Thursday, December 29, 2011

Resolution Update: October, November, and December

Resolution One: Write or Edit Creative Works for at Least One Hour Five Days a Week
November was a very productive month for me writing-wise, as I really focused on writing every day. This fell off in December with the holidays and all the hub-bub that goes with them. I'm going to refocus on writing in the New Year and hopefully come up with some sort of "schedule" that works for me.

Resolution Two: Get a Story Published
I didn't succeed here. I did send one story out, however, to two different places, one a contest and one a very top journal. It was rejected by the top journal. It didn't win the contest, but it was a finalist.

Resolution Three: Submit Chapter Book to Agent/Publisher
As I noted before, I decided to call this one off. Maybe I'll revive it one day.

Resolution Four: Get Two New Freelance ClientsAlready accomplished. October was a very productive month for me, and November and December continued on that trend.

Resolution Five: Reenvision, Relaunch, and Maintain Blog
I'm still completely up in the air as to how I want to handle this. Some days I want to invest more in it; other days I want to say forget it.

Resolution Six: Ride a Century
Accomplished! On October 29, we completed the Durham Habitat for Humanity Century Ride. It was the nastiest day we've had all year, I think. Temperature in the low 40s, rain, and wind strong enough that I thought I might fall off my bike at points. Definitely not the day I would have picked, but we biked anyway and were 2 of only 15 people to finish the century. (All other people, being apparently saner than us, opted for the 31 mile or 62 mile routes.)

Resolution Seven: Cook One New Thing Each Week     
We continued adding new food to our repertoire, welcoming back fall favorites such as butternut squash and sweet potatoes. We also prepared a slew of new things for our holiday party: chorizo and manchego stuffed piquillo peppers, sundried tomato stuffed mushrooms, beef en croute with bernaise sauce, smoked salmon tartlets, two types of mini quiches, and more.

Resolution Eight: Sew a Piece of Clothing to Wear 
Fail! My sewing machine continued to be put to use for repairs but did not create anything new. I still might get a pillow sewn before the New Year. Maybe? Maybe? But using my sewing machine more will have to be a goal for next year.

Resolution Nine: Take a Class to Learn Something New 
Already accomplished.

Resolution Ten: Read a Minimum of 25 Books
Already accomplished. Over the past three months, I read an additional 10 books, and I'm halfway through one more, which I hope to finish before 2011 departs.

Resolution Eleven: Have an Adventure Every Month    
Our adventures continued through the end of the year, but they were much more low key. In October, we didn't actually leave North Carolina, but we spent a lot of time exploring parts of it we hadn't been to before--both on our bikes and during a visit from Jeff's parents. In November, we made our annual pilgrimage to Seattle for Thanksgiving, and in December, we traveled to Louisville for Christmas celebrations. 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Gay Rights are Human Rights

Last month, just three days before we headed to Spain and amidst a frenzy of laundry, packing, collations, and copyedits, I put everything on hold and drove to the North Carolina state capitol in the middle of the day. My purpose was to join the rally in support of gay marriage/in opposition to a proposed state constitutional amendment banning it. It was time for me to put actions with my words. It was time to add my voice to the chorus, to speak for myself rather than hope or expect that someone else will do it for me.

While we rallied on the lawn outside the chambers, where inside the Senate was voting whether to put said constitutional amendment on the ballot in May, speakers took to the stage to denounce not only the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage but also the fact of allowing a majority to vote on a minority's rights. The speakers represented a range of faiths, races, social classes, occupations, ages, and sexual orientations. Some spoke angrily; others spoke eloquently. In-between, the crowd cheered, waved their homemade signs, and yelled "Shame on you" at the chambers and the few lawmakers that gathered on its balcony after the Senate voted in favor of putting the amendment on the ballot.

I heard a lot of arguments that afternoon about why the ban was bad news. They ranged from it being bad for business, to there not being a need for a ban because NC law already prevents gay marriage, to there being bigger and more important things for the NC legislature to worry about. All of these are true. And I'm in favor of any argument that will get people to come out in May and vote against the amendment (or stay home in May if they planned to vote for it). However, I find all of these arguments to be superfluous. As far as I'm concerned there is only one argument, and it is spelled out in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Denying homosexual, bisexual, and transgendered people the right to marry the person of their choosing is a declaration that they are, in fact, not equal. It is a denial of their right to Liberty and  their right to pursue Happiness. Because we live in a secular country, it is as simple as that.

Today is National Coming Out Day. Next week is Ally Week. The fight for equal rights in this country is not one that should be fought alone by those whose rights have been denied but one that should be fought by all people who believe in a just world, who believe in that second sentence of our Constitution. It is our job to speak out not because we are gay or know someone who is, but because we are human and because this is an issue of human rights.

Please take the time to stand up and make your voice heard. Even if this isn't an issue on the docket in your state right now, it is a pressing issue nonetheless. Our voices need to be heard constantly and consistently until all people in this country, regardless of sexual orientation, have full and equal rights. Don't say this isn't your fight. You are human, aren't you?

Comments, as always, are welcome, even those with conflicting viewpoints, so long as those views are presented in an inoffensive and rational manner. Any comments I deem to be inflammatory or hateful will, however, be immediately deleted. It's my blog, and I believe in civility. If you don't, please go away.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Resolution Update: August and September

Resolution One: Write or Edit Creative Works for at Least One Hour Five Days a Week
Basically, this isn't going to happen as spelled out here. The one hour a day five days a week thing doesn't work for me. I've tried and I keep trying, and I want it to work, but it doesn't. And I've decided I'm okay with that. I can't write on a schedule. Creativity doesn't work for me like that. But I am writing, sometimes multiple hours in one day and sometimes no hours at all. I think I need a goal that is more accomplishment/final project oriented. I'll have to think more about this, but in the meantime I'll keep writing and keep trying to find some sort of "program" that works for me.

Resolution Two: Get a Story Published
Well, I've got three stories I plan to send out. I'm almost finished with revises on one (I need to get rid of a pesky 120 words or so that just won't go), and the other two are in progress in terms of revises. I have a couple of contests I want to enter in October, so I'm hoping to do a mass send out this month and see what happens. I'm starting at the top with the places I'd most want to be published, so I don't expect success this round, but I figure why not start at the top.

Resolution Three: Submit Chapter Book to Agent/Publisher
See last update. On hold indefinitely.

Resolution Four: Get Two New Freelance Clients
While having already achieved this goal for the year, I'm always working on evaluating and improving my freelance business. In the past two months, I haven't gotten any new clients per se, but I have picked up some new long-term work from some of my clients. I've also been recommended by one of my clients to another potential client, so I'm waiting to see if that goes anywhere.
 
Resolution Five: Reenvision, Relaunch, and Maintain Blog
This continues to be an epic fail. I don't really have any more to say about it than I did last time, but you may be seeing some new action from me in the next month, so check in both here and at Lives of Wander.

Resolution Six: Ride a Century
This is the goal I've probably made the most progress on. We've been going on long rides every weekend with some shorter rides thrown in on weekends and we're now up to 60+ miles of riding. We're also officially signed up for the event on October 29, so basically I have one more month of training left. Unfortunately, it's also a busy month with some weekends already spoken for. I am, however, only planning to train up to 75 miles or so. I've found that it hasn't been that hard to increase our distance each week. Sure, it takes more time and I'm good and tired afterwards, but I'm pretty sure that even if the event were this weekend, we'd be able to pull it off. As long as I keep myself fed (I eat a ton while riding!), then most of riding long distance is mental for me, and since I'll be riding with Jeff and our neighbors Carl and Kristen (who we also train with on occasion), I think I'll have the support I need to finish it.

Resolution Seven: Cook One New Thing Each Week
Though I haven't been keeping track of this, I think we do pretty well on this front. It doesn't hurt that I very easily get tired of eating the same things, so I'm always looking for something new to try.

Resolution Eight: Sew a Piece of Clothing to Wear  
Looks like it's going to have to be a fall or winter piece or maybe even something for next year, since this hasn't happened yet. I don't do very well at indoor projects in the summer. As the sun sets earlier and earlier each night, I think the chances for this goal being achieved increase.

Resolution Nine: Take a Class to Learn Something New 
I've already checked this goal off the list. Hooray. No overachieving to report.

Resolution Ten: Read a Minimum of 25 Books
Completed! Woohoo! I have now read 27 books this year. In the last two months, I read A Gate at the Stairs by Laurie Moore, Room by Emma Donoghue, Going after Cacciato by Tim O'Brien, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander Smith McCall, Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones, Accordian Crimes by Annie Proulx, and Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson. Of these, I would most recommend Room and Silver Sparrow.

Resolution Eleven: Have an Adventure Every Month  
Our adventures continued in August with a weekend trip to Chicago to visit my brother Gregory. We ate a lot of good food (Xoco and Little India being my favorites), took an Art Deco architecture walking tour, and went to an art fair. We were also able to visit my cousin Elizabeth and her awesome kiddo Jack and see their new home. In September, we headed off to Spain for a combined business/pleasure trip (well combined for Jeff, all pleasure for me.) We started out in Barcelona, where Jeff had a conference. I then headed south during the conference to visit Ronda and Cordoba. After the conference, Jeff met up with me and we traveled to Sevilla and Granada. It was a great trip. We loved the Alhambra, the entirety of Sevilla, and all the good food to be had. We don't yet have an adventure lined up for October (that century ride is taking precedence), so we're taking suggestions. We might have to opt for a micro-adventure this month.

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

On Politics, Lost Hope, and Feeling Duped

I remember what HOPE felt like. I remember feeling it in Nicaragua, sitting on a hostel couch as election night results poured in, and in Africa, where Obama adorned everything from shop walls to wrap skirts. I remember it from before then, from standing in a parking lot outside my office with a coworker, listening to Obama give a speech in the months before the primaries were decided. I remember that feeling....but I don't feel it anymore. Now all I feel is disappointment.

Politics are ugly. Politicians are never who they seem to be (unless they're members of the Tea Party, and they are exactly who they seem to be). To be a politician, you have to have a huge ego, to believe yourself capable of things that no human is capable of, to be certain that you---yes, you---are the change this world needs. I know that the person who will be president will not be the same person we see as candidate for president, but I expect that they will at least maintain the outline of that person, that the shadow they cast will fill roughly the same space. With President Obama, I feel, however, as though I've been duped.

Is it me? Did I expect too much? Did I fall too easily for words? Did I overlook hints, clues, signs, messages from beyond that said that as president, Obama would fail to lead, that he would throw his own party under the bus, that he would not stand up for the things that he, as a supposed liberal, believes in. Did I fail to recognize that he is, at best, a moderate conservative with a weak spine? Was I that easily tricked?


I believe in compromise. In general, I think it's a good thing. But I don't believe that compromise and lying down and playing dead are the same thing. I don't believe that allowing radicals to hold you and a country hostage has anything to do with compromise. I don't believe that throwing away your principles can count as victory, no matter what it says on paper. I don't believe in giving and giving and giving without ever demanding one thing in return when we're talking about the game called politics. I believe that when the other side isn't willing to do their part you have to stand up and lead, compromise be damned. The Republicans don't seem to have trouble understanding that.  So why, why, why do you Mr. Obama, the man we elected to be president, the man we elected to lead?

I'm not saying that if it were November 2008 all over again, I wouldn't vote for Obama. You better believe I'd vote for him over McCain and the crazy woman he partnered with. But if I, if this country, could go back to the primaries, would I still want to see him chosen as the Democratic nominee, knowing what I know now (and I'm not just speaking in relation to this debt ceiling debacle but in relation to the sum of his presidency thus far)? I don't think I would. Hope, it's been said, is a good thing, maybe even the best thing, but as it turns out, that's not applicable in the world of politics. In politics, it's not hope that counts, it's action. And that just doesn't seem to be something our president has in him.

I'm not looking forward to the 2012 elections. Surely, I'll be voting Democrat (have you seen the crazy lady leading the Republican field this time around???) but I'll be doing it with a heavy heart, wishing that I had the option of choosing a true liberal, not a moderate conservative who, in the era before the Tea Party, would have made a damn fine Republican.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Resolution Update: April, May, June, and July

Good thing I didn't make a resolution to actually make monthly updates about my resolutions. I managed to only do that once. Next time it was a two month update. This time it's a four month update. It seems you shouldn't expect the next one until the end of the year, considering the pattern I've established. Or maybe I'll change and become a diligent monthly updater. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. But without further ado, here's wehre I stand on my resolutions with 7/12 of the years behind us.

Resolution One: Write or Edit Creative Works for at Least One Hour Five Days a Week
April-July: This was an overall fail. I'm not really sure this is a good goal for me. I've honestly been trying to do this for years, but I've never been able to. I write in spurts, which works to an extent, especially if I'm content to write short stories, but I'll never be prolific or be able to turn out a novel with the sporadic writing schedule I maintain. My other problem is that I've been swamped with paying work. I know you have to "pay yourself first," but when I have paid work hanging over my head, I find it really hard to put my creative work first. For the month of August, I'm going to make a concerted effort to actually stick to this goal and thus have a better idea of how I feel about the concept of writing for one hour every day.

Resolution Two: Get a Story Published
April-July: No success of this front either, though I have decided on three stories I plan to submit to journals come fall, and I've had two of the three reviewed by fellow writers. I need to make some final revises this month and then send them out in September.

Resolution Three: Submit Chapter Book to Agent/Publisher
April-July: I may be throwing the towel in on this one, and I'm going to do it without guilt. I'm just not into this goal right now. With the limited amount of time I have for creative writing, this isn't my highest priority. It will remain living on my hard drive, and I may one day bring it back out, but for now, it's in hibernation.

Resolution Four: Get Two New Freelance Clients
April-July: Technically, I already achieved this goal, but I like to overachieve (and there' s the other matter of never knowing when you might lose a client). In this period, I did both---gained and lost. On the success front, I won a bid for a job from the Freer & Sackler galleries that involves editing an entire catalogue. On loss front, I am no longer freelancing from Groupon. They decided to end their entire freelance program, which was, honestly, a relief as that company is one hot mess and they were not paying me anywhere near what I'm worth (and I'm not even valuing myself that highly at this point!). Overall, the freelancing is going quite well, keeping me busy on a full-time basis these days.



Resolution Five: Reenvision, Relaunch, and Maintain Blog
April-July: My enthusiasm for blogging has definitely waned. After busy days of work (some stretching late into the night these days), it's just not what I want to do. I also haven't been reading too many other blogs. I keep up with friends and pop in on favorite blogs every now and then, but I've found myself disconnecting from the online world lately and feeling rather fantastic about it. To put it simply, I've been more interested in living and enjoying my own real life rather than reading about the adventures (or more often the banalities) of people that I don't really know. That's not to say I'm going to become an online hermit. There are blogs I get enjoyment from reading. I do love to read about what my friends have been up to. But I've given up on keeping up with the masses online. It's just not me, and I like me the way I am...live and in person and, when I feel like it, online.

Resolution Six: Ride a Century
April-July: There's definitely been progress on this front. Most importantly, I've finally gotten a road bike. Hooray! I've also been doing some riding, both short little trips during the week and longer weekend rides, and I'm on track with the training plan I have for the October 30 event I plan to ride. Progress. Good stuff.

Resolution Seven: Cook One New Thing Each Week
April-July: I don't know if we've literally cooked one new thing each week, but we are regularly cooking new things, so I consider this goal a success. Our menu for this upcoming week is loaded with new items, all making meals out of our garden abundance, particularly in regards to tomatoes.

Resolution Eight: Sew a Piece of Clothing to Wear  
April-July: I'm not going to be wearing a new piece of clothing sewed by myself this summer, but I did use my sewing machine to fix a bag, and I'm working on altering a dress I bought on clearance, so, again, progress.

Resolution Nine: Take a Class to Learn Something New 
April-July: I've already checked this goal off the list. Hooray. No overachieving to report.


Resolution Ten: Read a Minimum of 25 Books
April-July: I put the hurt on this goal over the last few months, and I'm already at a total of 20 books read for the year. I have all confidence that I will surpass this goal. Books I've read in the past four months include: The Age of Orphans by Laleh Khadevi, What is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman, Dear Husband by Joyce Carol Oates, You Lost Me There by Rosecrans Baldwin, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed, The Gendarme by Mark Mustian, Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat, Solo by Rana Dasgupta, The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer, Still Alice by Lisa Genova, A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, and The Personal History of Rachel DuPress by Ann Weisgarber.

Resolution Eleven: Have an Adventure Every Month  
April-July: We kept the adventures rolling over the past few months. April was busy with a trip to Houston for Cristina's wedding and then a spur-of-the-moment roadtrip to Florida. We hoped to see the launch of the space shuttle Endeavor, the second to last NASA launch, but technical difficulties kept the launch from happening. Instead, we met up with friends Taylor & Courtney in Daytona, toured St. Augustine, and wandered Savannah all in one weekend. It was great fun, though I really wish we could have seen the shuttle launch. In May, we drove to Louisville for the Derby, Jeff's first. It was fun, maybe a bit too much for one person in this partnership, his name to be withheld :-) Our other May adventure was a weeklong trip to the Litchfield Beach in South Carolina with my family, which was relaxing and fun per usual. In June, we actually kept our adventures in state, enjoying our own town. We did, however, make it to the beach, checking out North Carolina's Kure Beach for the first time. In July, we headed out to Seattle for the Fourth of July. While there, we made it to the Olympics (my first time), saw the Mariners, and took part in a lot of Bainbridge traditions. It was an adventuresome first seven months. Hopefully the next five prove to be so as well.

   

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Resolution Update: February and March

So it's April. How did that happen?  I'm going to blame the fact that I was in Hawaii during the February-March transition for my failure to post a resolution update then. As for March, well, I can't really post about March if I haven't posted about February, now can I? Reasons, excuses, whatever. The fact is I am behind. And so I'm going to pull a double shift here and provide both February and March updates in this post.


Resolution One: Write or Edit Creative Works for at Least One Hour Five Days a Week
February: Fail
March: Fail

I really did a poor job with this goal for both February and March. Thankfully, I'm a member of a writing group that expects me to submit a piece for critique once a month, so I did manage to produce two pieces, but I did not go above and beyond that. I blame the fact that I was traveling and working in an office for much of February and March, but again, excuses. I will do better this month (or what's left of it...).

Resolution Two: Get a Story Published
February: Fail
March: Fail

It's hard to get a story published if you don't submit it for consideration. I did enter one contest, which I apparently did not win, but I didn't submit my creative work anywhere else. Submission season for most literary journals is actually approaching a hiatus, since most run according to the academic calendar. So I'm probably going to have to wait until fall to have a chance at accomplishing this. In the interim, I need to write, polish, pick markets, and have multiple pieces ready to submit once the fall comes around.

Resolution Three: Submit Chapter Book to Agent/Publisher
February: Fail
March: Fail

I've really lost steam with this project. I honestly can't remember the last time I looked at it. Time to dig up the file and give it some love.

Resolution Four: Get Two New Freelance Clients
February: Success
March: Success

Finally, some success! All those fails at the beginning were feeling a big discouraging. But honestly, if I want to maintain my sanity and enjoy my life somewhat, I'm not going to be able to accomplish all my goals every month. They are goals for the year, that's what I have to remind myself, though monthly progress would be good. Anyhow, February and March were really great months for my freelancing business, so I'm pumped about that. I began getting a substantial amount of work from the Smithsonian, the one client I already had, and I added two new clients to my roster: Groupon, for whom I am writing daily deals; and Oxford University Press, for whom I am providing copy editing and production editing services. I also attended a social venture job fair, where I made contacts with three other businesses that could potentially use my services. Things are looking good on this front. Now just to maintain the momentum.

Resolution Five: Reenvision, Relaunch, and Maintain Blog
February: Success
March: Success

I've been posting fairly regularly to Lives of Wander, and I feel good about where it's at now. It's not ever going to be anything more than my personal travel blog, and I'm 100% okay with that. Now to launch the KY Blog...


Resolution Six: Ride a Century
February: Fail
March: Progress

I've made some progress on this goal in that I think I've chosen the event in which I would like to ride: the Habitat for Humanity Durham Century Ride at the end of October. I've also begun my quest to find the perfect road bike. I still have to buy the bike and most importantly, get riding!

Resolution Seven: Cook One New Thing Each Week
February: Success
March: Success

Aside from the weeks when we were traveling, we've done a good job of adding new meals to our menus. I need to compile a list of favorite new meals and share them.

Resolution Eight: Sew a Piece of Clothing to Wear
February: Fail
March: Fail

We did finally clean up the front bedroom and rearrange it so that my sewing machine has a place to live that is easy to access. I need to pick a pattern and some material now and get sewing. Though first I need Jeff to wrap me in duct tape...

Resolution Nine: Take a Class to Learn Something New
February: Success
March: Goal Accomplished

I'm not sure I have to call March a failure, because CHECK, I accomplished this goal. I wanted to learn something new this year and I did. I took a class and learned to surf while in Hawaii. Woohoo! Goal Accomplished! I'd like to maybe take another class to learn something else, but we'll see. Lots of other resolutions to tend to.

Resolution Ten: Read a Minimum of 25 Books
February: Fail
March: Fail

Wow. This is the most surprising fail for me, but both February and March were lean months for me in regards to reading. Things turned sour when I spent forever trying to read Lotus Eaters and just could not get into it. Then I took some books with me on vacation but never got to them. Then I was working in an office by day and at home by night. Reading in all forms took a major hit. I'm almost caught up on New Yorkers, and I just went to the library and got two books, one of which I'm 50 pages into, so I'm back in the game, but good thing I did so much reading in January!

Resolution Eleven: Have an Adventure Every Month
February: Success
March: Success

We headed to Hawaii at the end of February and stayed into the second week of March, and I'd say Hawaii was a pretty big adventure, so great success on this front. I also spent a weekend in Houston for Cristina's bachelorette party, so lots of adventure in February and March. The upcoming months look good on this front too!

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Eleven for '11: The January Check-In

This year I decided to stick to the beaten path and create a set of resolutions for myself. Needing a clever way to decide just how many resolutions to make, I opted to go with 11 resolutions for the year 2011. Yes, what can I say, I'm just that clever.

The resolutions are
  1. Write or edit creative works for at least one hour five days a week.
  2. Get a story published.
  3. Submit chapter book to agent/publisher.
  4. Get two new freelance clients.
  5. Reenvision, relaunch, and maintain blog.
  6. Ride a century.
  7. Cook one new thing each week.
  8. Sew at least one piece of clothing well enough that I actually wear it.
  9. Take a class to learn something new.
  10. Read a minimum of 25 books (plus all issues of the New Yorker). 
  11. Have an adventure every month.
The problem with resolutions is that they can be damn hard to stick to, especially when no one is holding you accountable but yourself. That's why I just posted all 11 of my resolutions here for the whole world to see. I want to be held accountable. Which is also why at the end of every month, I'm going to post an update on what I did in regards to each resolution that month. Whether or not anyone else ever reads this, I think just having the monthly accounting written down will help me see where I am succeeding and where I am falling short and will thus help me do better with each new month. Hopefully.

Anyhow, here's how things played out on the resolution front for January.

1. I fell short on writing/editing for one hour/5 days a week. In total, I may have worked for that many hours, but I wasn't consistent, which is what I'm striving for. I have been playing around with time of day and environment to discover how I work best, but I haven't found the magic combination yet. Must work harder on this.

2. I did not get a story published this month nor did I even submit one. I did, however, do some research on literary magazines in the hopes of finding the perfect home for one of my stories. This month, I plan to continue researching and actually submit something.

3. I did not submit my chapter book to anyone. I have completed the entire draft of the story, but I think it needs a lot of work. I will continue to edit and polish in the hopes of submitting before the end of the year.

4. Unfortunately, I did not land any new freelance clients this month, though it wasn't for lack of trying. I've sent letters of introduction to travel publishing companies in the hopes of getting freelance copy editing work. I have also sent out emails to all acquaintances in the NC area in hopes of making some connections. None of this has translated into any work yet, though one company was interested but needed me to be in NYC. Boo.

5. Much of my energy in January has been spent on reenvisioning and relaunching Lives of Wander. I've got it pretty close to where I want it to be, though a few tweaks remain. I am back in the blogging spirit and expect to be able to maintain posts 3x/week. My goal now is to increase readership.

6. I've got a sample training program for a century taped to my wall, and I tried to do week one, but honestly, it was too damn cold. I really don't like riding my bike when it's below freezing. So I'm putting off the training until the weather improves a bit. I also need to pick a century event to ride in. So far, the ones I've been interested in have not been on dates that work well for me. I need a commitment and a deadline however.

7. I've been on a roll with cooking new foods, exceeding my goal of one new item a week. New recipes that were a hit this month include chicken cacciatorre, sweet potato and black bean burritos, and sweet potato ravioli. The ravioli was the hands-down winner. I'll post the recipe later this week.

8. I haven't yet sewed anything on the new machine I got for Christmas. I'd like to make a skirt or dress before my upcoming Hawaii trip, but that might be ambitious. Goal number one is to get the front room arranged in a way that I can leave my machine set up.

9. I have not taken nor signed up for any classes this month, though I have been checking out the options. I think I might like to take a pottery class that begins in late spring.

10. The reading goal is going to be the one I accomplish most easily. I probably should have set the bar higher, but it's kind of nice to have one goal I feel like I'm rocking. I read five books this month: Take Me Home by Brian Leung, Displaced Persons by Ghita Schwarz, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Tinkers by Paul Harding, and The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard. I would recommend all of them. I also read all January issues of The New Yorker.

11. This month's adventure was a trip to Colorado, where we visited friends in Denver and Grand Junction and skied at Copper Mountain, Powderhorn, and Loveland. It was a great long weekend and set the tone for fun adventures for the rest of the year.

And there you have it. The successes and not-yet-successes for January 2011. What about you? Any resolutions for 2011?