Friday, January 31, 2014

My 2014 list: January Recap

To help keep me on track with this list, I'm going to do a recap at the end of each month to note what I've accomplished from my list and what I still need to work on. Here's my recap for the 1st month of the year:

I got my side/ribcage tattoo done! I am SO happy with the final result. It wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be but it was definitely uncomfortable and started to really hurt after awhile. Here's a picture:


I've wanted a tattoo of a lion for a while because the lion has several meanings to me: it's the symbol of my zodiac sign (Leo) and it's the emblematic animal of the House of Gryffindor (HUGE Harry Potter nerd right here). The Lion is seen as a majestic animal - he's the king of the jungle! The lion symbolizes strength, courage & honor. More simply, the lion is one of the biggest cats in the world and we all know how I feel about cats :)

I've made some progress on the guitar - I can play all the main chords except F (fuck that chord, no pun intended) without having  to look them up, I learned how to play a few new songs including 2 new DMB songs and I learned how to tune to drop D. I need to work on my strumming and keep practicing at least 15-20 minutes a day.

I finished reading Insurgent (the 2nd book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth). In all honesty, I started reading it before the new year but I finished it this month. I'm currently reading the 3rd and final book in the Divergent trilogy, Allegiant and Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Rituals of Love and Karaoke by Rob Sheffield.



I've been doing some research on Burlington, VT (things to do, places to go, where to stay) and hoping maybe I can go back up there sometime in August, maybe for my birthday. That's definitely a work in progress.

Speaking of work, my job has been extremely frustrating lately but I've been trying to not let it get to me. While I'm looking for other job possibilities, it's not looking too promising. Instead of having the 'fuck this place & everyone here' attitude, I try to tell myself  'do your job, do it well and get through each day one at a time' - that's sort of working for the most part. I wonder how hard it would be to switch careers at this stage... I would have to make some sacrifices but if it means I'm happier and not stuck here for the rest of time, it would be definitely be worth it.


So I can cross off one thing on the list and I've made progress on several other things listed.
I'd say it's been a good start to the new year :)

Friday, January 10, 2014

A list that has nothing to do with buzzfeed. Also, this thing still exists!

I like lists. Lists make sense to me. Especially 'to do' lists - it puts items in a nice, linear order, then its given bullets or numbers with the expectation that you will eventually cross that item off after completion. That's why people have bucket lists don't they?
Anyway, not only do lists look aesthetically pleasing to me but writing something out helps me remember it better. I've always been a visual learner.

As people started to talk about making resolutions and goals for the new year, I started to think of things I wanted to do in 2014. So, I made a list. Some of these might be easier to do than others but that doesn't mean I won't try it or do more of it. So here it is:

-start working on my t-shirt blanket
-spend more time in Prospect Park
-visit a new state
-watch less TV
-get my side/ribcage tattoo done (or at least started)
-become more confident playing guitar
-spend a weekend in Burlington, VT, preferably in the summer or fall
-sign up for another session (or 2) of roller derby
-do yoga at least once a week 
-learn how to make my own pizza
-be aggressive at searching for a new job
-visit a vineyard
-read at least 1 book a month
-see the Grand Canyon in person
-write/type more of my thoughts down...
-go back to the UK, especially to see Ireland and Scotland (highly unlikely in 2014 but maybe in 2015)

So let's get to it - here's to a happy and healthy year of crossing things off of your list.