Happy 2018!

I welcomed in 2018 very quietly. I have never been a big fan of the celebration of a new year. I’m not sure why. Maybe because I like to go to bed early? Hate parties? Much prefer to simply tuck in with a good movie and popcorn? Still, I am a fan of deciding on a new list of things to work on in the new year. It is one of my favorite things to make lists and a plan and write up new calendars. I am THAT kind of person. So, what am I planning to work on this year?

 

Credit: https://blessedisshe.net/meaningful-new-year-goals/

 

Reading Goals (outside of my GoodReads Reading Challenge goal of 80 books):

1. Finish all the books I need to read that I already own BEFORE I 1) get more from the library (there are, of course, caveats) or 2) buy more (again…caveats)
   1. Caveat #1: It’s ok to get library books for book club reading
   2. Caveat #2: It’s ok to get library books if the book is working towards one of my other goals (reading or otherwise)
   3. Caveat #3: It’s ok to buy a book if needed for book club reading (and unable to get from library)
   4. Caveat #4: It’s ok to buy a book if it’s a reallllllly good deal (Under $5)
2. Read a good mix of these two types of books on my to-read shelf: 1) Books that have been on my to-read list the longest and 2) Continue to work on finishing book series that are lingering mid-way finished on my list
3. Complete a re-read of the Harry Potter series (which has been something I’ve been meaning to do for a few years now so let’s get it on a list officially!)

Kitchen Goals

1. Learn how to make bread is my major goal in the kitchen this year – we’ll see how this goes!
2. Make at least one new dish a month and write a blog post about it
3. Make one “fun” recipe a month and share it with folks. I have been collecting tasty baked good recipes for years and never have a reason to make them so folks at work, get ready – I am making them and then getting them out of my apartment.
4. Try to cook seafood this year. I am scared of cooking seafood – I don’t know why. Maybe I fear my apartment will permanently smell of the fish market? This may be a short-lived goal if that is indeed the case!

I have more vague goals about taking up running in a more regimented way again, to try and explore more of Florida, start day hiking etc. But this set of goals are pretty concrete so I wanted to share them out to keep me accountable over 2018.

Happy New Year (a few hours early!)

Happy New Year all!

A quick check in from the suddenly cold north (seriously, it couldn’t deliver a white Christmas for the 2nd year running but it can be cold and windy and gross right after it). I wanted to report back my reading goal for the year final numbers. I don’t read much non-fiction so this year I tried to add a lot more into my reading by doing an “every other” schedule with fiction books. I read 23 non-fiction books in 2015 compared to 13 in 2014. While I was hoping for a bigger number, still better! I will try to keep up the non-fiction reading in 2016 but I decided on a few different reading goals for 2016.

I want to finish a few series I’ve started over the years. My to-read list is scattered with book 3’s and 5’s and 10’s and I’d like to finally know what happened to a few of these characters. So, reading goal 1 for 2016: finish some series that have been lingering. Reading goal 2 for 2016: Keep adding non-fiction to the reading line-up as much as I can. Reading goal 3 for 2016: actually write reviews for the books I read which hopefully will translate into a more normal posting schedule on the blog! (well, I can dream I do that anyway!)

Wishing you all a wonderful and prosperous new year!

Happy New Year

Happy 2013 everyone! I am expecting good things from a year with my favorite number in it. 13 has always treated me well so I hope the trend continues!

I head back to Florida tomorrow after an awesome time at home seeing family and friends for the first time in a long time. I always love to come home and see what’s new and visit all my favorite places. Sadly, issues with health meant I couldn’t eat all my favorite things this time around but I am hoping to get home over the summer so I’ll just have to eat double then. I even made it up to the Carrier Dome for an SU Basketball game through a semi-blizzard. It renewed my CNY street cred for sure.

This coming semester is going to be busy and challenging at work but I am looking forward to it and hoping to have a lot to show for myself come summer (fingers crossed!). As for reading, I’ve put my Goodreads Reading Challenge at 110 books. I decided to be realistic and not push myself too hard this year as I really want to continue to focus on my to read list rather than the numbers like I needed to at the end of last year to get my challenge met. It should be a good reading year indeed!

I am off to enjoy my last day at home before a day of travel tomorrow so I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Year’s Day!

Some 2012 Goals

Now that Christmas is behind me and I’m comfortably hanging at home for this week, I’ve been thinking about 2012. I have a lot of goals for myself in this coming year but I have mainly been thinking about the goals that directly affect this blog. For the most part, I use this blog for my book and movie musings and I’d like to keep that this way. I think I share plenty about myself that way so telling you about what I did at work seems silly (and I have another blog for that).

In July of this year, I got what I called my mysterious illness that it took them until September to decide was TMJ and that I am still dealing with on a daily basis. That sort of threw off my nice groove off on lots of things. However, new year and new goals.

I feel I did well with my reading challenge last year – I got through a lot of books on my list that I felt I should have read by now and found some new favorites along the way. Two of which found their way under my tree this year – yay! I love getting books for Christmas – there is nothing better….except maybe an Amazon gift card so I can do some damage on my wish list.

I also blew my Goodreads challenge for the year out of the water – I clearly underestimated how many books I read in a year – 122 books down last year! So, now I have to come up with a new reading challenge but I am drawing a blank. I thought about reading the books on my to-read list in exact order but I feel like I would cheat on that challenge really fast and it would limit me in a sense. What if I found a new author I really love from one book and want to read the rest of his/her work? I would have to have too many rules or caveats to make that one work. So, I’ll have to work on a different idea or maybe just sort of let my reading go wherever it wants this year.

But one goal I am sure of is this year, and I will make it a rule, is to review a book or write something on this blog at least once a week. I like writing on this blog when I remember to so if I set reminders for myself, I am hoping this will become a habit of mine. I have tons of blog post ideas saved up on things I want to write about – I just need to make the time and let’s face it, I have lots of time on my hands most of the time. I just need to make the effort and I figure by writing it here, I’ll be held to it.

I head back west on New Year’s Day and then the new year will begin. In the meantime, I’m off to enjoy the rest of my time home.

A new year…

Now that I am back in the wilds of Dakota, I have a moment to wish every one a happy new year. After traveling all day, I’ve been relaxing with movies I got over the holidays.

I wish you all a prosperous and happy year ahead of you, full of good books, good movies and good food. Not necessarily in that order.

Good luck 2011!