or overly ambitious. So! This year I am being specific and realistic.

Resolutions!

1. Lose 5 pounds per month. More specific than "get healthy" or "lose weight", I'm hoping that setting a small specific weight loss goal like this will help me keep on track. Keep in mind that for those who want to lose weight in a healthy manner, 2 pounds a week is average. 5 pounds a month gives me some leeway, but still demands that I work on losing weight and getting healthy. In order to achieve that goal, I am going to rejoin Weight Watchers. I realize that I need both the structure and the group setting in order to stay motivated, and there is a meeting several blocks from my apartment. And since their current promotion involves waving the registration fee, why not?!

2. Find and complete DIY projects. A little vague, but I didn't want to be so ambitious as to say "knit one thing per month" or anything like that. Basically, I'd like to continue knitting, but also locate and work on other projects, like the jewelry case that I've begun, or various other things that look interesting. I want my hobbies to extend past loitering on the internet.

3. Put $20 of each paycheck into savings. Again, this isn't a huge goal, but I would really like to begin adding to my small savings account rather than withdrawing from it. And $20 per paycheck is manageable, and not a hardship. And since I'll be graduating in June (knock on wood) and hopefully get a better paying job, this resolution may be up for adjustment come summer.

So. Not a huge amount of resolutions, but goals that I am invested in, and will hopefully be able to stick to. I won't be posting specific info about money, but I will update about my progress on the other two goals. I will also probably take some "before" pictures, and update those as well. Wish me luck on these, and best of luck to all of my friends making goals and resolutions of their own!

Starting a bit early...

New Year is really just an arbitrary day to base goals on, I mean, what is to prevent someone from making a goal at any other time of year? Nothing! But New Years is traditional, and comes with all sorts of ideas about new year equaling fresh starts, and so we all decide that on January 1st we're going to completely change ourselves for the better.

I got impatient. Palmer and I went to La Madeleine for breakfast, and while I was sorely tempted by the pastries and the croque monsieur, I restricted myself to an oj, a fruit salad (still don't like cantaloupe, but honeydew is acceptable), and a quiche. I doubt I'll ever just be able to have a fruit salad for breakfast and be satisfied, because I love savory way too much. But if I can do things like start with a fruit salad and then have an egg, I think that'll work out far better than the eggs benedict or canadian bacon that are my weaknesses.

We stopped by World Market after breakfast, and I purchased 2 more antique style furniture knobs for my jewelry case project. I need one more (I forgot how many vertical areas there were) and then some pretty hooks for the horizontal areas. After I get all the knobs, I need to purchase paper to back the case with. I'm thinking just one paper, and maybe I'll alternate between wood and paper. Then, I have to purchase the correct size drill bit. And then crafting!

Palmer's back hurt, so we cut the shopping short and came back home, where he's been relaxing on the couch with a heating pad. I was relaxing with him for a while, then decided that I might as well clean and reorganize the kitchen. Which I've done. I've also done laundry and finally finished off that DIY dry erase board. The super glue for the magnets is drying as I type.

We also had to give Loki a bath. We gave Goblin a bath last week because I noticed he had poop stuck in the fur near his butt, and Goblin... reacted badly. We also had to cut out a rather serious mat we discovered while drying him, which has led to the decision to start having Goblin trimmed regularly. Anyhow! Loki also had poopy butt, which I didn't particularly want all over the chairs and carpet, so into the bath he went. Despite the fact that he is bigger, heavier, and more obnoxious than Goblin, Loki was the easier one to bathe. True, he tried to leap out of the tub, and eventually yowled mournfully, but he didn't writhe about nearly as much as Goblin, and actually allowed me to use soap on him. Once we got him out of the tub and were drying him, he calmed down significantly, and even let me pick him up. He's a brat, but he's my fave.

We're hanging out at the apartment until this evening, and then we'll head over to a friend's house for a small party. Should be fun.

Happy New Year everybody!