February Goals: Review.
I just want to say that I did really like the goals I made for myself this month, and I thought about them a lot. This does not actually mean I accomplished them, but it still feels like something. As some of you know, I have also been struggling with some weird depression-y feelings since returning to the West Coast after Christmas, which has made it hard to feel motivated to do anything. However, I feel like overall in February I felt a lot better than I did in January, and did have bouts of feeling really good about things, with only a few bouts of feeling really crappy. So, I guess what I'm saying is that in reflection I'm now viewing February as a rebuilding month and maybe by March I'll be really super awesome. Maybe.
+ Really start work on my student teaching Work Sample I. This is without a doubt the most important thing I have to do this month. I'd love to get it totally finished by the end of the month, but that may be overly optimistic.
Okay, start serious work on my Work Sample, I did, finish it, I did not. In fact I still have a lot more to do on it and I have a feeling it is due somewhat soon which is only giving me a partial anxiety attack. I have a bunch of data, and 12 typed pages of lesson plans, but I actually need to do a lot more with that data, and I should have 25-30 pages of lesson plans. I like making lesson plans in my head; I like teaching lessons; I do not know why writing them down is so excruciating for me.
+ Update Things Jill Likes at least EIGHT times; Daily Daffodilly at least TWENTY.
Yes to Things Jill Likes, no to Daily Daffodilly, although I came VERY close. And even though I felt like I was updating it all the time. 20 is a LOT, apparently, yo. Blogging, and thinking about blogging, and thinking about blogs in general, was one of the things I was best at this month. Unfortunately, this has the least impact on my Actual Things I Should Be Responsibly Thinking About list.
+ Practica espanol: a capitulo cuatro en Harry; a capitulo treinta en Spanish Now.
No. :( Necesito practicar mucho mas! Hecho a capitula veniticuatro en Spanish Now, y acabo de comenzar capitulo tres en Harry Potter y el prisionero de Azkaban. (Harry es en el autobus noctambulo!)
+ Continue going to the rec center once a week.
No. To be honest, taking care of my health and my body was the goal I feel I did worst at this month. I only went to the rec center twice, although each time I really enjoyed myself. I actually really DO love the gym, just getting the motivation to go there is hard. I also ate at Taco Bell like, a bunch.
+ Read four non-school related books, including at least starting one "adult" book.
I completed two young adult novels (and blogged about them both), one of which was the Stonewall Award winner for this year, which I also mentioned as a goal, so I'm happy I got that done. I also read three graphic novels (all in the Amulet series), but all of those took me no time at all to read. My desire to start an adult book was waylaid by remembering that I'm supposed to read Great Expectations for my book club this week. I've read Great Expectations but not since high school, so I'm re-reading. Maybe this could be considered an "adult" book, but I actually don't think so, since so much of it is about Pip's growing up--essentially, it's a "classic" young adult novel. Anyway, I forgot how freaking long this is and how much longer it takes to read stuff by old dead white dudes, although I am actually finding myself enjoying Dickens, that sarcastic and cynical old fellow. The likelihood of me finishing it by Friday afternoon, however, remains highly unlikely.
+ Write a new essay/piece/thing (or re-write an old essay/piece/thing) and SUBMIT IT SOMEWHERE. Pathetically, this is the most daunting goal, but the one I want to do most of all.
So, sigh. Failed goal that, again, I thought about the most, perhaps most of all, yet failed to do. Guess what: writing stuff is hard. Especially since I feel like I have no knowledge, no parameters, about what literary journals--online or no--want. I realized halfway through the month that writing something completely new was definitely not possible with the little free time I have, but thought about revisiting some of the essays which I wrote in undergrad, most of which I still feel quite proud of. So I went back and re-read just a little of them, and realized that everything I wrote in college was goddamn heavy and dramatic, and I feel like that's not necessarily me right now, or what I want to send out. So. Even though I still harbor constant dreams of Being a Real Writer Person recently, I'll uh, keep you updated.
+ Update my GLBT Lit for Youth webpage.
Again, no, although I still really need to.
+ Cook something new once a week.
Almost. I didn't make anything the first week of the month, but I was also struck down with a really horrendous cold the first week of the month, so I'm not going to feel bad about myself for that one. So, yeah, things I DID accomplish! Let's go!
Week 2: Mac & Cheese recipe for the Mac-n-Cheese-Off, which I wrote about in detail here. This was seriously good, dudes. I was actually a little bitter that so much of it was eaten at the Mac Off, and even though I took home the leftovers, I wasn't able to eat the WHOLE THING by myself.
Week 3: Sloppy Maple-BBQ Turkey Joes, the recipe for which I got from Tahnie, who herself got it from Rachael Ray. I find Rachael Ray to be highly irritating, but Tahnie to be quite awesome, so, I feel like it balances out. I didn't include onion in the recipe because--and this is going to sound wimpy, because it is--I am horrible at dicing onions, and simply tired of doing it, because I feel like I have to chop onions for almost every recipe I've made over the last couple of months. It kills my eyes every single time and I just feel like I'm not efficient with it, which then makes me feel frustrated. I know there are lots of different strategies you can use to cut onions so that it IS efficient and quick and it DOESN'T make tears stream down your face, but I'm not good at any of them. Anyway, so I protested and just didn't include them this time, which was fine. I did, however, take Tahnie's advice and include some shredded carrots. I also loved chopping up pickles to add on top, since I looooooooove pickles. Mmm, this was good. Lots of pictures associated with this one, because 1) I wanted to mention that we've been trying to do most of our grocery shopping at the new New Seasons which opened this year on Hawthorne, a local grocery chain with a ton of selections in terms of local and organic stuff, yet it doesn't feel froufrou or pretentious or overly-expensive. Oh, and they have delicious samples of fun stuff out all the time. Essentially, New Seasons = win. Anyway, buying the turkey meat for this meal was the first time I'd ever actually bought meat there, and there is NO frozen meat aisle at New Seasons--your only option is fresh meat from the expansive deli. And they give it to you wrapped up in paper! Like the old days, or something! Man, I felt so fancy! 2) I finally started using my nicer camera to take pictures of food, and I both liked the bright color in these shots and just how they looked in general.
Week 4: Quick Curried Chickpeas. Shockingly, this is the only Budget Bytes recipe I used this month, which can be found here. I just made this this weekend, since we have two lovely house guests staying with us for awhile, I figured this recipe would probably sustain all of us, and it did! I don't usually cook for four, so doing so successfully made me feel pretty accomplished and proud of myself. Oh, and house guest Matt chopped the onions for me--really efficiently in like five minutes--so my onion-cooking-angst was totally bypassed. It's a really simple recipe, to the point where I kept feeling like there should've been more spices or something else added to give it a little more pizzazz. However, it was still a satisfying and hearty meal. I love chickpeas, they're easy and good and good for you.
+ Go on a date night (movies or dinner) with Kathy--TWICE!
Yes! We still can't get our act together enough to actually have an Out-to-the-Movies Date Night, but we did go out to eat twice this month. Which, yes, pathetically enough, does feel like an accomplishment. We had dinner one Friday night at Circa33, where I thought the food was just okay, but the atmosphere was really fun--it was great just to hang out on Belmont, where, as with so many really neat-o Portland streets/neighborhoods, I feel like we don't go enough. We also had a nice Sunday brunch at Jam on Hawthorne one week, where we'd also never been before. Being that it was Sunday brunch time and brunching is a popular activity roung these parts and it's not a huge restaurant, we had to wait for at least 45 minutes or so, but sitting outside, sipping coffee, talking, and people watching on Hawthorne while we waited was actually my favorite part of the whole morning; it just felt nice. I also really liked the atmosphere inside and while I felt a little overwhelmed at the end of the meal because I ordered too much food (a habit I have a hard time breaking when we go out for breakfast: "Oh, I'll have the breakfast special AND a pancake on the side, thanks!"), it had one of the most extensive and awesome breakfast menus I've seen.
+ Go on a hike!
No. This was a result of a few things: 1) Laziness, 2) Having too much to do at home when I did have the rare day off, and 3) Horrible weather. I did think about hiking a few times, but I've also been beset by crippling indecision recently about what hike to actually do. I have about 23343078329743 "Hiking in Oregon/Washington/the Pacific Northwest" books--seriously, it's kind of a weird obsession--but they all always seem too far away/too strenuous/just-not-what-I'm-in-the-mood-for when I'm trying to find one I want to do. Hiking websites, which I then turn to for advice, are always just as overwhelming.
+ Clean out my closet, and take a trip to Goodwill.
Yeah, so, when I was writing this goal at the beginning of the month, the rational part of my brain knew it wouldn't happen, and it didn't.
+ Get caught up on all newspapers from February AND January.
Okay, people, I tried really hard. Really hard! And I actually got really close. There's only a few more papers on my stack from both months left to go through, which is impressive, for me. So, even though I can't exactly check it off my list, I'm still pretty proud of myself.
+ Really start work on my student teaching Work Sample I. This is without a doubt the most important thing I have to do this month. I'd love to get it totally finished by the end of the month, but that may be overly optimistic.
Okay, start serious work on my Work Sample, I did, finish it, I did not. In fact I still have a lot more to do on it and I have a feeling it is due somewhat soon which is only giving me a partial anxiety attack. I have a bunch of data, and 12 typed pages of lesson plans, but I actually need to do a lot more with that data, and I should have 25-30 pages of lesson plans. I like making lesson plans in my head; I like teaching lessons; I do not know why writing them down is so excruciating for me.
+ Update Things Jill Likes at least EIGHT times; Daily Daffodilly at least TWENTY.
Yes to Things Jill Likes, no to Daily Daffodilly, although I came VERY close. And even though I felt like I was updating it all the time. 20 is a LOT, apparently, yo. Blogging, and thinking about blogging, and thinking about blogs in general, was one of the things I was best at this month. Unfortunately, this has the least impact on my Actual Things I Should Be Responsibly Thinking About list.
+ Practica espanol: a capitulo cuatro en Harry; a capitulo treinta en Spanish Now.
No. :( Necesito practicar mucho mas! Hecho a capitula veniticuatro en Spanish Now, y acabo de comenzar capitulo tres en Harry Potter y el prisionero de Azkaban. (Harry es en el autobus noctambulo!)
+ Continue going to the rec center once a week.
No. To be honest, taking care of my health and my body was the goal I feel I did worst at this month. I only went to the rec center twice, although each time I really enjoyed myself. I actually really DO love the gym, just getting the motivation to go there is hard. I also ate at Taco Bell like, a bunch.
+ Read four non-school related books, including at least starting one "adult" book.
I completed two young adult novels (and blogged about them both), one of which was the Stonewall Award winner for this year, which I also mentioned as a goal, so I'm happy I got that done. I also read three graphic novels (all in the Amulet series), but all of those took me no time at all to read. My desire to start an adult book was waylaid by remembering that I'm supposed to read Great Expectations for my book club this week. I've read Great Expectations but not since high school, so I'm re-reading. Maybe this could be considered an "adult" book, but I actually don't think so, since so much of it is about Pip's growing up--essentially, it's a "classic" young adult novel. Anyway, I forgot how freaking long this is and how much longer it takes to read stuff by old dead white dudes, although I am actually finding myself enjoying Dickens, that sarcastic and cynical old fellow. The likelihood of me finishing it by Friday afternoon, however, remains highly unlikely.
+ Write a new essay/piece/thing (or re-write an old essay/piece/thing) and SUBMIT IT SOMEWHERE. Pathetically, this is the most daunting goal, but the one I want to do most of all.
So, sigh. Failed goal that, again, I thought about the most, perhaps most of all, yet failed to do. Guess what: writing stuff is hard. Especially since I feel like I have no knowledge, no parameters, about what literary journals--online or no--want. I realized halfway through the month that writing something completely new was definitely not possible with the little free time I have, but thought about revisiting some of the essays which I wrote in undergrad, most of which I still feel quite proud of. So I went back and re-read just a little of them, and realized that everything I wrote in college was goddamn heavy and dramatic, and I feel like that's not necessarily me right now, or what I want to send out. So. Even though I still harbor constant dreams of Being a Real Writer Person recently, I'll uh, keep you updated.
+ Update my GLBT Lit for Youth webpage.
Again, no, although I still really need to.
+ Cook something new once a week.
Almost. I didn't make anything the first week of the month, but I was also struck down with a really horrendous cold the first week of the month, so I'm not going to feel bad about myself for that one. So, yeah, things I DID accomplish! Let's go!
Week 2: Mac & Cheese recipe for the Mac-n-Cheese-Off, which I wrote about in detail here. This was seriously good, dudes. I was actually a little bitter that so much of it was eaten at the Mac Off, and even though I took home the leftovers, I wasn't able to eat the WHOLE THING by myself.
Week 3: Sloppy Maple-BBQ Turkey Joes, the recipe for which I got from Tahnie, who herself got it from Rachael Ray. I find Rachael Ray to be highly irritating, but Tahnie to be quite awesome, so, I feel like it balances out. I didn't include onion in the recipe because--and this is going to sound wimpy, because it is--I am horrible at dicing onions, and simply tired of doing it, because I feel like I have to chop onions for almost every recipe I've made over the last couple of months. It kills my eyes every single time and I just feel like I'm not efficient with it, which then makes me feel frustrated. I know there are lots of different strategies you can use to cut onions so that it IS efficient and quick and it DOESN'T make tears stream down your face, but I'm not good at any of them. Anyway, so I protested and just didn't include them this time, which was fine. I did, however, take Tahnie's advice and include some shredded carrots. I also loved chopping up pickles to add on top, since I looooooooove pickles. Mmm, this was good. Lots of pictures associated with this one, because 1) I wanted to mention that we've been trying to do most of our grocery shopping at the new New Seasons which opened this year on Hawthorne, a local grocery chain with a ton of selections in terms of local and organic stuff, yet it doesn't feel froufrou or pretentious or overly-expensive. Oh, and they have delicious samples of fun stuff out all the time. Essentially, New Seasons = win. Anyway, buying the turkey meat for this meal was the first time I'd ever actually bought meat there, and there is NO frozen meat aisle at New Seasons--your only option is fresh meat from the expansive deli. And they give it to you wrapped up in paper! Like the old days, or something! Man, I felt so fancy! 2) I finally started using my nicer camera to take pictures of food, and I both liked the bright color in these shots and just how they looked in general.
Week 4: Quick Curried Chickpeas. Shockingly, this is the only Budget Bytes recipe I used this month, which can be found here. I just made this this weekend, since we have two lovely house guests staying with us for awhile, I figured this recipe would probably sustain all of us, and it did! I don't usually cook for four, so doing so successfully made me feel pretty accomplished and proud of myself. Oh, and house guest Matt chopped the onions for me--really efficiently in like five minutes--so my onion-cooking-angst was totally bypassed. It's a really simple recipe, to the point where I kept feeling like there should've been more spices or something else added to give it a little more pizzazz. However, it was still a satisfying and hearty meal. I love chickpeas, they're easy and good and good for you.
+ Go on a date night (movies or dinner) with Kathy--TWICE!
Yes! We still can't get our act together enough to actually have an Out-to-the-Movies Date Night, but we did go out to eat twice this month. Which, yes, pathetically enough, does feel like an accomplishment. We had dinner one Friday night at Circa33, where I thought the food was just okay, but the atmosphere was really fun--it was great just to hang out on Belmont, where, as with so many really neat-o Portland streets/neighborhoods, I feel like we don't go enough. We also had a nice Sunday brunch at Jam on Hawthorne one week, where we'd also never been before. Being that it was Sunday brunch time and brunching is a popular activity roung these parts and it's not a huge restaurant, we had to wait for at least 45 minutes or so, but sitting outside, sipping coffee, talking, and people watching on Hawthorne while we waited was actually my favorite part of the whole morning; it just felt nice. I also really liked the atmosphere inside and while I felt a little overwhelmed at the end of the meal because I ordered too much food (a habit I have a hard time breaking when we go out for breakfast: "Oh, I'll have the breakfast special AND a pancake on the side, thanks!"), it had one of the most extensive and awesome breakfast menus I've seen.
+ Go on a hike!
No. This was a result of a few things: 1) Laziness, 2) Having too much to do at home when I did have the rare day off, and 3) Horrible weather. I did think about hiking a few times, but I've also been beset by crippling indecision recently about what hike to actually do. I have about 23343078329743 "Hiking in Oregon/Washington/the Pacific Northwest" books--seriously, it's kind of a weird obsession--but they all always seem too far away/too strenuous/just-not-what-I'm-in-the-mood-for when I'm trying to find one I want to do. Hiking websites, which I then turn to for advice, are always just as overwhelming.
+ Clean out my closet, and take a trip to Goodwill.
Yeah, so, when I was writing this goal at the beginning of the month, the rational part of my brain knew it wouldn't happen, and it didn't.
+ Get caught up on all newspapers from February AND January.
Okay, people, I tried really hard. Really hard! And I actually got really close. There's only a few more papers on my stack from both months left to go through, which is impressive, for me. So, even though I can't exactly check it off my list, I'm still pretty proud of myself.