A new year means New Years Resolutions, at least for me. Even though I don’t always get there, it’s always something to strive for. I’m hoping by posting these up for all the interwebs to see, it will hold me more accountable. Fingers crossed.
Twelve for 2012
Blog Related:
1. Write an average (minimum) of 2 posts per week. One caveat though — I only want to post (what I think) is interesting and relevant stuff. So if there isn’t anything interesting to blog about, no blog post.
2. Grow the blog. I’d like to get Living Analog recognized on a larger scale and maybe get a project featured on Apartment Therapy or Design*Sponge. This goes back to #1. If it’s not interesting, the big dogs aren’t going to be interested.
3. Fine tune the blog to make it user-friendly and rocking. (Any suggestions on what this means to anyone who reads this is greatly and humbly appreciated.)
4. Tempt JT into doing guest blogs once a month. If anyone has good suggestions on how to induce one’s husband to blog, I’m all ears.
Project Related:
5. The Kitchen. ‘Nuff said.
6. The Bedroom. Ditto #5.
6. The basement closet — this project has been waiting in the wings for about a year. It’s now or never.
7. Living Room – besides the new daybed/sofas I blogged about earlier, there are some other furniture and miscellaneous fine tunings I’d like to accomplish in there.
Life/Self Related:
8. Read one book a month. I love to read but I will stay up for three days straight and not pay attention to anything else around me when I start a new book. So as a result, I tend to re-read old classics so I can get to bed at a normal time. I am currently on my 4th or so perusal of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” and have read “Pride and Prejudice” at least 15 times. “Persuasion” is my favorite Austen novel which I have probably only read 4 or 5 times. So. New books. January will be “Like Water for Chocolate”.
9. Guitar chords. I’m hoping that 2012 will bring me the JT-made Explorer I’ve been waiting so patiently for. In order to be at all deserving I need to practice. A lot. I’m shooting for once a week.
10. Dinner Parties. JT and I are homebodys and we don’t get out much. A lot of my close friends live out-of-state sadly enough (for me). I’d like to try to host at least three dinner parties and two brunches this year (St. Louisans do not value brunch like they should, it’s the most awesomest meal ever). I’m hoping once the kitchen is “done”, I’ll be more apt to invite people around.
11. Participate in a outside-of-work money-making opportunity like the Rock and Roll Craft Show or a Flea Market to whittle down all the furniture/crafts I have stashed in the basement and maybe pave the way for the future “Thompson Guitar and Thrift” store that husband and I will run someday.
12. Attempt to upholster a piece of furniture. Attempt.
I’ve tried to break my big project goals down into little baby steps. I printed out my January “to-dos” and posted them on the fridge to keep me going. Thanks to the time off this holiday weekend, I’ve already crossed off two things, which I’ll post about later.
(JT got the whiskey print from my mom via the Rock and Roll Craft Show this year. I got the bluebird note card from my “twin”, the artist Susan Springer Anderson. There’s more information about that in an up and coming post.)
Here’s the thing though. All these resolutions and goals and projects are great and fun and all. But I refuse to put a house project before my family and friends. Life is too short to stay home and write blog posts or practice the guitar when there are people around me to spend time with and life to be lived. And planning a whole year in advance is sort of laughable — if there’s one thing I’ve learned thus far is that things never go according to plan. All you can do is go with the flow and hope for the best. I do wish you all the best in 2012 though and would love to hear anyone else’s resolutions. Cheers!
Living Analog 