Resolutions III, IV & V: Think, Live, Play

Part III: Exercising the Grey Cells

Not all of my goals for 2011 are skin-deep; some are aimed at flexing my brain and trying to improve my mental acuity (side note: I’m feeling foggy as I write this). Because my exercising has become more or less habitual, I think that these goals below are going to be the most challenging for me to stick with.

10)    Successfully complete at least one semester of MPA program; make a decision about continuing with it.

Cal State Northridge is offering a two-year Master’s of Public Administration program literally in the basement below my office. It seems too convenient to pass up. I am still a bit uncommitted, given that I don’t know exactly what I want to do with my career and I’m hesitant about adding another extracurricular Master’s degree to my resume. I finally decided, with the generous support of my dad and stepmom, that I would try at least one semester and see how it goes. Maybe I can rack up a degree a decade!! Kidding.

Last Wednesday night, I had my first class. It was surprisingly enjoyable. I say “surprisingly,” because I’ve never seriously studied government, policy, business, management, or anything else that is remotely practical. The class is composed of a diverse variety of students, most of them in the public sector but some in the private sector. We’ve got the a superintendent from the Los Angeles Animal Shelter, a tax collector, a communications director from a school district, police officers, engineers, a foreign affairs officer from the Philippines and an investigator from the Coroner’s Office. Pretty cool, huh?

Ask a Mexican!

11)    Estudiar el español.

Being fluent in Spanish is a life-long dream of mine that seems to always stay *just* out of reach. Even when I studied abroad during college in Madrid, the semester ended right as I was starting to get my sea legs and feel comfortable navigating that tongue. I used to work in the restaurant industry, and was able to practice the language with some of my co-workers, but now that I’m a desk jockey and everyone who speaks Spanish is also American or totally bilingual, I almost never use it. “Jenny, do you mind if I awkwardly speak to you in broken Spanish when I need to ask about a recruitment for the Library?” Um, not gonna happen.

For years, I thought that the answer was living abroad. I may never get the opportunity to do that, and I have stopped using it as an excuse for my inertia. While I won’t become fluent living in the States, I can certainly enhance my proficiency by putting the skills I do have to practice. Much like my exercise strategy, I need to find a way to consistently keep Spanish in my life.    

12)    Do Rosetta Stone French program.

My boyfriend owns the beginning French program, and I’ve “been meaning” to try it for two years. I’m not sure if this goal is too ambitious, given that I want to make Spanish a priority this year. I may reconsider this. Maybe French will be 2012. 

Yes, it is.

13)    Participate in book club.

Yet another long-standing goal of mine. I think it’s finally coming to fruition, as a friend of mine invited me to one in early February.

Part IV: Homestead

This topic is pretty mundane, but the new year has motivated me to finally get my clutter in order and stop tripping over my shoes in the morning. Everything will be easier to get to, to find, and to clean. Messy bed, messy head, right? 

14)    Organize my apartment

It’s funny how you have to buy things for your things. I spent about $150 at Bed, Bath and Beyond the first Sunday of the new year solely on containers and contraptions for organization. I’ve already made some great strides on this goal- I have a shoe rack, a scarf rack, a purse rack, a bathroom rack, and other goodies that are reducing my agita.

I’m sure all you gals can appreciate how easy it looks to use my blow dryer. I really should have taken a “before” picture of this mess. Everything was in a huge pile.

15) Hang all my pictures.

I have several framed pictures and posters tucked away behind my closet door, collecting dust. I need to get them up and on the walls! On that note, I want to get prints made of family and friends and add them to my collection of wall gear. 

16) Print a huge poster for wall above bed.

While I usually don’t think twice about earthquake preparedness, I am aware that it’s a dangerous proposition to hang anything of substance above your bed. Partially for that reason, but mostly because I’m lazy, the walls in my bedroom are naked. I finally thought of a creative solution- have a photograph printed into a huge poster. One of my friends is an enviable travel fanatic and photographer (while being a lawyer by day), and he takes the BEST pictures. Here is one I’m considering blowing up from his trip to Japan where he took pictures of monkeys lounging in hot springs:

Monkey Onsen. Not pictured: Monkey Massage Parlor.

17) Clean regularly.

This is certainly too boring to write about, but it’s a goal of mine for 2011 and publicizing it will increase the chances that I actually do it. I hate cleaning more than I hate exercising, but the pay off is just as good.

I really can’t bring myself to pay for a maid when my apartment is small and so low-maintenance. I should really be able to put on the gloves and do this. So as a measurable goal, I’m going to commit to doing a deep clean the first Sunday of the month. I already did it on January 2- so far so good! I nearly passed out from the bleach fumes in my bathroom, but it’s been well worth it. 

18) Use a reusable coffee cup.

I don’t know where else this goal fits in. I’ve been buying coffee before work each morning. I know it’s a luxury, and I know I should probably make my own, but for reasons I can’t really explain, I love buying it on my way to work. I started feeling irresponsible with the waste I was creating each day from the disposable coffee cups, so I decided to bring my own. I was lucky enough to snag one during the Christmas Eve White Elephant game (certainly a more pragmatic steal than the stuffed squirrel), and I’ve been using it religiously! It’s great, because not only do you get a 10 cent discount, but they typically charge you for a small.

Part V: Mindful Fun

I received two dominant party-monster genes from my parents, and I certainly don't have a hard time having fun, or even too much fun. This year, I want to harness some of that red-blooded Irish energy and direct it toward a higher-purpose. Bottoms up!

19) Take good pictures.

My generous beau gave me a digital SLR Canon camera for Christmas. It’s amazing.
The timing is totally right on this, too. I used to be the reliable shutter bug for my group of friends in college, and even after, and then at some point I just got sick of it. I was never satisfied with the results I got from my cameras, even though they were quality brands, so I started relying on others to capture the good times. Now I’m ready to get back in the ring. First I need to read the manual. All of it. Maybe I should work on two goals at once and read the Spanish version. 

20) Go to one new restaurant/bar/activity per week.

Living in LA, sometimes I’m downright intimidated by all that’s out there to do, and all that I’m missing, or think I’m missing. Driving down Sunset Boulevard alone is dizzying- Oooh look, it’s a Danish modern furniture store! A Flamenco restaurant! An indie movie theater! It’s overwhelming. I live right in the heart of Los Feliz Village, I work in Pasadena, and have friends and family all over the basin; yet I find myself returning again and again to the same bars, restaurants and theaters, not often straying beyond the well-worn circuit.

I heart LA

This year, I’ve decided to do “something new” each week. That’s how the idea for this online journal started, actually. Because I’m pretty busy with work and washing my hair, I don’t want this goal to be too daunting. Anything can count, from a coffee shop to a public park. It doesn’t have to be expensive or quirky, just a patch of LA that is new to me.

Another benefit is that this will give me the experience of traveling while doing the daily grind. Los Angeles is a dazzling place, and if I approach it with curiosity and enthusiasm like I would Paris or New York or Budapest, then I think I can enhance my perspective about work and life. I’m not just waking up before dawn every morning to get my pay check, I’m living in one of the best cities in the world. 

21) Re-connect with cousins.

This should be an easy one- my brother and I are organizing a get-together with our cousins at the end of the month. I haven’t seen some of them in years (other than through facebook) and putting off a get-together until one of us youngest gets married doesn't seem the best strategy. So I need to stop being lazy and start making plans. Putting energy into staying in contact with my small group of cousins (there are 6 of us total, and we all live in Southern California) is a serious goal of mine. I miss them and want them in my life.

Well, this entry concludes my official goals, resolutions and what-have-you’s for the next year in my life. Stay tuned for my progress!