Martina's May/June Round Up

Items in progress: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 18, 24, 26

Items Completed: 6, 15, 32, 33, 34, 66, 71, 75, 86, 90, 101

1-Pay off my car: Still in progress, a little over a year to go

2-Pay off the rest of my credit card debt: In progress. Just paid off my last department store card and Dell is within a couple hundred bucks, which is good, because I suspect the purchase of a new laptop may be in my future. I just want to hold out for a few more months.

3-Create a budget: Still too free spirited for a complete budget. I have a sort of vague sense in my head and have taken to withdrawing cash for spending money instead of using my debit card willy nilly, so I guess that is some progress.

4-Lose weight: I know I said I was going to leave this goal vague on purpose, but I'm thinking it needs more specificity - like "lose 20 pounds by Labor Day". Anyway, I lost eight pounds during the month of April, then gained a couple back during my vacation. I am back down to my eight pound loss and looking forward to the reward I will buy myself once I break 10 pounds. (I'm thinking the last of the Buffy DVD's or a facial, but I'm not sure yet.)

5-Join a gym & set up an exercise program: I still have not joined a gym, but have started a walking program. I walked a lot during my vacation and continued the momentum by going every day last week. I even went swimming, which I haven't done in ages. I had forgotten just how much I enjoy swimming. I'm thinking it might make a good addition to my plan, if I can get over my anxieties about being seen in public wearing a bathing suit.

6-Collaborate with someone on a creative project: DONE, though this still feels like an ongoing goal for me.

7-Exercise at least 3x a week: This goal seems like it's just a more specific repeat of #5. I am seriously thinking of modifying my list and merging the two together to make room for a separate goal.

8-Make an appointment with a personal trainer: Again, this kind of goes with the gym idea. I may modify it.

9-Make a quilt: I have pieces all cut out (not a great accomplishment - they've been cut out for over a year!), but have yet to sew anything together.

10-Complete January blogstravaganza. I did try posting once a day for the month of January, howevever it did not quite pan out. I did, however, write just about every day, so from that standpoint it was a success. I'm thinking I may repurpose this to a post a day on my other blog during the month of July.

11-Write 12 short stories, essays or poems in the next year (I.e. 1/month): I think the way to approach this is to list (or link to) the pieces I've written. I write something most days, so I'm not sure how to distinguish other than to say that it must be a purposeful, finished piece. So, here is what I have thusefar: 1. I did write a piece I rather like about family back in January; 2. I wrote a poem based on a writing prompt from my friend Wendy

12-Finish the first draft of my mystery novel: No real progress

13-Learn another language: I made some baby steps toward learning Spanish on a recent trip. The friends I went with are Mexican and we made a rule that I had to learn something new in Spanish every day we were gone. I should really ask them to continue that with me until I can sign up for a class.

14-Take a class

15-Join/start a writing group or take a writing class: Done, but ongoing, so I hesitate to mark it off the list. Technically, I did do what I set out to, though. I started working my way through The Artist's Way and have been posting the exercises that don't get too personal here. My writing duo and I exchanged pieces about a month ago, then petered out. We need to repurpose what we're doing. Something about it wasn't working. I think I need more structure. I have also been working through some writing prompts from Wendy on her livejournal community - Spirit Writes. It has been a lot of fun, because it has prompted me to write about some topics I normally wouldn't choose on my own.

16-Make something with my own hands once a month (craft project):Jan - ?, Feb - ?, March - ?, April - collage, May: ?, June:

17-Join a choir or that music thingy from the "Keep PDX Weird" event: I have not done this, but I have found a friend who wants to join me in playing some violin duets/possibly get together a group to play chamber music.

18-Learn 12 new songs on my violin in the next year (I.e. 1/month): In preparation for duet playing, I have begun to practice regularly again. Right now I am working on a Seitz Violin Conerto.

19-Get my bow rehaired: Still need to do this. I keep putting it off, because I don't want to spend the money, but I really need to do so before my duet partner returns from vacation in August.

20-Clean out/organize my books: I swear they multiply during the night. I did manage to give a way a few really beat up Ursula LeGuins, but I still need to take the box I compiled last month to Goodwill. I was going to give it another look over, but I think I should probably just take it and get it over with.

21-Make curtains for my bedroom

22-Go for a walk in a new park/trail at least once a month. April - went for a walk in Wilsonville where I work. May - Nowhere new. June - Went for a walk at a botanical garden at the beach

23-Learn about wine

24-Try a new recipe once a month: Jan 08: Thai Pizza; Feb 08: West African Ground Nut Stew; Carribbean Black Beans with Orange Juice and Candied Ginger; March 08: Ziti with Sundried Tomato Cream, Plaintains with Apples and Sweet Potatoes, Tangy Orange Salad Dressing; April 08: Vegetarian Carne Guisada; May08: Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies (from Apples for Jam- I am sad to report that I really did not like them). Penne with Shrimp, Cream and Tomatoes (also from Apples for Jam and DELICIOUS!)

25 - Invite friends over for dinner once a month: Jan 08: Jenny & Jesus; Feb 08: - ; March 08: Paula (kinda - we ended up eating out); Jen, Becky, Nancy, Jenny, Dejadira; Ruth, Jala, DeEtte; April 08: Jenny, DeJadira, Antonio; May 08: I am sure we had someone over, but for the life of me, I cannot remeber who it was

26-Try a new restaurant once a month: Jan 08: Jim Dandy; Feb 08: Van Hanh; Mexican Restaurant on 122nd...can't remember the name, but it was good; March 08: Mexican Restaurant by work - can't remember the name, but it's by the Thai restaurant (like that tells anyone but me anything!); April 08: - the vegan café next to my mom's chiropractor's office in Milwaukie (I know - again with the great record keeping!) May 08: Sweet Pea Baking Company (vegan and they have the yummiest peanutbutter bars!; June 08: El Tapatio (both the one on 82nd Ave in PDX AND the one in Coquille, OR), The Sea Hag (Depoe Bay, OR); the Doogers in Seaside (I've already eaten at the one in Cannon Beach)

27-Make Stollen

28-Once a month, pick someone and buy them a gift/do something to make them happy for no reason at all: Jan 08 no one; Feb 08 - sent flowers to my mom; March 08 - Cadbury eggs for Mary (b/c they're her favorite and she was having a bad day); April 08 - bought my mom a lily, also have something for Jen that I can not yet reveal, because I have yet to send it; May 08 - Bought my mom a sparkly silver tote, because she liked my gold disco bag; June 08 - While on vacation bought Deja and Antonio various souvenirs and also sprung for the $25 deluxe dune buggy ride instead of the $12 craptacular one

29-Moisturize every day

30-Organize my recipes: No new progress since last month - Vegetarian recipe binder is now organized. Still need to buy some nicer binders and also go through magazines and pull out only the recipes I'm going to try and throw the rest away.

31-Study a new Tarot card each month

32-Go on a real vacation: DONE! Spent 3 days in Eastern Washington in May and went on a week long vacation to the coast last week.

33-Resume Wednesday activity schedule with Jen. Check! (Though I have to admit that we have recently lost some of our momentum with vacations and all.)

34-Spend a month as a vegetarian - Completed Feb08

35-Play my guitar more than once a year

36-Cut my diet coke consumption down to 1 a day (or better - none a day)

37-Sign up for organic grocery delivery or foodshare

38-Study a new artist/composer each month: So far not much progress, though I did forget that I read up a bit on Sofonisba Anguissola a bit back in January.

39-Go to a concert/play once a month: Jan 08: The Devil and Daniel Webster; Feb 08: Sweet Honey in the Rock; March 08: Corteo, Ladysmith Black Mambazo; April 08: Nothing yet. May: None; June 08: Nothing yet

40-Go to the Shakespeare festival in Ashland.

41-Host a summer barbeque. I'm going to a bbq next weekend, but was thinking I might invite some people over the following week

42-Plan a trip to Europe

43-Renew my passport

44-Go through and get rid of CD's that need to be released into the wild

45-Go on another retreat: I've requested time off in September and think I have the hotel narrowed down. It even has a lovely few of the water in case the weather is not so nice and I end up spending more time in my room than I planned. I'm toying with seeing if there is a spa nearby, so I can go have a massage or a facial or something like that.

46-Visit the Oregon Trail museums I haven't yet visited: I really need to find out what these are. So far I have been to the End of the Oregon Trail Museum in Oregon City, Tamastslikt in Pendleton, and the Oregon Trail Museum in Baker City.

47-Read a poem each week: Joined a poem a day listserv, but so far have mostly just done a lot of deleting. I think this may be more of a get a book from the library or at least seek something out kind of thing.

48-Read something in another language each week

49-Visit the East Coast

50-Write a handwritten letter to someone once a month

51-Meet a friend for coffee/drinks/whatever once a month. No real changes. Really, the point of making this a goal was that I found myself feeling kind of hermit-like at the beginning of the year and turning down a lot of invitations I should have accepted. This does not seem to be a problem anymore. I think I smell an empty spot for a new goal.

52-Regularly deposit money into savings. Clearly I have budgeting issues. I've mostly just thought about this.

53-Take control of my 401k investments by taking a class/reading a book on investing: Despite my general (and completely unfair, because I have literally seen her talk for all of 10 minutes) Oprah-like misgivings about her, I have purchased a book on women and money by Suze Orman. It's colorful dust jacket looks really on nice on the shelf, where the book has now sat uncracked for weeks (June update: make that MONTHS).

54-Call or e-mail friends at least once a week. Haven't really been keeping track, but I think this works out. Setting this goal was a companion to #51. Things are just different from the way they were when I set these goals. I'm feeling more connected again.

55-Finish the photo wall

56-Take (or procure) a flattering picture of each of my friends for the wall. I've been taking a lot of pictures.

57-Attend a pow-wow

58-Make a dress

59-Clean out my closet (clothes AND shoes)

60-Buy new underthings and get rid of the old

61-Clean out the garage

62-Attend a pagan festival (Beltaine and/or some other)

63-Update my birthday list. Do I even HAVE a birthday list? I mean really, all in one place? I don't think so. Maybe I need to CREATE a birthday list.

64-Take pictures at events, gatherings, etc. Boo to me and my vague goals! I don't know how to quantify this one. I have been doing a lot of photographing since I got my new camera, though.

65-Go to the beach once a month in the sunny months: June - check!

66-Visit Leavenworth: DONE - completed May 08

67-Paint my bedroom

68-Pull up the carpet in my bedroom

69-Paint the deck

70-Paint the front porch

71-Go on a road trip during the summer. Done (June 08) and I want to take more!!!

72-Use my Entertainment book regularly, keep track of the savings & put them in a fun money jar

73-Buy and TAKE a daily vitamin Purchased in Feb and have been taking it sporradically (though I have gotten better since I started taking Alli)

74-Learn to knit

75-Go camping. Done! As of last week I have spent time in both a state park yurt and a cabin at a KOA campground!

76-Get and update a new address book

77-Learn enough about photography to make my good pictures more than happy accidents: Checked out a book on digital photography from the library

78-Go to a reading or lecture at least once a month

79-Participate in NaNoWriMo for real and following their rules

80-Join Amnesty International

81-Join The Humane Society (or some other animal organization)

82-Learn to make an origami crane

83-Run the whole way around the track

84-Go on December pilgrimage with Jenny R. and her family

85-Write something (journal, blog, whatever) every day In progress - If I've not written EVERY day, I've definitely done so ALMOST that often.

86-Buy a new ring as a reminder: Done. Bought butterfly ring in Jan 08

87-Get a manicure

88-Treat myself to a spa day

89-Create an enticing reward system for every 10 pounds

90-Get tickets for my mom to be able to see Cirque du Soleil: DONE - saw Corteo with my mom on March 11

91-Read the Bible, Koran, Baghavad Gita

92-Buy a pair of comfortable athletic shoes

93-Visit a Buddhist temple

94-Learn yoga/take an exercise class

95-Plant a vegetable/herb garden

96-Make preserves

97-Research and make a list of fun summer festival outings- In progress - I am still using the lovely Gustav Klimt datebook my friend Lorin got me for Christmas to record them.

98-Make stepping stones for the garden. I have this scheme wherein I invite my friends over for a crafty stone making extravaganza and then use their completed stones to pave the garden path. That way, whenever I am strolling along I will look down and think of them!

99-Go berry picking on Sauvie Island

100-Buy fresh cherries from the fruit loop when they are in season: I need to look into this. I think it's getting close.

101-Plan something fabulous for my birthday this year. Done. Invited a bunch of girlfriends over for a vegetarian feast with not one, but two cakes. How did I get two cakes? Well, you see I went to this bake sale to benefit the women detained in last summer's Del Monte raids. One of the women there was a baker, and we bought one of her cakes. As we were talking to another friend, I thought "Why not order a cake from her for my birthday instead of giving money to Lamb's bakery?" So, I immediately went back and asked her if she would do it. She was happy to.The thing is that when I got home with the original non-birthday cake, I found that the frosting tasted oddly lardy. I didn't want lard cake for my party. Who does? Getting old is bad enough, getting old with only a lard cake for succor does not help ANYTHING! So, I called Lamb's and ordered a mocha cake filled with raspberry and decorated with lovely spring flowers. But, of course, I would have felt too guilty cancelling my original order, so I didn't. It's not like you can call a sweet Mexican lady who is worried about deportation and whether she'll be able to afford plane tickets to take her American citizen children with her and tell her that her cake is lardy and strange, so I decided to just suck it up. The whole point from the beginning was to help her out in a way that wouldn't make her feel like it was charity. The cake was just a side benefit, but not really the point, anyway. So, that's how I ended up with a cake from her AND my Lamb's cake. But that's not where the story ends. The story ends beautifully (and with the birthday miracle of a surplus of cake, which is again beautiful!), because her birthday cake was not lardy at all but light and airy with strawberries and creamy, delicious frosting. Apparently all that stuff about karma is true!

I'll try to update a little earlier next time!