Resolutions 2009

I read a while back that if you are going to set goals or make resolutions, you should write them down, and not just have them floating around in your head. If you actually commit them to paper (or I guess the internet), you’ll be more likely to go back and look at them and feel obligated to continue working toward those goals. Also, you should set specific and attainable goals. Not general ones like “lose weight,” and not outrageous ones like “lose 50lbs by the end of the month” so you feel like a failure when you can’t achieve them. So having said that, here are my (and some of these are inclusive for both me and Becky) resolutions for 2009:

Eat organic/healthy – This one has to be a bit general.  We have already started down this path and the goal is to continue and push further, switching as much of our regular meats, fruits, veggies, etc. to organics or more healthy equivalents.

Cook at home more often – We purchased a new set of cookware, a cast iron skillet, chef’s knife, paring knife, a handful of cookbooks, Becky got a KitchenAid stand mixer for Christmas, etc. It’s time to not only switch to organic/healthy food, but to eat at home more often.

Eat more leftovers – One last eating resolution. We’re really bad about wasting food. We have been trying to cut recipes down to only serve 2, and we are going to continue doing that or when there are leftovers, try to not waste what is left.

Start recycling – There are recycling bins by the trash compactor at our apartment complex. We have been talking about recycling for a while now, but have not started separating out our refuse. We need to start doing that.

Keep the house clean – We get really bad about letting things get out of control around the apartment. Mail piles up, junk piles up on the coffee table, books pile up on my desk, etc. Just clutter needs to stop piling up everywhere and we need to keep the place looking nice.

Lose 10 lbs – I was planning to set a higher goal, but I lost 10 lbs last year and if I can do the same in the coming year, it will be good. More will be better of course, but I’m starting with a low goal first, hoping to hit and move on from there.

Dress better – I need to get some new clothes and dress better more often.

See more art (performance or otherwise) – Becky wants to see more plays in 2009. I’m expanding that resolution to more art in general. We went to like 2 or 3 art galleries in 2008…that wasn’t enough. And the amount of plays was terribly low as well. More.

Learn a new skill – I’m leaving this one open at the moment, but by the end of 2009, I want to be able to say, “Over the past year, I learned how to _____.” And I want it to be something significant.

Visit a state or country that I’ve never been to before – This last one might be a bit of a problem. We don’t have a lot of money to spend on travel, and we’ve been to a lot of states. We’ve also been to Canada and Mexico, so that leaves out the easy countries. I’d like to make it to Japan, but that’s quite expensive and difficult to fund at the moment. But I’m going to put that one in here anyway. Resolutions get broken all the time, so why not…but I’m going to try…

So that’s what’s up up for 2009. We’ll see what happens.