Welcome to February! January simply flew by, didn't it? Well, it did for me anyway. There's something just so time consuming about packing up all of your belongings and moving them to a new location 150 feet away, only unpack them all over again. January was an interesting month for the resolutions. Some I did well with by choice. Others, by necessity. Others still I completely bombed. Let the unveiling commence:
1) Self Control – Money
Despite the fact that I emptied out both my savings account and my investment account (not my retirement account, just my normal "play money" investment account, I think I did fairly well this month. I had to pay double-rent for about three weeks, which necessitated careful expenditure with money for about six weeks in order to save. The only thing I would consider an impulse buy was the new futon I purchased for the guest bedroom/studio, which I did for my friend Mukluk who is staying with me for the weekend. It wasn't particularly expensive, and it's something that I needed anyway, so I consider it a fairly carefully considered whim, if you will. Starting in Feb., however, things are going to get down to business. I'm getting a HUGE tax return this year, thanks to tax write-offs from my business, so I will be saving a large chunk, paying off a credit card, buying the necessities for my backpacking trip this summer, and maybe spending a little bit on myself as well. But most of it will go toward responsible things.
2) Experience New Things
January, I'm going to say that I did fairly well on this one. I went to the zoo, which I haven't done for years and years. I went out with other people a did social things, which is "new" for me. I learned how to program queries in SQL at work, and am currently learning how to write XML schemas, which isn't particularly hard, but it's a new thing.
3) Lose 20 Pounds
I started January 1st at 198.6 pounds. As of February 3rd, I weigh 187.6 pounds. 11 Pounds in a month, basically. I'm at a bit of a plateau, exacerbated by the fact that for the last two weeks, I've eaten out a LOT (it's hard to cook when you have no kitchen) and I haven't been to the gym in about three weeks.
4) Be More Social
This month, I went "out" a couple of times. And while the experience was nice, I came to realize a couple of things: First, I am a homebody. I like being at home. Second, I've grown to be exceptionally comfortable around myself for the first time in my life. I like who I am, and I like being my own company. Third, my years of getting my own way have turned me into a person who doesn't like to compromise my free time by spending it doing something other than what I absolutely want to do. If I am in the mood to sit and home and play video games, then I get almost resentful if I "have" to go out and be social instead.
What does all of this mean for #4? I honestly don't know. I'm going to continue trying to be more social, but if I continue to find that I'm not enjoying it as much as I should be, then I'm not sure if I'm going to really continue working on this particular goal. Stay tuned for updates.
5) Write Music
I have turned on the piano and have tinkered around with a few things. I've written 2/3rd of a song that I really don't like that much, and I'm hoping to salvage a few of the parts I do like in another iteration. The new apartment also has enough space that I am able to hang my guitars up on the wall, which I find helps me remember to pick up the instruments more often and tinker around. So, I haven't done great with this one, but it's a start.
6) Get in Shape
I've not done so well on this one. I started off the month by running and going to the gym every so often. But it didn't last. (It never does, does it?) I have been trying to walk more, and losing the 11 pounds really helps. Once the rain stops a little, I plan on spending some weekends up in the mountains going on some day hikes with Luke. I just don't have any desire to hike in the rain on purpose.
7) Be More Giving
I've not done well on this one. I have tried to be more giving of myself by spending time on the phone with friends who have been going through some rough times, which is sometimes difficult for me to do. I didn't, however, participate in the Haiti disaster giving. I'm not really sure why, but with everyone focused on giving their limited charity money to Haiti, I really wanted to focus on doing something at home. One thing I've actually started doing is very generous tipping to a lot of the people who serve me as part of their jobs–especially people who I get the sense could really use the extra money. It makes me feel good think that maybe my tip is helping someone that I actually interacted with in the course of my life, not some nameless mass of people thousands of miles away. I don't begrudge anyone who has donated like that, by any means. I just wanted something a little more immediate.
8) Get to Bed Earlier
I've been doing pretty well with this one. During the week, I really try to be in bed by midnight. Sometimes lately, I'm even getting to bed as early as 11PM, which is unheard of from me. It helps that I'm actively avoiding taking a nap when I get home from work, that I am on an earlier schedule, and that I try not to start a project at 11:00 PM that I don't think I can finish by 11:30. Seems to be helping. I'm waking up far more easily than I had been, and I am finding that I'm far less crabby when I get up and realize that I have to go to work. Turns out that getting only 5 hours of sleep at night actually isn't that great for you. Who knew?
9) Take LOTS of pictures
I've used my camera a fair bit, but not anywhere near as much as I should be. My day-long trip to the zoo was a blast, and I got some fun pictures from the process, and I've managed to capture a couple of beautiful sunrises over the lake in the morning before work, but I'm just not really taking advantage of the camera. Of course, spending three weekends either packing, unpacking, or moving didn't help. I need to do better on this one.
10) El Learno La Espanol
Epic fail. I haven't even booted up the software, let alone worked on any lessons. Need to do better here.
So, overall, I think the resolutions are going fairly well. I could certainly kick things up a notch, and need to do so, but I don't want to discount the progress I have made. Let's hope the streak keeps up, eh?
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