Day 3: Add It to the List

I am officially adding another goal to my 2013 List o' Goals .  Inspired by the paper+ink happenings at Winnie's Inky Fingers:

Remember that one time I had a site where I was attempting to be somewhat crafty and I had a really good start and then I totally stopped writing altogether?  Yeah.  Uncrafty needs to make a comeback, as well as my crocheting.  It is the perfect time of year for having a project on your lap and I have so much on my mind that I could use the busy work for my hands.  While watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy, extended edition...over and over again.  I find it calming.  Leave it alone.

 +  = Perhaps a completed project?

I, of course, recognize that Uncrafty is not the only blog that got left in the dust.  I did manage a small post on Lost in DC that was inspired by the weather and I vow to put up my review of a few Rodan+Fields products that my lovely friend Andi sent me to try out last month.  I can tip you off that I really liked all of them, more details to follow.

In addition to a new goal, I have a new plug for ya.  My lovely friend Duncan is a very talented metal sculpturist and an all around fascinating guy.  He has a pretty big goal for 2013 that I plan on enjoying immensely.  He will be recording a video blog (or what the kids call a "vlog") every day for the entirety of 2013 at Duncansphere.  I commend him on this, I also have no doubt he'll be a complete success.  I've known Duncan for well over a decade and once had the honor of making music with him.  He is a truly multi-talented, superbly creative and undeniably unique individual.  And he has a great Southern accent, so why aren't you over at Tumblr watching him already?

Day 1: January 2013 NaBloPoMo

On a day when most people are nursing a hangover, I woke up refreshed from NyQuil dreams (in other words, freaky but memorable).  But I'll tell you, I'd give anything to be at my friends' house on the West Coast drinking Mimosas and watching bad TV while half passed out on the couch, surrounded by all my friends doing likewise.  However, I'm on the opposite side of the states and can't take for granted that it's a new day.  A new year.  There are new opportunities just around the bend, should I choose to venture that way.  

A friend of mine told me tonight that the Year of the Dragon has been rough on a lot of people, but it's almost over.  The Year of the Snake will arrive on February 4th or the 10th, depending on who you ask (Chinese New Year's Day is on the 10th, but the astrological calendar implies it really starts on the 4th - this is as confusing as Chanukah), and many people hope for better fortune.  From what I've read, the year is supposed to be influenced by the snake's personality:  hard work, discipline, focus and peaceful solitude.  If that is the case, it isn't a bad deal.  I've also read that Snake and Dragon are supposed to balance each other...I'd like to think that means that this past year being total crap will lead to a year of balancing that out with some bliss.  Of course, in the end I believe we make our own happiness, but as I would benefit from focus, discipline and solitude, I'll take ol' Snakey for a motivational mascot.

A Note of Eternal Gratitude:  To Jess, Cristian, Anne, Meg, Jenn, Kath, Mary, Laura, Stacey and Jessie for making my holidays and the new year noticeably brighter.

Failures of Old

I told my mom this morning that I feel like a directionless failure of late.  A bright and sunny way to start a post, no?  

Unfortunately, I feel trapped lately.  Equal parts trapped and unwelcome.  I worry that coming to the East Coast was yet another bad move, but this time one that I should have seen coming.  I did not have a good Christmas at home, though friends saved me on Christmas afternoon/night.  And work is always good - loving my job is something that has not changed.  Though being sick so much has gotten in the way of that, not to mention aiding in the utter failure that was December's NaBloPoMo for this blog.

My mom, being as awesome as always, recommended that I sit down and set new goals.  It sounds self-help-y a bit, but it really is a good way to leave past failure behind.  Look forward to the new.  Face new challenges head on, instead of cowering in a corner wishing the past hadn't happened.  Always moving forward.  Not letting the failures of old spook you into giving up altogether.

Anyway, here's what I've got so far:

Sign up for January's NaBloPoMo on BlogHer - for reals this time.

This means not only trying to post every single day on the LostGirls blog, but putting LostGirls on the BlogHer site for others to check out.

Set reading goals for 2013. 

Inspired by this post from Sassymonkey Reads, which I found on BlogHer.  It got me thinking about my reading habits (which is to say, I read a lot but it's really random) and how I might be able to get inspiration from other places, instead of relying solely on my mood at the time of browsing for a new book.  I am particularly interested in the "I've Always Meant to Read that Book!" Challenge and the Foodie's Read Challenge.

One I've already started, by accident...

This would be not putting up with crap the way I have been for the past few months.  When diplomacy fails because it isn't welcome, what are you left with?  Bitchiness, evidently.  Maybe one of my goals can be that I won't allow things to get so bad that I start to despise people.  And that part is less about their welfare, more about not compromising my own standards.  Other people's passive-aggressiveness drives me batty.  But becoming combative is not appealing.  I'm less concerned with them liking me than with me still liking myself.

I also know that if someone can't be convinced to discuss a single problem with you, to actually hear you out and be heard, then there's no relationship there.  It does, in fact, take two - regardless of the type of relationship you have: family, friend, significant other, arch nemesis...

Sometimes leading a better life means snipping out the bits that simply aren't working.  It's very sad, to be honest, but sometimes there's less of a choice than you want to believe.  And it doesn't have to be permanent.  Sometimes you just need time apart.  Sometimes it's lots of time.  Like years...or ya know...millenia...

In any case, those are my goals thus far.  And, unlike New Year's resolutions, I can keep adding to the list as I go along.  But for the rest of tonight, I'm going to listen to Billie Holiday and Bill Withers (I swear, they go great together) and drink ginger ale and have a night cap of NyQuil so I'm fresh for work in the morning.

To you and yours, have a very Happy New Year.