2010, here we come!

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Hey, I remembered! Check out last year's thread (http://loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showthread.php?t=9020) and see what promises you kept...and which you're still working on.

Me:
I'll continue to work on my interactions with others. There's still so much to learn about the nuances of friendship and teamwork, plus how to balance that with individuality.

I'll continue to work on thinking optimistically on all things, be they short or long term, in my control or not. I'll keep an eye out for the self-flagellation that undermines me and remember that not achieving a goal is punishment enough.

And, I RESOLVE to kill the perfectionist living in my head that loves to make everything look like garbage.Things have gotten much better for me on these fronts, but they're issues I'll battle my whole life. I resolve to continue working on this stuff.


Of course, I kept my one New Year's resolution that I didn't post - to start a family. :D It was definitely on my mind around this time last year. Took a few months to get things going...

It'd be far too easy to say that my resolution for 2010 is to have a healthy baby and do my best by him. I'll expand on that to say that I resolve to find others near us who have begun families and are cool enough to hang out with. :cool: I resolve to do my best to not spiral in worry and perfectionism over my kid, but also to show him guidance and care in ways that will benefit him as much as possible. It's a fine line.

[BarTopDancer]

2008
I made a resolution to not make resolutions. So far it's the only one I've kept.
2009

I will try to not accrue new debt.
I hope to travel to NY and back to SF
I succeeded in not making any resolutions. I made it back to SF, and have a trip to NY planned for 09, that will probably be canceled due to $$.

NY trip was indeed canceled due to money. I did a pretty good job of not accruing new debt despite being unemployed for most of this year and managed to pay off a lot.

Maybe this year I'll make some:


Continue to pay off more debt than I accrue.
Find a job that isn't sucking my soul out in the most painful way possible.
Continue to expand my social network. I know it will come as a shock to most of you, but I am painfully shy and it takes extreme effort to talk to new people (in person).
Continue to expand my creativity venues.

[Not Afraid]

Do something with my "career" or lack there of at the moment.
Continue - and expand - my creative streak. It has been really fulfilling doing jewelry, making art and sewing.
Take 2 days off each week.
Don't over commit my schedule.
Continue organizing and simplifying.
Explore more.

I did "something" about my career which has made the rest of the things something I have very little time to do.

In 2010 - Balance (and I'm not talking about doing that one one foot while walking 12 dogs, ordering pet supplies, balancing cash drawers and selling Buddy Belts).

[Ghoulish Delight]

I achieved every single goal that I posted in [the 2009] thread, and plan on doing the same this year.

I thought of one for this year - finish "landscaping" our back patio.

Hmm, mixed bag. I did the work (planted 4 types of veggies, and some ornamental shrubbery). Unfortunately, most of it died. But I tried damnit! And we are left with some healthy flat leaf parsley and carrots, which make for good supplements to the bunny food we buy.

I hesitate to make any for this year considering the unpredictability a newborn will bring, but boy it'd be nice if I find myself hating work less next year. Whether that comes from reinvesting myself in the current job, or moving on to bigger and better.

[Snowflake]

to complete the RV project and self publish through blurb.com (thanks Mousepod) - projected to hit the street in August
to spend more time with good friends
to keep the good streak of reasonable good health for another year
to really start some DIY like painting the apartment and getting new blinds
to enjoy some more any or a single swanking in 2009
to always have a project going to expand my horizons (begun, new blog) and to restart my podcast
to have time to relax and enjoy the ride
to learn to make Vietnamese food well

I did not do too badly in 2009, all things considered.
RV has a new street date, February 2010 (Valentino's Valentine's Day)
Spent some time with good friends
Health seemed to be pretty good, I need to ramp up the weight loss, I'm as big as a house.
Painting has begun in the apartment
Managed the LashPair/Deebs swanking, a little bit of Yosemite and met the Wolfpack up here.
Still have more projects going, including a new website (exciting news on this)
Restarted my podcast and loving it
enjoying the ride
Still need to learn how to make Vietnamese food.

2010
My big goal is out of cc debt, was almost there this year, but things happened and being he sole provider sort of messed me up in this regard. Getting there, but it's going to take more hard work, more belt tightening and I know I can do it.

Other big goal is 50lbs by my 50th birthday. Not an unreasonable goal, I sincerely hope it's more, but I thought this would be a good start. So, continued good health and better heath is the goal.

Disneyland, at least once, preferably twice.

Be a kinder person and a better friend to all.

Declutter. I've got too much stuff.

Be more creative, artistic, expressive.

Right now, this is about all I can think of.

[lashbear]

My resolutions for 2009 are:

To have Bacon & scrambled eggs as the first meal of the year - Check.
To go to Disneyland. - Check.
To see Yosemite National Park Thingy. - Check.
To eat a Corn Dog. - Check.
To have a Long Island Iced Tea at the Cove Bar - Missed
To have an Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista - Check.
To see Gemini Cricket in Hawaii - Check.
To see "Wicked" in San Francisco - Check.
To eat MRE Bacon - Check.
To have a Deep Fried Turkey - Check.
To see Hearst Castle - Check.
To hug & kiss the Stoat a lot. - Check.
To meet Thurston - Check.
To see what Spokane's like - Check.
To try & spot the Governor of California (& maybe get an autograph) - Missed
To ride Xcelerator & Pony Express - Missed
To ride Nemos Subs - Check.
To ride Toy Story Mania - Check.
To have LoTs of laughs & fun with friends.- Check.16 out of 19 aint bad !!!

This years, only one:

Get a job (preferably one that I enjoy) :cheers:

[flippyshark]

Yay, I didn't make any last year! Ah, success!

[blueerica]

As for 2009 - no resolutions, really. Just have more fun. I had plenty o' good times and bad in '08, so I should just try to make '09 even better. I mean, why not?

Huzzah! Success!!

I did see a comment last year about my job, which became more challenging and rewarding over the course of this past year. I am, however, becoming exhausted with the commute.

There's also a comment in my post about getting a house. I thought it would have happened in '09, but it didn't. Maybe in '10. I'm just not super pleased with the pickin's in Utah. They're either too big (we don't need 6 bedrooms in our wildest dreams) and, thus, over our budget, or their pieces of sh*t. Or they're even farther away. We'll see.

I'll have to start thinking of some resolutions. I think that it might be good to set one or two to see how I do. There's a lot of room for improvement in my daily life that could be measured at the end of 2010.

[3894]

This next year will bring a huge change for me: my younger kid will go off to college. Tom and I will be empty-nesters and that is the way it should be. Independence is what we want for our children. Still, it's a huge change and I will shed some tears.

I think I'll get more serious about sewing. That sounds kind of sad in context but, really, it's not. I love sewing. I love clothes.

I would like to enter a sewing contest and win. I would sew Issey Miyake stuff - you know, Japanese high-concept clothing. I'll let you know if your votes would help. :)

[Alex]

Though I never spoke of it, my resolution was for my continued employment within the industry to single-handedly stave off complete global economic collapse.

It worked and you're welcome.

[BarTopDancer]

I think I'll get more serious about sewing. That sounds kind of sad in context but, really, it's not. I love sewing. I love clothes.

My mom turned my room into her sewing room. She's currently making a quilt for me with my old Girl Scout badges and patches on it.

[Disneyphile]

Here were mine for 2009:

Respecting my own feelings. This is already something that I've been working on, and is a big struggle for me, and I often back down, putting the feelings of others first. I will still be considerate, but I will also consider mine now too. This might upset some folks because I'm not going to be as "nice" or "giving", but respect will be mutual. My feelings should matter just as much as anyone else's. Last year taught me much about that. Some people have taken advantage of my "chameleon" adapts-to-any-situation state, and that's gonna change.
Taking better care of myself and my needs. I'd like to work on improving my physical, mental, and emotional health. This will often coincide with the first item on my list, for example, if I don't feel like going somewhere, I'm not going to go, just because someone else wants me to. It doesn't mean I don't like them - I just need to take care of something else at the time, without owing any explanation.
Continuing my pursuit of unrestrained zen and happiness on a personal level, and with my husband, and we don't need nor want anyone's approval. This will also coincide with being more enigmatic than "open book" about certain aspects and desires in our lives, unless around those of similar minds and consciences.
Learning to say "no" without feelings of guilt or obligation.
Don't over-promise stuff to others that is either impossible to finish or adds so much stress as to cause resentment and exhaustion, especially by piling more stuff onto an already over-flowing plate. This is another BIG problem of mine, which largely coincides with item #4. I think saying "no" is less disappointing than not following through on a promise due to not enough time, etc. I'd rather appear stingy than flakey. This is definitely one of my biggest faults that I don't like about myself.
I've done pretty well on the first four, but five is still a little bit of a struggle for me. So, I'm throwing that one back into the pot for 2010.

2009 has been interesting for me. After the 2008 cluster**** of chaos, I started going back to school and trying to stick to a schedule to break that cycle. However, I'll be completely honest in saying that I've struggled with depression at times this year, to the point of being very, very severe. (I'm fairly good at hiding it and won't talk about it.) And, the over-busy schedule (including too many social activities) has really made it worse. But, overall, it's been a year of learning and developing new traditions and ideas.

That said, here are my goals for 2010:


Set up a regular work schedule and stick to it.
Only have 3-4 projects at any given time. Say "no" to adding more until there is a vacancy. This will allow me proper time to actually follow through and complete that which needs to be completed. This will also alleviate a lot of guilt by not allowing it to happen in the first place. I'm notorious for taking on too much. I need to be a lot more realistic about how much time there is in a day, and that I'm only one person. (Yeah, yeah, I know. Feel free to start the betting pool now. :p)
Prioritize, and allow myself to miss the boat on things that are not as important to my main goals. (i.e., nearly killing myself to make school projects perfect, because the grades really don't matter as much as the projects I need for income)
Continue my journey on the healthy train. Keep doing what I'm doing, and by not allowing myself to be overly busy, I'll have the time to dedicate to myself to see that I remain on the wagon. This applies to mental, emotional, and physical health.
No more double-booking or over-booking on social events/outings. Ken and I need time together, and we need to be the priority. We also need to have one day per month at home together to do home things, whether it be nesting or being lazy. If anyone's feelings get hurt, they'll get over it. It's nothing personal to anyone - we're just more of a priority. We have a few different social circles that don't interconnect, so we're certainly not being withdrawn or anti-social, even with cutting back. My depression has largely been caused by being overly busy and not having enough personal downtime, so I hope people respect that and not try to "help" by thinking I need to get out more.
Explore more of my career path. I'm going to earnestly check out more about animation and special effects. And, I'm also going to look at small production and design companies where I could land regular part-time work, regardless of location. We're opening ourselves up to relocation, if necessary. And, I'm also willing to work on-site with a set schedule.
Purge excess items and transform those items into money to use on experiences, like travel and entertainment.
So, I can't wait to revisit this next year and see how it goes.

As always, thanks for the great thread, CP. :)

[Gemini Cricket]

I didn't do a resolution thingy last year. But I did help lashbear with one of his.
:)

[Andrew]

I don't do resolutions, so I resolve to continue not doing resolutions...

damn!

[Stan4dSteph]

I will finish a half marathon.

[Morrigoon]

I'd like to get married

I'm a little behind schedule on this one, but definitely on track ;) Shall I make it this year's resolution too?

Alright, here's a real one then:

I'd like to have a full-time job again.

[€uroMeinke]

Mine was a retread from 2008:

Continue to promote a hedonist movement
Actualize my imaginary lives
Eat good food
Visit Swanky Places
Honor Columbus Day

I think I did alright - of course one can always do more for hedonism.

For 2010 though I think I'll be focusing on some time management - it's always been a challenge for me in that I think I would do fine if we had 40-hour days, but these 24-hour one's are taken up with sleep, work, commuting, and tending to the animals, etc.

Specifically, I'd like to make sure I get some quality time in with Lisa. The new job and new hours seems to have cut in on our available time together, so I'd like to make sure the time we have is well spent

I'd also like to make sure I take some time for myself, sort of reinstating the concept of the "artist date" though I dread writing those words, but it's real easy for me to put myself 2nd, which usually just means I get resentful and that doesn't do anyone any good.

I'd like to read more in 2010. I think I started 4 books in 2009, and all are sitting unfinished on my bedside. There's some new Murakami coming so maybe that will help.

I'd like to also be a better son to my mom, whose had a number of odd health issues lately. It would be nice to see and chat with her outside the most recent medical tragedy.

Work is work, not sure what I can or want to do there. I like my current boss, but don't think she can do much for me. Perhaps for me it's just being willing to explore some other options/opportunities that may come my way.

I would like to get back on the Metro - hate driving, just wish I didn't have to get up so early to make the Metro happen. But I have a webex account so I should start leveraging that and reduce my windshield time.

Otherwise, I'm still in on the eating good food, visiting swanky places - and I'll add exploring new places, new music, and art.

Cheers to the new year,

[Chernabog]

I'd like to have the following goals for 2010:

1) Be 50% happier!

2) Beat Demon's Souls on the Ps3. It's the serious pinnacle of hardcore gaming.

3) Lose 5 pounds.

4) Get to 5 years sober (now it's starting to sound like a lot).

5) Have 50% more orgasms. (See #1, above.)

[Not Afraid]

4) Get to 5 years sober (now it's starting to sound like a lot).


Whoa Nelly! I missed my "start drinking again" deadline!;)

[flippyshark]

I want to do more legit performance this year.

I have a short novel to finish and several music compositions that are so close to being done but too long neglected.

Better time management as well ... Oh good grief, I've got to go or I'll be late on stage!

[Ghoulish Delight]

I've resolved to not answer the phone when the caller ID tells me its certain coworkers who have a stubborn refusal to use email and instead waste my time with interminable, pointless phone calls. Especially when they wait to place those phone calls until 5 minutes before lunch or before the end of my day. You have email, USE IT!

[Alex]

I have to regret at all about not answering my phone if someone calls me. I don't interact with customers, so it will always be a co-worker.

I wouldn't feel bad ignoring their email or IM until it is convenient to me, I don't feel bad about ignoring their phone calls.

Though if he's in the same location as you, this could prompt the dreaded cube visit.

[Ghoulish Delight]

They're in a remote office, so that's not a problem.

When I started working with this person, it was under the shadow of a looming deadline and not enough time to do anything, where delays meant we'd have to be working weekends to recover. So I was happy to be available to facilitate success.

But it's become completely apparent that I'm dealing with a level of incompetence and failure of communication skills that I was not prepared for. And now that I've gotten my work done, while going out of my way to help her do her work, only to find her trying to lean on me for things that, at her job level, she should be able to accomplish without my help, I've now drawn the line.

Adding to the problem is that the people who work with her at the remote location who should be able to help her with the questions she has learned long ago what I'm learning now. So it hasn't been hard to read between the lines and realize that she's receiving zero assistance from them as they are even more fed up with her than I am. Which I totally understand, but it turned me into a babysitter last week and it sucked.

On the bright side, my manager is well aware of how she operates and by extension how that whole team operates (or fails to operate), so there seems to be no blame on me for her lack of progress.

Oh, this isn't the Total Serious Vent Thread, is it.

Umm, 2010. I'm going to have a baby! Yay!

[€uroMeinke]

So far in 2010 I've finished a book, and taken the Metro to work - both things I resolved to do more of. Now to just keep this momentum going.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

So far in 2010 I've finished a book, and taken the Metro to work - both things I resolved to do more of. Now to just keep this momentum going.Nah, your work is done.

[Alex]

I do have finished a book and taken public transit this year. It's like we're twins.

[BarTopDancer]

Umm, 2010. I'm going to have a baby! Yay!

You are? Then why in the heck is CP attending all the showers and the one looking pregnant?