Goodbye 2007

& good riddance!

I can’t explain how happy I am to see the year come to a close. It feels like it was a waste—like it was everything 22 shouldn’t be. I felt like I stalled all year, like I forgot how to listen to myself.

2008 will be different. It’s a fresh start, and one I plan on taking advantage of. This year I have but one resolution: Take better care of me.

This means five things:

1. I will eat better.
2. I will exercise more.
3. I will work less.
4. I will play more.
5. I will listen to my gut.

It won’t be easy, but I’m feeling hopeful:

1. I’m counting how many fruits and vegetables I eat every day, and I bought a new bottle of vitamins (that currently sits next to last year’s barely used bottle on my desk).


2. I’ve researched several dance classes in the area (Wouldn’t that be fun?!) and confirmed that I am still a member of some crappy gym in Downtown Crossing.


3. I told my boss last week, “Don’t plan on seeing me in the office after 6:30pm.” I have things to do that are not work related, and I plan on doing them… with ample time to catch the train home.


4. D.C. in January. Photography class in February. Vieques in March. I’m in pursuit of the things I like doing.


5. It used to be the thing I was best at; somehow other people’s voices have gotten in the way. So don’t be offended, but I’m not listening anymore. Stop telling me what’s right, wrong, smart and stupid. I’ll trust myself from now on.

Ligers

FYI: Ligers are real animals, not just a sketch in Napoleon Dynamite of a creature bred for its skills with magic. They are, in fact, a cross between a lion and a tiger... not to be confused with a tigon, which is a cross between a tiger and a lioness.

But they are not yet a species, as they cannot reproduce. This—from what my scientist friends tell me—happens through speciation, the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise.

If you are reading this post and it makes sense to you, you need to drink more.

Coming to a Close

The year is coming to a close, and I’m feeling like a failure.

I promised to write and write often. I haven’t. (Obviously.) This is mostly because life has been so crazy and so stressful that I’d sound more miserable than I actually am. (I am forever the optimist.)


I had several other goals for 2007. Let’s review the 2006 resolutions:

• Keep a regular blog. (Again.)
• Get something in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today OR the Washington Post.
• Volunteer. And do something good for humanity.
• Write the first draft of my first book.
• Take a photography class.
• Learn French. Seriously.
• Visit some place totally new (in addition to France).
• Meet a boy... that I will actually date.
• Go to the gym (at least more than I currently do — which is once every six months… or so).
• Cut my credit card debt in half.

I reviewed my status in June:

Those that I had failed:

• Take a photography class.
• Learn French. Seriously.
• Cut my credit card debt in half.
• Visit some place totally new (in addition to France).
• Write the first draft of my first book.
• Volunteer. And do something good for humanity.
• Go to the gym (at least more than I currently do — which is once every six months… or so).

Those that still had potential:

• Get something in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and/or The Washington Post.
• Meet a boy... that I will actually date.
• Keep a regular blog. Again.

None had been fulfilled.

So where do I stand today?

• Keep a regular blog. (Again.) — I wrote more this year than in 2006. I just can’t promise that it was all interesting or any good.
• Get something in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today OR the Washington Post. — Pitching all four at the moment. Outlook not so good.
• Volunteer. And do something good for humanity. — After several evening with the BPLF, and a few meetings with a refugee from Somalia, I can say I did something. But my best volunteer work came through Strong Women, Strong Girls, and 2008 will mean more of that.
• Write the first draft of my first book. — You need time to read books, forget write them.
• Take a photography class. — Failed.
• Learn French. Seriously. — Regressed.
• Visit some place totally new (in addition to France). — Didn’t even make it France.
• Meet a boy... that I will actually date. — Met many, dated several, liked none.
• Go to the gym (at least more than I currently do — which is once every six months… or so). — Had my ups & downs.
• Cut my credit card debt in half. — Back down to where it was in Dec. 2006.

Will I accomplish any of these things in the next four days? Probably not. So I suppose these resolutions will carry through to next year, too.

You know you're crazy...

...if you travel to Maine in the middle of winter.

I finally caved into my Australian friend’s wishes to visit mid-coast Maine’s boat building facilities. I tried to warn him how cold, miserable, and isolated it would be. I had no idea it could also be beautiful…

See — I guess this ain’t so bad!

Urban Ice

It's moments like these when I love Boston... even if it's winter.

There's just something special about ice skating in the middle of downtown!

After Date 4

It’s just not fair anymore.

He likes me so much, and there’s just nothing there. There should be butterflies, right?

He said, “I missed you! It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve last seen you. I think about you all the time.” Words girls would kill to hear. And I quivered. I hadn’t thought of him much at all… In fact, in the month we’ve been “dating” (Do five kisses qualify as dating?), he’s been on the far back burner. If there was something there, wouldn’t I make it matter more?

We planned Date 6. So I called to cancel and said, “My life is too crazy, and it’s not fair to you. You’re a great guy; this just isn’t the right time. Have a great vacation, and—if you’d like—call me when you get back.” He won’t call.

It makes me think of Hitch:

Basic Principles: No woman wakes up saying "God, I hope I don't get swept off my feet today!" Now, she might say "This is a really bad time for me," or something like "I just need some space," or my personal favorite "I'm really into my career right now." You believe that? Neither does she. You know why? 'Cause she's lying to you, that's why. You understand me? Lying! It's not a bad time for her. She doesn't need any space. And she may be into her career, but what she's really saying is "Uh, get away from me now," or possibly "Try harder, stupid," but which one is it? 60% of all human communication is nonverbal, body language; 30% is your tone, so that means 90% of what you're saying ain't coming out of your mouth. Of course she's going to lie to you! She's a nice person! She doesn't want to hurt your feelings! What else she going to say? She doesn't even know you... yet. Luckily, the fact is that just like the rest of us, even a beautiful woman doesn't know what she wants until she sees it.

He’s most right with the last line. While I may not know what I want, I do know what I don’t want. That’s what leads to the “This is a really bad time for me,” the “I just need some space,” and the “I'm really into my career right now.”

Except I mean those things, and I’m ok with it.