For January 2004
Looking it over now, it's a primarily process-oriented list—short on one-offs and quick fixes. For the most part, I won't be able to assess my achievement or lack thereof until the year is over. Maybe that's a good thing.
Anyway: here we are, with all-new categories...
SO GOOD SO FAR
- drop the first 30 pounds
The actual number goal will shift as the year progresses. So far the results have been very encouraging. The initial idea was to lose 10% of my body weight within six months, and see what happens from there: one month in, I'm halfway to that goal. No Atkins, no starvation, no crank pills—just keeping tabs on what I eat (using DietPower) and listening to the cues my body sends. I've got great hopes for the future—this month has been so bitterly cold that I haven't even been able to get out and walk; imagine what's going to happen once I rev up my metabolism a little!
- keep up a skin care regimen
- less coffee, less soda, more water
Two cups a day, no more; no soda in the house; ten glasses a day.
- eat more vegetables
- eat less fat
- see one good movie a week
- read one book a week
Thank you, public library!
- subscribe to The New Yorker
- subscribe to The New Republic or TNR Digital
D, God bless her, got me gift subscriptions to both for my birthday.
- go out to dinner once a month
Outback. Never again.
- write to Cathy once a month
- write to Dan & Mimi once a month
Just slipped these in under the wire.
- read with Claire every night
- keep up with Claire's school work
- investigate paid church choir positions
One interview in January, and am pursuing another in weeks tocome. Stay tuned...
- recycle
See here.
- recommence dream journal
Only one entry this month—but it's the first dream I've remembered in time-out-of-mind. That's got to be significant; maade the decision to record them again, and along comes one worth recording...
- start a reading journal
My little green notebook.
- start a film journal
My little purple notebook.
- find out what it would take to get jackfear.com up & running
Partially complete. My dear friend Steve reserved the domain name a while ago, and sent me all the login information. Generating content and organizing the site is no issue: it's a matter of finding a host—i.e., a matter of money—and of designing the site (or having it designed, which again is a matter of money). In the continued absence of gainful employment, all projects requiring an outlay of funds are suspended.
- play out once a month
- find at least three new places to play
- learn one pop standard per month
23 January, the One Way Café, "Seven Steps To Heaven."
- church every weekend!
We've literally had to drag the kids to church on a sled for the past five weeks, but dammit, we've been there.
- pray every day, morning & evening
Anne Lamott says there are only really two prayers: "Help me! Help me! Help me!" and "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" There's been plenty of both, this month.
- keep up with Claire's religious education
- more compassion, less anger
At the risk of quoting Sheryl Crow: No one said it would be easy, but no one said it would be this hard...
- have Jeff & Tammy over for dinner twice a month
We've gotten together a few times, but they've always hosted. Which is unfair.
- write to Steve once a month
I owe you, buddy. In more ways than I can count.
- call Mom once a week
My Mom, God love her, just got her first computer and is on AOL. So I have been e-mailing her. Not often enough, though.
- spend less time overall online: 2 hours/day max
Eek.
- use online time more productively: action plans, prewriting, etc.
There's been some of that, but I'm nowhere near maximum efficiency.
- vacuum twice a week
Averaging about once a week. And in a house with two kids, that ain't enough.
- TV: 1 full-length movie or 1 hr/night, not before 8 PM
Double eek. I've been fighting my horrible recent tendency to have the TV always on for background noise, but not entirely successfully. It cannot stand, though—I see what it's doing to Sam, the way he runs to turn on the TV every time he's in theliving room, and it breaks my heart.
- update blog three times a week
Sporadic updates still prevail. It's feast or famine, here in the house that Jack built.
- recommence Morning Pages
Did about three days in January. It's so hard to carve out any quiet time, what with the kids; but it's at the back of my mind.
- get a job
Everything flows from this.
Everything else.
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