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A List for 2011: The Year of the Rabbit

恭喜發財

Happy Chinese New Year!

Unlike most of the Western world, I rarely resolve anything in January.  I make resolutions for Chinese New Year, every year.  I generally have a pretty good idea of what I want to accomplish by the beginning of January, but I have found that if I wait until Lunar New Year sometime in February I have a much higher success rate.  Except for last year.  The Year of the Tiger (2010) was a doozy for me and, frankly, I only accomplished perhaps 20% of what I set out to do.  I could make excuses and toss out (perfectly valid) justifications, but I won’t.  I’m just gonna chalk it up to one really crap year and move on.

The Tiger List: A Recap (original resolution list here)

1. Go skiing or snowboarding or snowshoeing with some regularity WIN! (evidence here and here)
2. Hike Mt. Timpanogos FAIL
3. Run 2 5k’s FAIL
4. Post two new recipe’s per week to heidikins cooks DOUBLE FAIL (no posts since MARCH!)
5. Finish one creative project per month PROBABLY A FAIL
6. Refinish dining room table FAIL
7. Acquire modern-looking chairs to go with dining room table FAIL
8. Photograph, organize and label the rest of my shoes FAIL
9. Read 60 books WIN!
10. Send a handwritten note once a week FAIL (but I did send my nieces and nephews postcards everytime I went out of town!)
11. Save downpayment for a new car (or new-to-me car) FAIL
12. Scuba-dive in the ocean FAIL
13. Visit two Utah National Park’s I haven’t visited before FAIL
14. Visit three states I haven’t visited before FAIL
15. Plan and enjoy two international vacations WIN!

My goals for 2011 are a little more manageable…well, when you throw in the “graduate from college” thing it is still as overwhelming, but I’m learning to not be quite so excessive in my plans and a touch (or a lot) more conservative in my time-management assessment.  I have high hopes of accomplishing all, or at least 80%, of my list for this year.

The Rabbit List (2011)

1. Graduate from University
2. Pay off student loan
3. Plan and take two international vacations
4. Visit two Utah National Parks (I’m thinking Bryce Canyon and Canyonlands)
5. Visit the Spiral Jetty
6. Implement a regular exercise regimen (I expect this won’t happy until after I graduate)
7. Hike Mt. Timpanogos
8. Read 30 books
9. Photograph, organize and label the rest of my shoes (My Shoeologist project is helping with this, big time)
10. Send Christmas cards

The Action Plan

1. Graduate from University: Barring any D’s or F’s, I am set to walk at commencement on May 6.  I’ll have one more class to take over the summer to finish off my degree, but then I’ll be done!
2. Pay off student loan: This is set for June!
3. Plan and take two international vacations: I have my heart set on Japan (and maybe China!) in the first half of the year, and a few ideas to spice up the last half (Turkey? Morocco? England/France?)
4. Visit two Utah National Parks: I already have plans in motion for one, and come hell or high water I’ll make it to another!
5. Visit the Spiral Jetty: This. Must. Happen.
6. Implement a regular exercise regimen: get me through this semester, then we’ll talk.
7. Hike Mt. Timpanogos: The best time to do this is in August, which will be perfect after a summer of hiking and exercising.
8. Read 30 books: Last year was 60, this year I have less than half the time to read for leisure, I think 30 will be a good goal.
9. Photograph, organize and label the rest of my shoes: The organization part is done, the photograph part is almost done, the labeling…it will happen!
10. Send Christmas cards: I’ve wanted to do this for a few years but always thought I needed a cute husband or cute kids or, at the very least, a pet to justify the card.  That’s stupid–I’m sending them anyway!

Year of the Rabbit, I will own you!

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