2010 Wrap-Up Post and Resolutions for 2011

[tehuti]

Yeah, I know. It's almost the end of January. Did I mention how busy my life is?

I made a bunch of resolutions for 2010. Let's see how I did...

Successes!

Climb a 4k peak.
Visit one new state highpoint.
Visit at least two more highpoints of VT.

Aimee and I summited Mt. Mansfield, the highest point in Vermont on 7/18/2010. It is 4393 feet above sea level. As part of that trip, we also visited the Adam's Apple, a nearby highpoint on the Mansfield ridge that is the highest point of the neighboring county in VT, and drove up the Mt. Equinox auto road, highest point of yet another VT county, on the way home. We also visited the highest point of Delaware on Halloween, on our way back from an academic conference I did in DC.

Finish the highpoints of MA.

After two aborted planned trips, Aimee and I finally took a weekend to visit the two island counties of Massachusetts. We did that trip on Aug. 1 and 2, 2010. Two weeks later, we visited Great Blue Hill, the highest point of Norfolk County, MA and the final remaining county of MA for us.

Find a geocache in at least one new state.

New to the list for 2010: Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Apply to at least one academic conference.

I applied to four, was accepted to two, and two are still pending. Pretty good track record thus far!

Choose my Master's fields.

Public History, Early American History and Global History. Check!

Make progress on legally changing my name.

I consciously choose not to pursue this. So that is progress. :-)

Partial Successes!

Buy the books for my Master's fields.

I've got most of them. I'm holding off on buying my Global History books until later in the process. I want to get a lot of them through the library, as a good many of them I will not need for my research after comps is completed.

Read 25 books for pleasure.

I read a lot of books for pleasure this year. I read a dozen books alone on our cruise vacation in May. I think I reached this goal, but I forgot to count, so it goes down as a partial.

Continue to transition to coffee.

I will now default to coffee for breakfast, but at other times of the day, particularly when out in a restaurant, it still doesn't "feel right". So this is a partial.

Make at least one real blog post to the new blog.

I did this, but then the polyhouse blog died, and was replaced by my blog at Fearless Press. I don't know how to score this one, so it goes in as a partial success.

Help Aimee and Ian meet their business goals.

I think I did this. I don't think I hindered them. I likely could have been more helpful, so it goes here.

Be the best partner and housemate I can be.

I think I did a good job on the first half of this one. This past year was tough on the housemate front. It didn't go as well as I'd hoped, so it gets marked as a partial.

Failure:

Help Aimee get to 1000 geocache finds.

Not even close. She's still under 900.

Read at least 1/3 of the books for my fields.

I've started my reading, but I'm nowhere close to being 1/3 done.

Reach my 10% WW goal.

I got very close to this. When it became difficult for Aimee to exercise, I mostly stopped, too. She really is my motivation. My weight at the end of the year was slightly less than at the beginning, so that's good, but I didn't meet the goal.

Go to the gym or use our treadmill at least once per week.

There were periods where I did this. There were more where I didn't.

Help Michy, Aimee and Ian meet their WW goals.

WW got punted for part of the year, so this one isn't totally on me.

Make progress with the legacy of my financial past.

Ummm....yeah, not so much.

Make at least one real LJ post per week.

Again, I did this for some time periods, not so much for others.

Resolutions for 2011:

Earn my Master's Degree.
Run at least ten timed races.
Run at least one timed 10k race.
Break 30 minutes in a timed 5k race.
Visit at least one new state highpoint.
Visit at least two more VT county highpoints.
Visit the remaining county highpoints on Long Island.
Visit at least ten new county highpoints.
Climb a peak higher than Mt. Mansfield (4393ft).
Find at least 100 more geocaches (1213 finds as of 1/24/2011).
Read 25 books for pleasure (and count them this time!).
Make at least one new blog post per month on Poly Living for Fearless Press.
Break 450 total membership for TBC 2011.
End the year with my weight below 210 lbs.
Go on at least one family vacation (weekend or longer).
Go to at least three cons this year that aren't TBC.
Apply to at least two academic conferences.
Write at least three more book reviews for the Journal of Massachusetts History.
Get at least one piece other than a book review published (Fearless Press does not count).

Ambitious, I know. Isn't that what resolutions are for? Push yourself to do things you know you should do or want to do but need a little extra motivation? Yes, there are no resolutions surrounding the birth of our family's first child. I don't feel the need to make resolutions about him. I'm going to do the best job that I can. Do I really need to make a resolution to remind me of that? I don't think so.

Thoughts and Musings:

I intentionally did not put anything in here about the PhD. At this point, it is out of my hands. They will either accept my application, or not. If I don't get in, I may try again for 2012, but I tend to doubt it.

I really do hope I get in. I feel like I'm just getting good at being a grad student, and it might be over in just a few months.

That bears repeating. I may have just started my last semester of college. Ever. Weird.

You know what else is weird? I had Lyme Disease this time a year ago, had had it for most of a year, and didn't know. And I might still have it. Every ache and stiffness I get makes me wonder if it's back or not.

The fact that it amazes me that the bout with Lyme Disease was in 2010 makes me realize just how full and busy my life is.

I am very much looking forward to being a parent again. Kids are fun, even when they aren't.

After two-ish years of major trials, I really feel like 2011 will go in the opposite direction. I've got a lot on my plate (what else is new?), but things are moving in a positive direction, and I am close to reaping the fruits of my labors. May the Gods allow me to do so.

Comments

[cypherindigo.livejournal.com]

I would say good luck, but that isn't quite the right think. This is more appropriate -- I hope that you find the energy, skills, and perserverence to do all of these things and as many more to make your life and the lives of your family memebers joyful and fulfilling.