December 27, 2007

Doesn’t it seem like we just rolled into 2007? I still remember the hangover - vividly.

Reflecting back on the past 12 months, I ask myself - what have I accomplished this year? Let’s see, of my initial goals:

• Spend more time away from my desk than I do at it. After a great start, I estimate I spent approximately 52% of my time away from my desk, so I don’t consider it a success. I tried, really I did! Part of the downfall could be the memory foam leather desk chair I bought mid-year. It’s also a great recliner and, with the memory foam, fits my body to a tee - beckoning come hither, relax. So, I did, frequently.
• Spend more time in the gym and on the courts. Well, I sprained both ankles last year playing racquetball. Both you ask? Yep. After spraining the first one, I kept playing anyways - favoring the injured one. That just increased the stress on the other until it finally gave, too. Three weeks on crutches and air braces later, I recovered - and tried to get back on the courts. One attempt was enough to realize it wasn’t going to happen. Sometimes just the act of walking will cause an ankle twist. So, I have - unhappily - given up racquetball. As well, I cancelled my membership at the gym, and gained 5 pounds in the process (damn that perimenopause).
• Discover at least ten new places this year. I did a lot of exploring this year and exceeded my goal by discovering about 20 new places - some local, some distant in the following states: New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Georgia. Traveling to and from the destinations were half the fun; one such example described here. Each new destination also provided a great set of memories, some which can’t be shared publicly - but will be stored in my mind for later recall.
• Be the best damned lush I possibly can be. Okay, to clarify this one - I wasn’t looking to become an alcoholic, just a good social drinker. Happy to report this I did successfully achieve. We started the LLC - Lunch Lush Club. The LLC wasn’t just lunch though, we’d socialize after work, too. You know you’ve succeeded when you can walk into any given restaurant/lounge and the staff already knows what you want without you having to request it. Yes, life is good. Cheers!
• Learn basic Italian (will need this for an upcoming journey). Luigi, my instructor, says I’m doing great! Then again, he’s on an audiotape, he’ll say anything!
• Rediscover the lost passion for cooking. Yeah, okay. I’m content in the knowledge that Martha Stewart I’m not, nor ever will be. I accept that. I used to love to cook, and bake. Now, not so much. After coming home from a long day of work, it’s not the joy of my life to stand in a kitchen and cook. After doing the math, I discovered I’d rather pay someone else to cook and clean up afterwards for me - so we ate out more than we ate in during the past year. I did shock my son when, a few times, I was overcome with the urge to cook - and he benefited with a home-cooked meal. Poor kid. I’m hoping he’ll get inspired and want to start cooking for me.
• Photograph more ‘living sculptures’. I did do a lot of photography this year, but didn’t shoot any living sculptures. What is a living sculpture? Multiple people posed in varying forms that create a composite shape. The original intent was to get the kids together with a Twister mat, and let them go wild. Well, I’m still aiming to do that; the outtakes are what will be the best shots.
• Spotlight a minimum of 10 new upcoming artists. I love music. All types of music. There’s nothing more exciting than discovering new talent that I otherwise may have missed out on. For the past couple of years, I’ve published a series of spotlights on different artists. Some you may know, and some you may want to get to know. Each spotlight contains audio and/or video clips, so you can get a taste of what they have to offer, musically. I fell way below the mark on this with only two completed. Currently, I have others in various stages of draft, and will publish them in the coming year.

Overall, I feel good about what I did accomplish during 2007. While I didn’t achieve success on everything, I did make an effort and put a dent in each goal. Then again, I didn’t set any that were unattainable, and instead were realistic.

I haven’t put too much thought into my goals for the coming year, but plan to over the next couple of days. Like last year’s, they - too - will be realistic. I do know one of the top items will be to survive perimenopause! These hot flashes are enticing me to move to a colder clime.

So, how did you fare this year, and what goals do you have for 2008?

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