Declarations and Reviews

I know it's a little late, but I'm reviewing/declaring my new year's resolutions. I meant to run a review of my resolutions from last January before this year, but with going to Maine and all for Christmas, well, things just got muddled.

As for last years, let's have a look:
~I have learned some ballroom dance moves with Mike. We've looked some up online--waltz and Argentine tango (oh yes, my friends...). Mike even planned a date in November to take a beginning lesson at a local dance company where we learned a lot of basic moves. It was so fun!

~I have written some short stories, but never really finished them--lame, I know. They need some serious polishing and thinking over. I was all ready to send one in to the San Francisco Writers' Convention's  Indie Publishing Contest, but I procrastinated and realized when I got back from Maine I had let the due date pass.

~Cooking healthier...hmmmmmmm...this is kind of hard to tell. I've learned to be more creative in my cooking, and have even come up with recipes entirely on my own! (View them here.) But I don't know that I could call a pistachio cheesecake healthier per se. Let's just say, I've expanded my culinary horizon and I'm all the better for it.

I've thought a lot about my resolutions for this year. Some of them are modifications of last year's or are things I've thought a lot about doing in the past but never committed to.

~I'm kicking one of my worst habits: cracking my knuckles. (Cue applause from Karen and Grandma Clark.) FOR THE RECORD: I stand by my claims that cracking my knuckles does in fact make them feel better, not worse. It is not painful, and I don't find it horribly disgusting. However, I don't want to have Madie cracking hers by the time she's three, so I'm kicking the habit. Starting today.

~I'm going to write every day, even if it's just in this blog. No more of this letting-due-dates-slip-past thing. That really angered me, and yet it's entirely my fault. So, every day I'm writing something. I'm also looking currently for somewhere else to submit that short story and I'll be submitting at least one other piece somewhere else.

~I am going to read all the books on my 2011 To-Read List, which is open before me on my desktop. If I read more, great, but I'm at least going to read these. I was just saying on my cousin's blog that I'm tired of not getting to so many books I want to because I don't know what to read next. Not any more. (I'll post that list next time--maybe it'll be my writing for tomorrow!)

~Last, but not least (in fact, it'll probably--hopefully--be the first accomplished), I am going to get this blog background WORKING!!!!!!! UGH! This is driving me NUTS! I have looked at all sorts of html code and none of it is helping. It doesn't budge anything most of the time! **deep breathing** But I will have it looking the way I want it. I WILL!

Happy New Year!