Twelve by 2012

I had a completely different plan for tonight's post, but 1) it required me to get stuff out of my car and it's too cold and dark for me to journey outside (in other words, my lazy butt is cuddled up on the sofa, under a blanket, and I ain't moving), and 2) I saw this on Ally's Copacetic in Carolina blog and knew I had to participate. I love making lists, and I desperately need to set some goals for the rest of this year.

Twelve by 2012. It's simple. Create twelve goals to accomplish before January 1, 2012. Some of these might seem silly and some might seem pretty lofty, but they're all things that have been nagging at me lately, and this is a great way for me to hold myself to them. So, without further adieu...

1. Finish The Book. I've been working on The Book since last September and thought it would be finished by now, but life got in the way and slowed my progress. My goal is to have it completed, edited and ready for greener pastures by December 31 (if not before).
   
2. Start exercising daily. Back in May, when I was working in Columbia, I hurt my back, and my medication for said back issue was here in Atlanta. This led to a few weeks of immobility, and it all went downhill from there. Aside from some light swimming a few times a week this summer, I stopped working out all together.
3. Stop eating out so much. Most of you know that I'm not a great cook, but I have been making an effort not to run to the drive-thru every time I need a meal. So far, so good, but I know I can do better. It's healthier, cheaper and all that good stuff.
   
4. Open an Etsy store. I used to sell stuff on eBay all the time, but their new rules and regulations for sellers basically ruined that for me, and I really just haven't had the time over the last year. I miss the fun of turning other people's trash into treasure, so I want to try my hand at Etsy. It seems a lot less restrictive and a lot less hostile. I'll just have to switch my products up a bit.
   
5. Clean my house. I'm not talking about doing the dishes and the laundry; I'm talking about a good, thorough cleaning. I've been living here for over two years now and my bedroom still has boxes of stuff in it from where I never unpacked. My laundry room floor is piled with clothing and other items that I know I haven't worn in over a year. I do hope to move next year, but in the meantime, it'd be nice to live in decent quarters.
   
6. Return to Ellijay. As I've mentioned, my recent trip to the mountains turned out to be a bit stressful, and I really want to make up for that with a day trip. I'm also disappointed that I didn't get to do any shopping, because I really wanted to get some Christmas ornaments for my rustic Christmas theme stuff that I have started collecting. I could also go for some more Pink Lady apples!
7. Look for more writing work. This one is pretty much a given, seeing as how I just quit one of my main jobs (more on that in a future post), it will probably happen sooner rather than later. I've had no problem getting jobs in the past and even had to turn some down over the last year, so I'm hoping that will be easier than I think it will be. Fingers crossed!
   
8. Make a decision about UGA. As many of you are probably aware, I've spent six years debating a return to UGA, and as soon as I make up my mind to go back, something happens. The older I get, the more wary I am as I'm guessing there aren't a lot of 30 year old undergrads in Athens, but I just feel so incomplete and have since I left. And if this whole writing thing doesn't take off, I'm gonna need a back-up plan, right?
9. Get a new TV for my bedroom. Up until earlier this year, I'd had the same TV since I was 10? 11? It was nice and big, but my parents got it for me, and it'd been quite the companion through high school, college and years of moving back and forth between places. And then it died. So, I had to take the TV out of my bedroom (which was actually an old TV my grandfather got rid of, like, in the '80s) and bring it into the living room. And then it died in May, so I decided it was time to invest in a new one. Now I'm stuck without one in the bedroom, and I hate it, because I'm one of those fall asleep to music/noise types of people.
   
10. Shop for Toys for Tots. Since I just got all "first world problems" with my TV, I figured I put a goal out there that's not all about me. For as long as I can remember, I've tried to give to Toys for Tots. Even when I was so broke I could barely afford to put gas in my car, I'd go buy something inexpensive to donate. I'm also open to participating in other programs that help needy kids if anyone has any suggestions. In years past, I've "adopted" a little local girl whose parents had lost their jobs, adopted children through other programs and shopped for what's on their wish lists, and made shoe boxes for the Samaritan's Purse program.
    
11. Walk the dogs more often. This may seem like a silly one, but since I've moved to the Unabomber Cabin, my dogs get free range of the place. Gabby's been really sick over the last few days, and it leads me to believe that she's gotten into something she shouldn't have while enjoying that free range. I also realized last night that she does a lot better when her outside time is somewhat structured. We used to walk to my parents' house and go to the park all the time, and we've really been slacking in that department.
    
12. Spend less time online. Another problem with the last few years is that I got way too sucked into Twitter/Facebook. When you have a job that requires you to be online most of the day, that's way too easy a trap. I have cut back over the last few months, and I have definitely learned to turn off the computer and go enjoy the real world, but I'd like to continue to do that.
    

So, that's it. Honestly, the last two were stretching a little. I would have been okay with "Ten by 2012," but I did it. Now, to see if I can stick to it...