Resolutions

Yes, I realize it is the end of January. I'm slow.

I don't normally do resolutions, although a few years ago I did resolve to stop being an angry drunk. Judging from this Friday night I'd have to say that that, uh, hasn't always worked out. But I am better.

At the end of last semester I began to notice some things about myself that I want to work on, and I've begun to think of a few goals I have for myself. I don't necessarily consider them resolutions, but I do feel that if I write them down here then I will be more likely to actually work towards achieving them. So here goes:

1. Work on my Attention to Detail.

This is a biggie - as the semester wound down I got an embarrassing note on a paper about my grammatical mistakes and comma use. I have also looked like a jackass to my employers on several occasions because I wasn't paying close enough attention to little details (that ended up being important). Since I will be submitting approximately 10,000 resumes and cover letters in the upcoming months, Attention to Detail sounds like a fairly good thing to work on.

Note: I ordered a grammar book today, which should help with this resolution and with the next one, which is:

2. Improve this blog (and my writing in general).

Ever since I started this blog I have been embarrassed about the quality of my writing and plagued by the fear that I might be terminally boring. And yes, it was stupid for me to start a blog when I was in the last year of graduate school, but I am hoping that I will be able to spend some time making it more awesome by a) writing better, more interesting and more well constructed posts and b) making less typos due to my heightened attention to detail.

I am also going to work on being less self-conscious about the blog (can I do this while still trying to improve it? Hey, I'm not resolving to be less contradictory) because I think my writing has been stunted by worries about being interesting, "having a point" (pshaw), not saying something inflammatory, and/or any number of things I invent to worry about.

I am also hoping to have more photos. However, on our honeymoon there was An Incident Wherein the Camera Was Dropped, so this might be a little difficult.

Also - I should try and figure out how html coding works.

3. Continue with Project Good Attitude

The problem here is that I am funnier when I am pissed off and making fun of stuff. It is probably still worth it.

4. Finish my damn Wedding Graduate post for APW.

I actually wrote one and sent it in and then wrote Meg back begging for a second chance. When I wrote the first one I was under the influence of some serious family drama that overshadowed my feelings about the entire wedding. That was months ago. Writing a new one will help me to sort through some of those emotions and hopefully remind myself what an AWESOME FUCKING PARTY our wedding was. Plus I am vain and want to be on her website, duh.

5. Stop prefacing my opinions/assertions with self-deprecating comments.

Does that make sense? This is mainly something I notice myself and other women doing in class, but I have done it at work as well. I hate it. I should feel strong enough to own my opinions. Strong women FTW.

6. Go on dates with Hubs regularly (and have more sex).

No, Nest Magazine, this is not about you. This is about me wanting to go on dates and have sex. It is also about me possibly having a lighter workload this semester that will allow me to be home before 9:00 p.m., greatly enhancing the possibility for mid-week sexy time.

7. Cook dinner once a week.

Because I will be home before dinnertime twice a week. And because it is really, really sad that I don't know how to cook anything except for pasta and burritos.

8. Get a job earning $50,000

Maybe I am shallow, but I want this so bad. If I could earn what I consider to be a low-ball estimate of my market value, I would lose my freaking mind.

9. Develop a creative, musical outlet.

I know, I know, this is sort of a lot what with all the cooking, paying attention to details, job-applying, and husband-boning. But reach for the stars, right? I bought a mandolin on Craiglist a few years ago and was making some headway on it, but I haven't picked it up since I started graduate school. I'd like to start practicing again - I have dreams of being the first ever bluegrass/hip-hop female crossover artist by doing bad-ass acoustic versions of Mary J. Blige songs on the mandolin. It will be awesomer than it sounds.

I generally hate doing things I'm not already good at, so learning to play an instrument has never worked out for me. I want to trust myself to develop a hobby and work through the part where I suck at it and don't enjoy it. I might push this one back to the second half of the year, though. Once I have graduated and am waiting for the $50,000 job I should have plenty of time to practice the mandolin.