this little life of mine

New Beginnings #23

 

To remind you of the way this works, here’s how to play:

First — post your list of New Years’ Resolutions in a post at your blog (or in the comments here, if you don’t have a blog).

Second — every week, on Wednesday, write a new post about how you’re doing with each of your goals … you’ll have to list them, again, each week, as people won’t remember what you’re working towards, otherwise. Be brief in your updates, as there may be several blogs to visit! ((come give a quick update here at Should Be Reading, if you don’t have a blog)).

Third — after you’ve written your update, come back to Should Be Reading, and share your link so that we –the other New Beginnings participants– can stop by your blog and encourage you!

Important! … It would be absolutely great if you could visit at least ONE other participant’s blog  on Wednesdays and leave a comment on their post to share some encouragement for their efforts! Show your support! That’s what this event is all about — standing by each other to finally reach our goals!

NOTE: Only two months left in the year! I can't believe it! I've narrowed my NB goals down again since there are only a few things that I even have time to attempt before 2011.
1. Health and Fitness
o   Get down to size 14. To heck with this one, I'm just going to try to maintain my current weight loss through the end of the year. 
o   Try three new recipes per month (one of which will be vegetarian). I made a really delicious vegetarian Black-Eyed Pea Stew this past weekend which I was very happy about! 
o   Hit the gym four days per week. I've been back on track with this since recovering from a head cold and feel better than I have in several months!

2. Writing

Write a(nother) complete novel during NaNoWriMo. Nanowrimo began on Monday and so far I'm getting at least one hour of writing time in per day!

3. Photography 
Skipping all the previous photo "goals". I will be participating in November's 26 Things Photographic Scavenger Hunt, but it will be a a bigger challenge than usual this time since I destroyed my camera over the weekend. grr!

4. Homefront
o   Organize stuff. My stuff is pretty well organized right now, but who knows how long that will last.  
o   Reduce clutter. Sold a few more things on eBay lately, but will probably not add anything more until the beginning of next year.   

5. Fun Stuff Deleted this one because I made it to the beach a couple times this year and gave up on the tattoo idea completely.

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New Beginnings #22

To remind you of the way this works, here’s how to play:

First — post your list of New Years’ Resolutions in a post at your blog (or in the comments here, if you don’t have a blog).

Second — every week, on Wednesday, write a new post about how you’re doing with each of your goals … you’ll have to list them, again, each week, as people won’t remember what you’re working towards, otherwise. Be brief in your updates, as there may be several blogs to visit! ((come give a quick update here at Should Be Reading, if you don’t have a blog)).

Third — after you’ve written your update, come back to Should Be Reading, and share your link so that we –the other New Beginnings participants– can stop by your blog and encourage you!

Important! … It would be absolutely great if you could visit at least ONE other participant’s blog  on Wednesdays and leave a comment on their post to share some encouragement for their efforts! Show your support! That’s what this event is all about — standing by each other to finally reach our goals!

NOTE:It's the middle of the year already and I was inspired by a recent post from our New Beginnings hostess MizB to reevaluate my 2010 goals/resolutions. So, I've made a newish list. It's slightly less complicated and will hopefully be easier for me to follow.

1. Health and Fitness
o   Get down to size 14. I stepped on the scale for the first time since June and discovered I've lost an additional 7 pounds! I'm still at size 16, but I have to wear a belt with most of the pants!
o   Try three new recipes per month (one of which will be vegetarian). Just did the same old stuff this past week! (But it was yummy and healthy!)

o   Hit the gym four days per week. I made it all my training appointments last week and will do the same this week as well.

2. Writing (removed the poetry section since I probably won't be writing any poetry at all this year, and I'd rather not stress out over it)
o   Write 1st draft of a novel. Haven't written anything lately.  
o   Write a(nother) complete novel during NaNoWriMo. Begins November 1st and continues through November 30th. 

3. Photography
o   Take more artistic photos. I took a few shots such as the flower and the clouds in the sky, so pictures of books and one of this apple:

 
o   Spend more time composing photos rather than just “point and shoot”. See above

o   Go "old school": take some pictures using film with manual 35mm camera. Not done recently.
 
4. Homefront
o   Organize stuff. My stuff is pretty well organized right now, but who knows how long that will last.  
o   Reduce clutter. I still have stuff for sale on eBay.  

5. Fun Stuff
o   Go to the beach. Done.
o   Get new ink. Probably not going to happen this year.

New Beginnings #21

To remind you of the way this works, here’s how to play:

First — post your list of New Years’ Resolutions in a post at your blog (or in the comments here, if you don’t have a blog).

Second — every week, on Wednesday, write a new post about how you’re doing with each of your goals … you’ll have to list them, again, each week, as people won’t remember what you’re working towards, otherwise. Be brief in your updates, as there may be several blogs to visit! ((come give a quick update here at Should Be Reading, if you don’t have a blog)).

Third — after you’ve written your update, come back to Should Be Reading, and share your link so that we –the other New Beginnings participants– can stop by your blog and encourage you!

Important! … It would be absolutely great if you could visit at least ONE other participant’s blog  on Wednesdays and leave a comment on their post to share some encouragement for their efforts! Show your support! That’s what this event is all about — standing by each other to finally reach our goals!

NOTE:It's the middle of the year already and I was inspired by a recent post from our New Beginnings hostess MizB to reevaluate my 2010 goals/resolutions. So, I've made a newish list. It's slightly less complicated and will hopefully be easier for me to follow.

1. Health and Fitness
o   Get down to size 14. I stepped on the scale for the first time since June and discovered I've lost an additional 7 pounds! I'm still at size 16, but I have to wear a belt with most of the pants!
o   Try three new recipes per month (one of which will be vegetarian). I used the crock pot twice this weekend to cook Jamacian Jerk salmon (as suggested by Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'dea) and Chicken Parmesean from the Eating for Life book by Bill Phillips. Both dinners came out deliciously and I didn't have to heat up an already hot house by using the oven!

o   Hit the gym four days per week. I made it to the gym for all my appointments last week and plan to this week as well.

2. Writing (removed the poetry section since I probably won't be writing any poetry at all this year, and I'd rather not stress out over it)
o   Write 1st draft of a novel. I got a lot of inspiration during last weekend's Central Coast Writer's Conference, but I'm still having trouble finding time to write.  
o   Write a(nother) complete novel during NaNoWriMo. Begins November 1st and continues through November 30th. 

3. Photography
o   Take more artistic photos. I got a few pretty good shots last weekend at the Conference and a few shots of the fog-covered boats in Morro Bay. 
o   Spend more time composing photos rather than just “point and shoot”. Nothing new here. I just haven't been inspired lately.
o   Go "old school": take some pictures using film with manual 35mm camera. Not done recently.
 
4. Homefront
o   Organize stuff. My stuff is pretty well organized right now, but who knows how long that will last.  
o   Reduce clutter. I put more stuff for sale on eBay today - relisted some things and added several pair of jeans in sizes 16 and 18.   

5. Fun Stuff
o   Go to the beach. Mom and I have made it to the beach TWICE this month! Once on our vacation to Pismo Beach and then last weekend we stayed at the Inn at Morro Bay in Morro Bay while I was attending the Writer's Conference.  
o   Get new ink. Probably not going to happen this year.

New Beginnings #20

 

To remind you of the way this works, here’s how to play:

First — post your list of New Years’ Resolutions in a post at your blog (or in the comments here, if you don’t have a blog).

Second — every week, on Wednesday, write a new post about how you’re doing with each of your goals … you’ll have to list them, again, each week, as people won’t remember what you’re working towards, otherwise. Be brief in your updates, as there may be several blogs to visit! ((come give a quick update here at Should Be Reading, if you don’t have a blog)).

Third — after you’ve written your update, come back to Should Be Reading, and share your link so that we –the other New Beginnings participants– can stop by your blog and encourage you!

Important! … It would be absolutely great if you could visit at least ONE other participant’s blog  on Wednesdays and leave a comment on their post to share some encouragement for their efforts! Show your support! That’s what this event is all about — standing by each other to finally reach our goals!

NOTE:It's the middle of the year already and I was inspired by a recent post from our New Beginnings hostess MizB to reevaluate my 2010 goals/resolutions. So, I've made a newish list. It's slightly less complicated and will hopefully be easier for me to follow.

1. Health and Fitness
o   Get down to size 14. Still at 16, but I have to wear a belt with a couple of pair of pants and jeans and they're a bit baggy in the seat. 
o   Try three new recipes per month (one of which will be vegetarian). I didn't cook anything new or exciting this week.
o   Hit the gym four days per week. My trainer cancelled on Monday, but I still went and did a little workout on my own, and I was able to meet up with him on Wednesday and Thursday for my regular workouts.

2. Writing (removed the poetry section since I probably won't be writing any poetry at all this year, and I'd rather not stress out over it)
o   Write 1st draft of a novel. Totally sucking at thism but I'm hoping that the upcoming Central Coast Writer's Conference will give me some inspiration. 
o   Write a(nother) complete novel during NaNoWriMo. Begins November 1st and continues through November 30th. 

3. Photography
o   Take more artistic photos.I got some good shots of gorgeous, shiny cars and trucks at the Atascadero Classic Car Show last weekend, like this one:

 
o   Spend more time composing photos rather than just “point and shoot”. Didn't really do much of this, even at the car show, but I did compose a couple shots, like this one of the hood ornament:

 

o   Go "old school": take some pictures using film with manual 35mm camera. Not done recently.
 
4. Homefront
o   Organize stuff. My stuff is pretty well organized right now, but who knows how long that will last.  
o   Reduce clutter. Sold a few more things on eBay, and I went through my closets yesterday almost filling a large garbage bag of stuff for Goodwill, and I found more stuff to put on eBay eventually.  

5. Fun Stuff
o   Go to the beach. Mom and I will be vacationing in beautiful Pismo Beach starting this Thursday, so we'll get plenty of beach time in! 
o   Get new ink. Well, I didn't get a tattoo in Vegas, and I've had to cancel my  trip to visit my friend, so that tattoo won't be happening either. Looks like I won't be getting inked this year at all. le sigh.

New Beginnings #19

To remind you of the way this works, here’s how to play:

First — post your list of New Years’ Resolutions in a post at your blog (or in the comments here, if you don’t have a blog).

Second — every week, on Wednesday, write a new post about how you’re doing with each of your goals … you’ll have to list them, again, each week, as people won’t remember what you’re working towards, otherwise. Be brief in your updates, as there may be several blogs to visit! ((come give a quick update here at Should Be Reading, if you don’t have a blog)).

Third — after you’ve written your update, come back to Should Be Reading, and share your link so that we –the other New Beginnings participants– can stop by your blog and encourage you!

Important! … It would be absolutely great if you could visit at least ONE other participant’s blog  on Wednesdays and leave a comment on their post to share some encouragement for their efforts! Show your support! That’s what this event is all about — standing by each other to finally reach our goals!

NOTE:It's the middle of the year already and I was inspired by a recent post from our New Beginnings hostess MizB to reevaluate my 2010 goals/resolutions. So, I've made a newish list. It's slightly less complicated and will hopefully be easier for me to follow.

1. Health and Fitness
o   Get down to size 14. Still at a comfortable size 16. 
o   Try three new recipes per month (one of which will be vegetarian). I didn't cook anything new this week, but I did make a couple recipes from the new Clean Eating magazine last week. I posted a picture of one of them, but I forgot to post the Chicken Almondine, so I'm doing it now.

  
o   Hit the gym four days per week. I made all my trainer appointments last week - despite feeling sick two of the days - and plan to make them all this week as well.  

2. Writing (removed the poetry section since I probably won't be writing any poetry at all this year, and I'd rather not stress out over it)
o   Write 1st draft of a novel. This is one of the goals I've changed. I was having too much trouble figuring Falcon's Gate out, so I'm going to set it aside and work on something else; I just don't know what yet.
o   Write a(nother) complete novel during NaNoWriMo. Begins November 1st and continues through November 30th. 

3. Photography
o   Take more artistic photos. Not done yet, but maybe soon ... see below!
o   Spend more time composing photos rather than just “point and shoot”. I haven't done much on this lately, but I signed up for a new sh1ft.org photo project: 31 Photos in 31 Days which runs the month of August, so I'm hoping to become inspired to do some really nice, artistic photos during this month.
o   Go "old school": take some pictures using film with manual 35mm camera. Not done recently.
 
4. Homefront
o   Organize stuff. My stuff is pretty well organized right now, but who knows how long that will last.  
o   Reduce clutter. I've still got some items for sale on eBay, but I'm going to wait until after my Vegas trip to do another closet/drawer/cd purge.  

5. Fun Stuff
o   Go to the beach. Not done this weekend, but my mom and I are planning a weekend trip to either Pismo Beach or Avila Beach in September! 
o   Get new ink. Still contemplating a design for the Vegas tattoo. 

   

Thursday 13: 13 Possible Tattoo Designs

So, I'm planning to get a tattoo when I'm vacationing in Vegas next month, but I'm not sure what design I want or where I want it. Here's a few ideas I've been toying with:

1.  If I were to do this it would be a Monarch butterfly, not a blue one, and maybe a tad smaller.
2. I wouldn't have the script on it, just the cherry blossoms. Probably on an ankle.
3. My mother would KILL me, but I love the design!
4.  I love the angel wings on the back; not necessarily these, but they're a good shape and size.
5. "Evil" Tink is kinda cute!
6. I bet this would be super pretty in colour!
7.  I was always going to get a lower back tattoo, but I don't know if I'd want somehting this elaborate.  
8. A temporary tattoo butterfly design I always thought was kinda cute and really different than most butterflies.
9. A full back piece is probably not likely, but I love the design!
10. This is so pretty,but I doubt I'd have the guts to get anything quite so visible this time.
11.   I've heard foot tattoos are quite painful and it would be difficult to conceal for work, but it's still a possibility. I've been in love with this tat since seeing it in The Body Art Book by Jean-Chris Miller.
12.  I love the idea of a white-ink-only tattoo like this one. My BFF & I are contemplating getting an angel or Jesus fish in white, but it's not for sure yet.
13.  The back of the neck is a pretty good place to get inked - it's easy to conceal for work if I keep my hair long enough. Maybe even a white piece here would be nice!
     

New Beginnings #18

 

To remind you of the way this works, here’s how to play:

First — post your list of New Years’ Resolutions in a post at your blog (or in the comments here, if you don’t have a blog).

Second — every week, on Wednesday, write a new post about how you’re doing with each of your goals … you’ll have to list them, again, each week, as people won’t remember what you’re working towards, otherwise. Be brief in your updates, as there may be several blogs to visit! ((come give a quick update here at Should Be Reading, if you don’t have a blog)).

Third — after you’ve written your update, come back to Should Be Reading, and share your link so that we –the other New Beginnings participants– can stop by your blog and encourage you!

Important! … It would be absolutely great if you could visit at least ONE other participant’s blog  on Wednesdays and leave a comment on their post to share some encouragement for their efforts! Show your support! That’s what this event is all about — standing by each other to finally reach our goals!

NOTE:It's the middle of the year already and I was inspired by a recent post from our New Beginnings hostess MizB to reevaluate my 2010 goals/resolutions. So, I've made a newish list. It's slightly less complicated and will hopefully be easier for me to follow.

1. Health and Fitness
o   Get down to size 14. According to my previous goals, I should be a 14 by now, but I'm not, and there's no way I'd make it to a 12 by the end of the year, so I'll just try to get to a nice, comfy 14 by December 31st! 
o   Try three new recipes per month (one of which will be vegetarian). I didn't cook anything new or exciting this week.
o   Hit the gym four days per week. I skipped Monday because it was a holiday and because I was going to see Eclipse with a couple friends from work. (Movie was awesome, btw!) I did go to the gym Wednesday and Thursday, and boy did my trainer make up for missing Monday! I haven't been that sore the day after a workout for MONTHS!! 

2. Writing (removed the poetry section since I probably won't be writing any poetry at all this year, and I'd rather not stress out over it)
o   Write 1st draft of a novel. This is one of the goals I've changed. I was having too much trouble figuring Falcon's Gate out, so I'm going to set it aside and work on something else; I just don't know what yet.
o   Write a(nother) complete novel during NaNoWriMo. Begins November 1st and continues through November 30th. 

3. Photography
o   Take more artistic photos. Not done.
o   Spend more time composing photos rather than just “point and shoot”. Nothing new here. I just haven't been inspired lately.
o   Go "old school": take some pictures using film with manual 35mm camera. Not done recently.
 
4. Homefront
o   Organize stuff. My stuff is pretty well organized right now, but who knows how long that will last.  
o   Reduce clutter. Sold a few things on eBay last week and added three new things this week. I also took some clothing items down to a local consignment shop, and got rid of about 30 more CDs on secondspin.com.  

5. Fun Stuff
o   Go to the beach. I was hoping to get to the beach this weekend, but it just didn't pan out. Next weekend, though, for sure because a friend of mine is visiting and we're planning to meet up at Avila! 
o   Get new ink. Still working on this one.Might actually be getting TWO tats this year if my BFF agrees to get inked with me! Right now I'm still trying to decide for sure what I'm going to get done when I'm in Vegas next month.

New Beginnings #17: Revamped and Revitalized

To remind you of the way this works, here’s how to play:

First — post your list of New Years’ Resolutions in a post at your blog (or in the comments here, if you don’t have a blog).

Second — every week, on Wednesday, write a new post about how you’re doing with each of your goals … you’ll have to list them, again, each week, as people won’t remember what you’re working towards, otherwise. Be brief in your updates, as there may be several blogs to visit! ((come give a quick update here at Should Be Reading, if you don’t have a blog)).

Third — after you’ve written your update, come back to Should Be Reading, and share your link so that we –the other New Beginnings participants– can stop by your blog and encourage you!

Important! … It would be absolutely great if you could visit at least ONE other participant’s blog  on Wednesdays and leave a comment on their post to share some encouragement for their efforts! Show your support! That’s what this event is all about — standing by each other to finally reach our goals!

NOTE: It's the middle of the year already and I was inspired by a recent post from our New Beginnings hostess MizB to reevaluate my 2010 goals/resolutions. So, I've made a newish list. It's slightly less complicated and will hopefully be easier for me to follow.

1. Health and Fitness
o   Get down to size 14. Since I should be a 14 by now, but I'm not, there's no way I'd make it to 12 by the end of the year, so I'll just try to get to a nice, comfy 14 by December 31st! 
o   Try three new recipes per month (one of which will be vegetarian). I didn't try anything new this week.
o   Hit the gym four days per week. I made it all three days even though going on Thursday - after a really hard workout on Wednesday - was really hard!

2. Writing (removed the poetry section since I probably won't be writing any poetry at all this year, and I'd rather not stress out over it)
o   Write 1st draft of a novel. This is one of the goals I've changed. I was having too much trouble figuring Falcon's Gate out, so I'm going to set it aside and work on something else.
o   Write a(nother) complete novel during NaNoWriMo. Begins November 1st and continues through November 30th. 

3. Photography
o   Take more artistic photos. Not done.
o   Spend more time composing photos rather than just “point and shoot”. Nothing new here. I took more pictures of my sad-looking Madrone tree, but they were to send to the landscaper to see if he knew what was wrong with the tree.
o   Go "old school": take some pictures using film with manual 35mm camera. Not done recently.
 
4. Homefront
o   Organize stuff. Reorganized all my medical/lab results/insurance crap in my file cabinet.
o   Reduce clutter. Got rid of TONS more magazines and catalogues this past weekend.

5. Fun Stuff
o   Go to the beach. Slightly modified this one since going to the beach "more often" just isn't going to happen, so I'm just going to try to get to the beach "eventually" this year. 
o   Get new ink. Still working on this one. Might actually be getting TWO tats this year if my BFF agrees to get inked with me!

New Beginnings #16

 

To remind you of the way this works, here’s how to play:

First — post your list of New Years’ Resolutions in a post at your blog (or in the comments here, if you don’t have a blog).

Second — every week, on Wednesday, write a new post about how you’re doing with each of your goals … you’ll have to list them, again, each week, as people won’t remember what you’re working towards, otherwise. Be brief in your updates, as there may be several blogs to visit! ((come give a quick update here at Should Be Reading, if you don’t have a blog)).

Third — after you’ve written your update, come back to Should Be Reading, and share your link so that we –the other New Beginnings participants– can stop by your blog and encourage you!

Important! … It would be absolutely great if you could visit at least ONE other participant’s blog  on Wednesdays and leave a comment on their post to share some encouragement for their efforts! Show your support! That’s what this event is all about — standing by each other to finally reach our goals!

1. Health and Fitness
o   Get down to size 12 (currently at 16). Same here. 
o   Try three new recipes per month (one of which will be vegetarian). I tried two new ones this past weekend form the latest issue of Clean Eating Magazine: Tilapia Citrus Couscous salad and Cajun Jambalya. Both were easy and delicious!
o   Hit the gym four days per week. I made it two days last week and will only make it one day this week.

2. Writing 
o   Write 1st draft of book 1 of Falcon's Gate Trilogy. Started again.
o   Write 1st draft of book 2 of Falcon's Gate Trilogy during NaNoWriMo. Begins November 1st and continues through November 30th. 
o   Write some poetry. None.

3. Photography
o   Take more artistic photos. Not done.
o   Spend more time composing photos rather than just “point and shoot”. It was pretty much just a point and shoot weekend.
o   Go "old school": take some pictures using film with manual 35mm camera. Not done.
 
4. Homefront
o   Organize stuff. Nothing here.
o   Reduce clutter. Nothing more yet, but I did find a place downtown where I can put some of my clothes on consignment!

5. Fun Stuff
o   Go to the beach more often. Not yet.
o   Learn to surf (or at least body board). Not yet.
o   Get new ink. Still working on this one. Might actually be getting TWO tats this year!

New Beginnings #15

To remind you of the way this works, here’s how to play:

First — post your list of New Years’ Resolutions in a post at your blog (or in the comments here, if you don’t have a blog).

Second — every week, on Wednesday, write a new post about how you’re doing with each of your goals … you’ll have to list them, again, each week, as people won’t remember what you’re working towards, otherwise. Be brief in your updates, as there may be several blogs to visit! ((come give a quick update here at Should Be Reading, if you don’t have a blog)).

Third — after you’ve written your update, come back to Should Be Reading, and share your link so that we –the other New Beginnings participants– can stop by your blog and encourage you!

Important! … It would be absolutely great if you could visit at least ONE other participant’s blog  on Wednesdays and leave a comment on their post to share some encouragement for their efforts! Show your support! That’s what this event is all about — standing by each other to finally reach our goals!

1. Health and Fitness
o   Get down to size 12 (currently at 16).  Same here although I might be able to get into some 14s in another month ... or two.
o   Try three new recipes per month (one of which will be vegetarian). Haven’t tried anything new lately.  
o   Hit the gym four days per week.  Done last week, but not this week.  

2. Writing   
o   Write 1st draft of book 1 of Falcon's Gate Trilogy.  Started again 5/10/10.
o   Write 1st draft of book 2 of Falcon's Gate Trilogy during NaNoWriMo. Begins November 1st and continues through November 30th. 
o   Write some poetry. Nothing here.

3. Photography
o   Take more artistic photos. Nothing this week.    o   Spend more time composing photos rather than just “point and shoot”. See above.
o   Go "old school": take some pictures using film with manual 35mm camera. Nothing new here.
 
4. Homefront
o   Organize stuff. Nothing done here.
o   Reduce clutter. I found a bunch of old comic books (don’t freak; they’re not super important first editions or anything fabulous like that) and put them on ebay. Hopefully someone will want them.   
o   Work on landscaping project(s). Done!

 5. Fun Stuff Nothing really done on any of these yet.
o   Go to the beach more often. Hopefully soon ... if not this weekend, then next weekend for sure! Or maybe over Memorial Day!
o   Learn to surf (or at least body board).
o   Get new ink. Planning to get this done when I’m in Vegas. Am contemplating a monarch butterfly on the back of my left shoulder. ** NEW** My BFF is now thinking about getting a tattoo!! We’re talking about getting matching ones, but haven’t decided on a design. Maybe an angel or an Ichthys (Christian fish symbol).