Looking Back and Looking Forward 2010 & 2011

[€uroMeinke]

Remember this thread (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showthread.php?t=10181&highlight=2010http://)? How'd you do this time?

Despite obvious fails of reading more and getting back on the Metro, I think I did okay, though I'll probably be working on some of the same issues for 2011 - but I'll have to mull that over a bit before I commit anything to writing here.

How about you?

[BarTopDancer]

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.


I have succeeded in paying off quite a bit of debt but that was due to the generosity of my parents. I still have a lot to go but it's manageable now, and not crushing.

I found a job that I love, most days.

I have expanded my social network quite a bit. SCORE!

Despite keeping them off LoT, I have continued to expand my creativity venues.

4 for 4!

For 2011:


I spent most of 2010 in some sort of injury preventing me from really working out. I will go back to the gym and focus on my health.

Continue my education in ways that will allow me to branch out from tech support. So.Over.It.

Travel more, beyond Vegas. Maybe even go see E in F'in UT.

[CoasterMatt]

We did well on the debt side of things, but lost too many near and dear friends and relatives.

[flippyshark]

Last year, I wrote:

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!

If by legit performances I meant "not for theme park visitors," well, that's happening right now! (Yay Shakespeare!)

I abandoned the writing of the short novel, probably forever. I'm focusing on shorter pieces intended for a web site I'm also hoping to get up and running this year.

I finished several musical pieces, but not the ones I was talking about a year ago.

Not really any better at time management.


For this year, I hope to:

- figure out why I hate Twitter so much and how I can make it work out better for me
- establish a compelling web presence
- kiss somebody pretty

That's more than enough for a year.

[alphabassettgrrl]

As is normal, I apparently didn't make any public resolutions last year, and I kept all of them.

Not a resolution, but things I'd like to work on: getting out more; getting more organized and decluttering; getting a job.

[Ghoulish Delight]

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.
Batted a thousand! Even if it did take 7 months or so to get around to it.

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!She got fired not long after I posted that. So that doesn't count as an at-bat since I never had the chance to test my resolve.

As for a new vague, non-committal, non-resolution - I dunno. 2010 quite honestly will stand as one of the seminal awesome years of my life. It makes me want to try to block out the whole concept of drawing a line between years for fear that it'll just seem like I'm starting from zero and trying to somehow match the greatness that was, which is a fool's endeavor. I'm just going to go ahead and ride the wave forward.

[Alex]

Global financial meltdown still has not yet happened so I'm still perfect.

If all goes well within the next couple of days my demotion will become official which would be the culmination of my unofficial resolution.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

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. 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.Found others with kids that are actually cool - CHECK. Maybe they'll eventually merit an invite into my LoT world, heh.

There are areas that I'm very laid back about with Theo and others where I do obsess a bit. It can be hard to not second guess yourself when you have very little feedback from someone who can't tell you what they need. I can't say I'm fully successful at tamping down the crazy but I'm doing as well as I can. I will continue to work on it.

For 2011...I use a lot of tools in my parenting kit, including Patience, Playfulness, Optimism, Joy...and they need sharpening constantly. I resolve to keep smiling amidst hard days because he deserves the best mom I can be.

I resolve to have more people over, and to visit people more often. Sure, there are limitations, but there are also many possibilities.

Sigh, I'd like to say that I resolve to follow my creative heart and make Halloween costumes for babies...but I just don't think I can make the time. Ok, I resolve to continue to consider it and not give up on it.

[Not Afraid]

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 on one foot while walking 12 dogs, ordering pet supplies, balancing cash drawers and selling Buddy Belts).

WOW! I was working at P&P at this time last year. So much has changed! I left there - and while it was a really good decision, it did take me a while to get back on my feet again. I went back to pet sitting and started making jewelery seriously. I did my first craft fair in May and I haven't stopped since! While the dog walking still pays the majority of the bills and keeps me super busy, my creative life has sure been a fulfilling one! The first show I curated opened at the beginning of December and has been a wonderful experience! I know I'll be curating more shows, but, if I do that, I need to find ways to encourage the sale of art.

My goal in 2011 is to keep growing that part of my life and see if I can figure out a way to make that really work for me. I'm not sure that is actually realistic, but I'll certainly give it a shot.

Who knows where things will lead. It's sure been a fun ride this past year! I'm looking forward to what 2011 will bring. Rain or shine, the experiences are so worth it.

[wendybeth]

Found others with kids that are actually cool - CHECK. Maybe they'll eventually merit an invite into my LoT world, heh.

There are areas that I'm very laid back about with Theo and others where I do obsess a bit. It can be hard to not second guess yourself when you have very little feedback from someone who can't tell you what they need. I can't say I'm fully successful at tamping down the crazy but I'm doing as well as I can. I will continue to work on it.

For 2011...I use a lot of tools in my parenting kit, including Patience, Playfulness, Optimism, Joy...and they need sharpening constantly. I resolve to keep smiling amidst hard days because he deserves the best mom I can be.

I resolve to have more people over, and to visit people more often. Sure, there are limitations, but there are also many possibilities.

Sigh, I'd like to say that I resolve to follow my creative heart and make Halloween costumes for babies...but I just don't think I can make the time. Ok, I resolve to continue to consider it and not give up on it.

Now that you've had Theo a good amount of time, and gotten to know him pretty well (although he still has some surprises for you), I'm curious: What have you found to be the most difficult thing about being a Mom (and there will be more than one answer), and what is the most surprising? I've had my girl for 15+ years, and I am supremely grateful for each and every moment. I never thought I would be a Mom- I really didn't think I could have kids, and had settled in to being a total Uber-Auntie before the happy surprise. My most difficult things- watching kids and parents be stupid and unkind, and not being able to stop the illness that took her hearing. My best: realizing she was her own little person, with her own likes and dislikes, and learning how to cater to them. :rolleyes: (I foolishly thought I would have at least a semblance of influence in these areas...) Also, when I realized that her hearing loss didn't define her, but it contributed to the awesome person she is.

My 2010 was rather 'eh'- neither good nor bad. The worst part of it was when my sis lost her job- I was so worried about her (she's a total workaholic) and I was so very happy for her when she landed in an even better situation. I also had to have a couple of esophageal biopsies, which was a bit scary as I had a 2 out of three chance of having something bad. I lucked out and got a serious food allergy, which at press time seems to be wheat. (Try to find things without wheat or gluten in them- I dares ya!). Let's just say I'm ecstatic about Trader Joes finally coming to Spokane. (Woot!)

[Stan4dSteph]

I will finish a half marathon.
Did that.

I don't have any resolutions for this year. I'd like to move to a new job, but I don't have much hope it will happen.

[Prudence]

Apparently I didn't resolve anything last year. I think this year I'll limit myself to things with a strong likelihood of actually happening: new job, life on the other coast, and marriage. And progress on my knitting backlog.

[Morrigoon]

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.

Note to self: next time, be more specific.

Well, at least I got married, LOL.

I have a few things in mind, but not much I can list here. Employment, again, but not if it's going to be like the last fulfillment of that goal, which came at too great a price for the income it yielded. So let's say "worthwhile and enjoyable employment... which I retain".

[lashbear]

[/list]16 out of 19 aint bad !!!

This years, only one:

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

Check !!! :D

2011's are:


Get myself down to 110 Kg or smaller. 100 Kg would be good.
See several European countries.
Removing some of the clutter in our unit to make it more liveable. Surfaces, sweetie, surfaces !

[Gn2Dlnd]

(Try to find things without wheat or gluten in them- I dares ya!)

ThinKrisps!

And bacon.

I generally don't do resolutions, you know, "one day at a time" and all that. But, this year, there's a role in a play that I want. And I should be about 30 pounds lighter for it. This may finally be the one thing that inspires me enough to do that very difficult thing of combining self-denial with exercise.

I'd love to have my own kitchen, instead of a once a week rental. In my own space I could ramp up production, improve the packaging, and finally get a crew trained to do everything I'm still doing. My dream would be to get the business self-maintaining so I could concentrate on theatre.

Aaand, I'm tired of being single, or dating the "come closer, get away" crowd. I'm ready to meet nice, potential keeper types.

I should probably tidy my bedroom, just in case.

[blueerica]

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.

Somewhat resolved, due to moving further south.

I'll probably be getting more serious about public trans as gas prices may be jumping up again. I have discovered in this past year that I really like taking the Express Bus over the train. The train is brightly lit and full of chatty people who think it’s OK to have loud conversations at 6:30 AM. Then there’s the loud beep and station announcement ever few minutes.

The bus is generally quiet, and if I hit the 6:40 bus, the driver keeps the lights dim and turns them off for the drive.

And the seats recline.

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.

Just as true in 2010 as it was in 2009. We saw some places that we had some interest in, but a lot of homes just started the short sell crap – one seller had repairs needed that the bank wouldn’t budge on. So, as stated above, we moved further south and stayed in the apartment situation.

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.

Yeah, there’s still a lot of improvement, but I failed to set any goals for myself. My blood pressure ratcheted up to 160/110 this fall, in great part due to the tremendous stress I’ve been under in my personal life. I haven’t been sharing on here, or much of anywhere – and that’s something I plan to change. January promises to bring a lot of stress, too, so we’ll see.

My goals:

Find time to express, in some fashion, what’s going on. Bottling, or “stuffing” hasn’t been doing my any good. It’s not a good place when things are so bad that you feel like you can’t talk to anyone about it. So, even if I don’t feel like talking about it, I should be finding an outlet.

Really get a house, for real-real. I love the new apartment complex, but I’m not thrilled about it. We’re just paying a lot of moo-lah for something that really isn’t ours.

Go to the gym 3 – 4 times a week at a minimum. And don’t beat myself up when I can’t do it. This year has been a lot about self-flagellation in this department, and it’s not helping, so I need to quit it.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Aaand, I'm tired of being single, or dating the "come closer, get away" crowd. I'm ready to meet nice, potential keeper types.

I should probably tidy my bedroom, just in case.

Mr. Wonderful is waiting for you! And I agree, the "get away, closer" crowd is annoying and a waste of time.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Erica - I had been wondering about you, and now I hope you can follow through and let us know how you are doing, even when the news isn't great. We're here for you. *hug*

Now that you've had Theo a good amount of time, and gotten to know him pretty well (although he still has some surprises for you), I'm curious: What have you found to be the most difficult thing about being a Mom (and there will be more than one answer), and what is the most surprising? I'll try to not completely derail the thread. Difficult...As Theo gets older it becomes harder to remember to be patient. Amazingly, I find myself annoyed that he doesn't understand or do what I tell him. Ha. Surprising - well, to be honest, I'm surprised at my own lack of patience, as I had seemingly infinite patience for the first few months, and I never would have guessed that I would expect anything but unpredictability and lack of cooperation from a baby.


Removing some of the clutter in our unit to make it more liveable. Surfaces, sweetie, surfaces !Oh lordy, if only! There's no such thing as an empty surface in our house, and I expect that will always be the case.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Amazingly, I find myself annoyed that he doesn't understand or do what I tell him.

CP, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but the problems still exist in my 5, 7 and 9 year old.
:)

[katiesue]

CP, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but the problems still exist in my 5, 7 and 9 year old.
:)

and my 14 almost 15 year old.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

I didn't contribute to last year's thread but I know what my goals were - to write more, to play more music, and to continue to make progress with some personal issues. All three of those were accomplished. For this year, I just want more of the same. I try to keep things simple.

I also am going to try to post more here.

[Snowflake]

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.

Well, I did not do too well in 2010. Here's hoping I do better in 2011!

#1 like 2010 is to finish retiring the credit card debt. I made progress, but, not enough to retire it all. Like Rosie the Riveter, this year I can do it!

#2 I lost 20lbs which is something to crow about, but not the 50lbs I was shooting for. At least 20 more lbs is the goal.

#3 Never made it to Disneyland, pretty pathetic! I'll be in LA in May, I hope I can take a few days extra and pay a visit to the Happiest Place on Earth and maybe say hello to some swanky folks if they're around.

#4 I think I've been kinder, not had any complaints and actually got some compliments!

#5 I've decluttered, but can do more, still too much stuff. More decluttering!

[Ghoulish Delight]

Well, I did not do too well in 2010. Your signature says otherwise, missy.

[Alex]

Like Rosie the Riveter, this year I can do it!

I hope you don't do it like Rosie the Riveter, since she just retired her debt by dying (http://www.freep.com/article/20101231/NEWS08/12310337/Geraldine-Doyle-inspiration-for-Rosie-the-Riveter-dies).

[Cadaverous Pallor]

CP, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but the problems still exist in my 5, 7 and 9 year old.
:)

and my 14 almost 15 year old.No bubble to burst - that's why I said "amazingly". It's a laughable expectation of a baby and a pretty far fetched one for a child of any age. I don't know what's wrong with my brain.

[Alex]

Considering the number of people who think their dogs understand them it doesn't seem that deviant to expect it of an infant.

[Morrigoon]

Dogs have the intelligence of a 3-year old, it's not unreasonable.

[alphabassettgrrl]

We had one dog that I swear did on occasion understand English, even when spoken normally. Maybe they're just psychic. :)

[Snowflake]

Your signature says otherwise, missy.
GD, you are right about that. :blush:

It's been a gift that keeps on giving!

[Not Afraid]

Dogs understand words. Especially if they are words such as "hungry", "treat", "bully stick", "dinner", "breakfast".....well, you get the picture.

[€uroMeinke]

I found this guide to Resolution making:


The Hedonist’s Guide To Getting Things Done: Goal Setting Made Easy (http://www.gihanperera.info/2011/01/hedonists-guide-to-getting-things-done.html)

No clue who Gihan Perera is, but I like this blog post for obvious reasons

[Morrigoon]

:snap:

[lashbear]

Dogs understand words. Especially if they are words such as "hungry", "treat", "bully stick", "dinner", "breakfast".....well, you get the picture.
I regret the day you ever told me what a "Bully stick" is made of. :eek:


...I would never put one of those in my mouth and chew on it !!

[alphabassettgrrl]

"You know, the concrete outside might be a cooler place to lie down" is followed by the dog getting up, and walking outside to lie down on the concrete....

He was one of the smartest dogs I've met.

[Alex]

Dogs understand words. Especially if they are words such as "hungry", "treat", "bully stick", "dinner", "breakfast".....well, you get the picture.

Sure, dogs understand words. Wouldn't contest that (I think the record is something like 150).

They don't, however, understand what you're saying. And they don't understand the words unless you've said it to them many times and very carefully tied it to a specific real world stimulus. If you give the dog a treat every time you fart it will understand that word just as well.

[JWBear]

And they don't understand the words unless you've said it to them many times and very carefully tied it to a specific real world stimulus.

The same could be said for some Humans.

[Morrigoon]

And they don't understand the words unless you've said it to them many times and very carefully tied it to a specific real world stimulus.
Yep, pretty much how language is acquired. Although dogs are at a disadvantage to their human counterparts in that they lack the physical capability of mimicking the sounds they hear to test which ones will have the same effect. So yay dogs for managing to learn anyway.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Yep, pretty much how language is acquired.
Not really. Vocabulary and language are two different things. The former is simply a catalog of labels, the latter a system of using those labels. Dogs can acquire the former, not so much on the latter.

[Morrigoon]

A fair argument. I'll grant you that point.

[Not Afraid]

I regret the day you ever told me what a "Bully stick" is made of. :eek:


...I would never put one of those in my mouth and chew on it !!

Its the chewing part that gets to you, right?

[Alex]

The same could be said for some Humans.

Which is what prompted this entire sidebar.