Yeah, I make ‘em. Despite my better judgment, every year I make a list. And yes, every year it includes weight loss — though in my defense, that’s often much needed and I have succeed from time to time (two years ago’s resolution to lose 50 lbs. resulted in a 30 lb. loss… I’m not beating myself up over that).

So this year, how about a gimmick! 11 for 2011!

1. Learn to play the drums at least as well as the little kid in Love Actually. I gotta have a benchmark and I think that’s fairly assessable and accessible. I’ve always wanted to give the instrument a go but drums ain’t cheap, so I’m taking the sudden appearance of a full drum kit in my dungeo— I mean, basement, as a sign. First step: procure a how-to book.

The presence of drums somehow makes the basement 1000% less terrifying.

 

2. Learn to salsa. I love to dance and I love Latin music like whoa, so why I haven’t picked up some basic salsa is beyond me. This is the year. First step: pick up a few how-to videos from the library.

3. Finish setting up my awesome workspace. I kind of love my room for once in the last 6 to 7 years. It’s full of pretty things I like looking at and being surrounded with and I love spending time in there. I want to love it more. In high school I always felt like my room was a functional place where could get away and do the nitty gritty of accomplishing myself and I really want it to be that again. I have the brackets, I have the drawers, now all I need is a warm day for spray painting and a little sweat equity and I’ll once again have a room of my own. First step: was acquiring all that stuff really, so next step will be to spray paint the drawers and hang the brackets, like I said!

4. Lose 20-30 pounds. Yeah, I know, cliche and doomed for failure. Except, maybe not. Since household-wide unemployment and lack of microwave, food-as-drug has been almost too much hassle to be worth it. I also live in a pretty cool neighborhood, so going out to take a walk doesn’t even sound like a huge drag. First step: count calories, and limit them within reason, for at least one month.

5. Sew a garment all by myself. I can’t really make this one “learn how to sew,” as I totally already know how. I just want to stop hating it and sucking at it (due primarily to lack of practice and impatience) so that I can make my own dresses. First step: make this bralette and tap pant lounge set.

Expect a sex-ay version if this tasteful one comes out well.

6. Learn to appreciate Jazz. I love Jazz Age fashion, Jazz Age cocktails, and Jazz Age literature — one would assume Jazz would blow mind and … one would be wrong. But oh, how I want it to! First step: actually manage to read a book on jazz appreciation; also, listen to at least two jazz recordings (length non-specific… could be an album, could be a performance of one song) per week for at least two months.

7. Get an awesome used bike and learn how to keep it in good shape. This is tied to a desire to somehow get involved with the local community bike shop at some point. I may put this off until warmer weather comes our way and more money comes along. First step: go to community bike shop.

8. Get a damn job. I really need to get an (at least) part-time job. I have a weird (as in mostly non-existent) work history, so this is more stressful to me than it should be. But I was good at school! And… nobody cares. First step: submit at least two job applications a week.

9. Design some knitting patterns and publish them. I don’t often knit from patterns anymore and when I do I typically so heavily modify them that I might as well have gone from the picture. I clearly need to get my knitterly crap together and pursue this. First step: finish the hat and mitt set I’m knitting for a friend, write up the pattern, and put it up for sale.

10. Learn some French. I’ve got a lot of books that I really want to read in French. Furthermore, if I ever want to further my academic career, the path I would take would necessitate reading knowledge of the language. I can do this, oui! First step: complete one chapter in my French workbook per week.

11. Finish the quilt of doom. It’s almost done and I finally have all the yarn to finish it up. First step: get back on track with finishing at least one square per week (I managed this for six weeks around October and then fell off the wagon).

Be done already, goddammit!

 

So that’s my 11 for 11. I will clarify by saying I don’t expect to take all of these first steps at once or anything. I do have a few more concrete-style goals, but I’m not making them official resolutions this year, as that would be out of hand. And of course there are some other, more vague resolutions, things without obvious first steps — work more on my friendships, try to be more social, try to be less hard on people, try to be more of the person I would like myself to be. These are ongoing and don’t really work in list format, so I only mention them in passing.

All in all, I feel good about my chance of actually accomplishing these. Since I originally drafted this I’ve even gotten started on five of them! So, yeah, here’s to 2011 and all the cool stuff I’m going to do this year!

Advertisement