December 31, 2005

Resolutions


Today is New Year's Eve and what better tradition than to construct a list of intended improvements for the year 2006? I've never researched the origin of Resolutions for the New Year or even written a list, because, frankly, I've never been a resolution enthusiast. This year, however, in my new city launching into my second year together with Craig, really together, and as I near my 29th year of life (nevermind the fact that I still have 3 whole months and half of another remaining in my 28th year) I have deemed it a reasonable personal accomplishment to first create a list of pending resolutions and then attempt to carry through with it.*Before all that, I want to send a very warm and sincere thank you to all of the family members and friends who embraced our arrival for the Holidays. Craig's parents picked us up in downtown Chicago last Wednesday evening, where we stood looking like frozen vagabonds at an intersection wearing hoods and scarves and huddling around our luggage in the very chilling winds blown in off the Lake. It was as though we have completely forgotten we are Northerners, after only one brief year in the South. Nevertheless, Craig's parents treated us so well, fed us good food, watched a handful of movies with us in the cozy warmth of their living room, exchanged nice conversation with us and gave us good gifts. We missed Craig's sisters who were both in different zipcodes with their families. Christmas Eve I learned about oplatky and pierogi, and Christmas morning I attended my first ever Catholic mass. Christmas afternoon we drove to Greenwood, IN for the last time ever (my parents leave for Michigan shortly after the start of the New Year) and it snowed, glowing white perfect snow! My parents and brother and nephew hosted an informal yet comforting Christmas day dinner, and we spent the next couple of days there. I pawed through stacks of old paintings, some watercolor from Mr. Jones' class in high school, some oil from intro to painting at Indiana U. I collected a small number of them to carry home with me, more for the sake of sentimental value than anything else. Our last day in Greenwood we visited my long lost friends EL and EL (one female EL and one male, my old CG friends, female EL was my freshman year roommate at IU and I had the pleasure and honor of standing up in their wedding before they moved to Chicago...male EL went to Purdue so they are also a "house divided," as are Craig and me) (duly note that it was discovered long ago that female EL's father is a Craig Edward, too, if memory serves me correctly, and I love things like that, little happy coincidences!) Anyway, these two E's just invited their baby girl into this world and this was my first time meeting her. She's an absolute angel, a precious little wonder. Being with the two E's again reminded me how indescribably nice it is to have friends in this mean life. Friends are what numb the mean part, the way the world can be so harsh. Knowing them as long as I have is so relieving, being able to sit in male EL's parents' home and hold their child and talk to them as if the 3 years we haven't seen each other never even passed.*Following our visit with EL and EL, we traveled to Fishers to visit Craig's younger sister who had returned with her husband to Indianapolis from their visit with his family. Craig had also managed to gather a group of his college friends from around the way, so we all went to a newly opened microbrewery and ate dinner. Craig has this one friend who just positively makes me laugh, not in a joke telling or wry sense of humor sort of way, but in a very random Are we really talking about this? sort of way. He is this big guy, not overweight but tall and thick, and his face, as I tried to explain to Craig, always has this smile playing around his mouth and eyes, like he is ready to smile the minute something that constitutes smiling is said. We were talking about recipes and he described a few soups (were we really talking about soups??) he's been making. His wife is constantly rolling her eyes at him and they are really quite the attractive couple. Anyway, we had a good time, but I felt terrible that we didn't have much time with just KB and BB. They are always so great to be around, and I know they understood that Craig likes to see every single one he can when back in the Midwest, but it still would have been great to see the two of them longer and without the distraction of a big group. KB described to us this very exciting side project she's working on with another woman, involving providing professional nutritionist consultation to companies and individuals. I really hope it goes well for her, but my imagination ran wild with what they're doing and by the time we got on the plane the next morning to return home, I had her consulting Jake Gyllenhal and Josh Hartnett, and introducing me to both.*So anyway, we're back safe and sound, and we've redone our bedroom with the gift cards we received from family. Yesterday I discovered that I had a week's pay lingering about from my previous employment and I believe Craig and I will be putting that toward the new Dell computer we intend to buy. That brings me to the miniature list of resolutions I've been composing in the pocket of my brain I was not using to write this entry. Item one relates to the stack of books I posted above. I've been making much fun of myself for these recently, to friends and to myself, all of my How to Write books, including the Oxford dictionary I was given for high school graduation by my yearbook advisor Mrs. Anthony, the green Practical Stylist grammar book I believe I purchased for Mrs. Davis' honors English class, and the poetry instruction books I purchased for Ms. Bowman's workshops in college. I also added to this stack my journals: the two ontop of the stack are full, the bottom journals are either half begun and abandoned or trailed off midstream, what have you. This stack represents very explicitly my single greatest interest. I have been talking for years about how I can and should write, but what I need to focus on is a small accomplishment, working my way up the accomplishment ladder (instead of trying to write 50,000 words and move from Georgia to Virginia all in one month, which I barely managed to even approach much less complete!) Therefore, one of my resolutions for the New Year is to complete a short story and a poem. That isn't too much to ask of myself, and it may lead me to longer works, but initially, at least, I will start there. I will be looking into fiction classes at the Visual Arts Center down on Main Street; these begin mid-January. Taking a class provides me with a more disciplined approach to the process of writing. Following this resolution is a physical self-improvement one. Craig and I have a fitness center exactly next door to our apartment. I am winded when I climb 3 flights of stairs. I'm 28 and struggle to climb 3 flights of stairs?? My jeans from 3 years ago remain in a neat stack unworn because after going on the pill and gaining that weight last year, I can't stuff my hips or gut into them any longer. Craig has wanted desperately to get on a work out schedule for months, and it hasn't helped him that I make giant dinners and feed him big portions and don't share his desire to hit the gym. Resolution two, therefore, consists of getting into shape, unearthing that semi-decent stomach I used to have without ever trying for it, and developing a better diet for myself and for Craig. I don't want to get too carried away with resolutions, so the final very significant change I need to make is to climb out of financial misery. I was able to make two substantial dents in credit card debt last year, but there are still very troubling issues I face. And now that I have my old job back, my old pay, increased, even, as I noticed yesterday happily, I should be able to really conquer my money matters. I had a very difficult time last year. I didn't even completely acknowledge the troubles I had, so, in an attempt to rectify the situation, I must focus and pay attention to my spending. If I am able to follow through with these things, I will allow myself to turn 30 in 2007. Sounds about right.*Happiest of Happy New Year to every person I know and love. And to those I haven't met yet.

0 Comments:

<< Home