Resolution Check-in #1

It's been a few weeks...ok, it's halfway through February now...  and traditionally this is the time of year that most resolutions are actually kept, before the bulk of the population loses steam and retreats to their comfortable habits.

I, however, am taking it a little bit at a time... I think so far it's an okay start, but there's definitely room for improvement. I'm hoping that some of the small things being repeated just become good NEW habits so I can move on to bigger and better things. I've skipped some of the items that I haven't really started with anything on yet... so here we are! The colors are for the different sorts of categories I split my resolutions in to ...

.	Goal	Status Summary so far...
.		Through Feb. 18, 2013
.	dance at least 1x/wk	Total failsauce - not danced once yet this year! Ugh. Soon. I swear.
.	cook 3+ dinners/week	Pretty decent at this so far, though not exactly 100% -- the last week or two has been lacking on the mealplanning bit, I pretty much lost some steam leading up to/right after the ATE dinner
.	better bedtimes/sleep (11p on worknights, flexible on wknds—oh hey, there’s an app for that!)	Kind of ok, but not even 50%. I've noticed significant improvement on this since starting my NoBo 5k training though, here's to that!
.	be ready the night before (work lunches and outfits set before bed)	Not exactly, but thinking a little bit ahead.
.	run semi-regularly	Game on. I signed up for a 5k training through a local running store, I'm in my second week of that now, and it's going well. This whole having a schedule and working out as a group is pretty great for actually getting off my butt.
.	run a 5k	Signed up for the Flower City Challenge Wegmans Family 5k at the end of April, which is what this training is leading up to!
.	Walk 500 miles	5k training comes with walking, so this helps. Puppy also comes with walking, though I've somehow lost track of the miles for the walking. Let's say it's over 15 miles but under 50 so far. I've got work to do.
.	lose about 15 more pounds	Good grief this is going poorly -- I'm at about 156 right now, having been about 152 at New Years. Not a huge jump, but still that's an increase rather than decrease or even constant. Bad Laur.
.	play some basketball — find a league or something casual	Discussed the possibility on two separate occasions with two separate people/groups, but nothing yet to come of it. Might be hard to fit in another athletic endeavor now that I'm at 4 days a week of running/training anyway.
.	2 hits at most of the snooze button allowed daily	Probably 1/3- 1/2 of the time, hard one to keep exact stats of.
.	Wear more dresses (1x/week?)	Yes! Usually on Thursdays, and to top it off, I've started also started a weekly Battle of the Dresses with my friend Emily P! Wearing our dresses in the eye of the public definitely helps remind me to keep to the once per week. Oh, and sweater tights. Those are the best.
.	get less distracted	Huge fail.
.	stuart email rule - 10 mins on the hour	WORKS GREAT when I don't make any exceptions. Need to work on this more.
.	wear my nightguard so i don’t grind my teeth down to nothing	Did great the first two weeks of the year, and haven't really since. Let's shoot for that to be better by the next check-in.
.	Get my birdie tattoos finished	Nope, not yet. Megan is out of state and I haven't exactly decided on the location for the last few birds yet...
.	get my rowhouse tattoo	Linework done as of 2/11/13! Color to be completed in a couple weeks.
.	get a new OB/GYN in my health system	Looked up a practice that's in my health system and not scary, just have to actually call for an appointment now. GETTING ON THAT BY THE NEXT CHECK-IN!
.	stay more hydrated	Definitely improved! Seltzer, green tea, and the wonderful citrus infuser waterbottle I got in late January is a total win. I drink SO MUCH more water if citrus is involved.
.	paint my nails and maintain (not a week of chipped)	Did good for a few weeks in January, but have been bare since then. Hard to set aside time to do these and hide in the bathroom, because the birdies can't be around the fumes while I'm paining them. I do have good colors picked out for next time though!
.	get a manicure (suggestions for where to in/near Roc?!)	Bought a groupon on 2/17 for a mani/pedi! Now, to actually go use it.
.	get a pedicure (omg never have. suggestions where to in/near Roc, & someone to join?)	Bought a groupon on 2/17 for a mani/pedi! Now, to actually go use it.
.	Gauge my ears bigger (0?)	Gauged up to a 4g as of beginning of February. Can't get the double-flared plugs in yet though.
.	bake bread & things	I've baked brownies. Once.
.	Open a ‘hidden’ emergency account that I really do not touch	Done it! Account open.
.	Have two months of funds in said account by end of the year	Auto-depositing a bit each check, magically.
.	make a budget and stick to it COLD TURKEY	THIS. Working on it, but the cold turkey part is hard. Goal for next update, only using my cash allowance for non-needs.
.	be AWESOME at my job	Added this after the inital list. Not that I'm bad at my job, but can't we all be better at most things? I'd really like to impress and hold on to this one, as my last job became pretty painful for me until I was able to accept this current gig. Here's to betterness!
.	write a song journal (playlist already set)	I've got a playlist, and the stories running through my head. Maybe I need to sit down twice a month and put a song to paper each time.
.	read 1 book/month	Finished reading: Happier at Home; and I've started Designing for Emotion. On track so far, just need to finish the second book within this month!
.	take more photos on purpose (try a 365 again? maybe.)	Yes! Been taking outfit/dress photos, and also did a photo-an-hour in January which I'd like to keep up each month. Just work days are kinda boring for that, note to self. Oh, and always photos of the pup.
.	go to more shows (1x/month?)	Yes! So far: Miracle of 86 reunion show in January, Staten Island; and the Acoustic Basement tour in Syracuse for February
.	See Lord of the Rings (1st one) ALL THE WAY THROUGH, NO NAPPING	Ian picked up the DVDs of all three of these, just a matter of having a movie night now!
.	See Lord of the Rings (2nd one) ALL THE WAY THROUGH, NO NAPPING	"
.	See Lord of the Rings (3rd one) ALL THE WAY THROUGH, NO NAPPING	"
.	Listen to more podcasts (1/work day)	Sure. Off and on, not going to list what podcasts I listened to each week though.
.	explore! try new stores, new routes, etc.	Took Amtrak to NYC, took LIRR to JFK. Took some new roads randomly, been trying to mix up paths for walks with Remi as well!
.	install CS6 (what have I been waiting for? :I )	INSTALLED, after mess-up/scare in early February.
.	take calligraphy class	Can't find one! Been looking online for classes in ROC.
.	get a laptop ($$$$$$$$$$$)	Visited the Apple store, found out that regular MacBooks no longer exist, there's only the Air or a Pro... base model 13" Pro's are ~$1199. Maybe near the end of the year...
.	expand my etsy shop & build on the success ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/lauriebreaker )	Added a new stamp design in January (the Elliot), joined some teams, working on SEO, Titles, images, treasuries. Brainstormed new designs/products, and just recently made a monthly schedule of new designs and products to add, as well as advertising opportunities and blog features.
.	learn more about letters (general)	Always an observer.
.	schedule out etsy promotion (blog features, giveaways etc.)	Had reviews, features, giveaways from: SometimesSweet, Short Girl, Long Island, Erica D House, SRSLYLIZ, and more to come!
.	get my etsy sales to average 6 per day, up from the current of 2 per day	Sales have been very down since post-holiday, but I think that's how that goes. Got plans in order for adding new items moving forward, and promotion.
.	reply to messages & emails right away	Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Definitely need to get on this more.
.	Scour pinterest weekly (inspiration, organization, recipes)	Usually take a look once a week or so, would love to have time set aside for it.
.	Do my postcard project	nope
.	Inbox: zero	Newly added: I'm really not an inbox-zero person, but I think I can go through and get rid of a lot of the message that I do have. Sersiously.
.	be more social (at least 1 purely social encounter per week, whether over beer/coffee, or phone/skype/hangouts)	Roc Nerd Night, SPARK mentorship meetings, Brunch with friends in NYC, Hummus Tasting at Reagan's, Hosting an ATE, went to BOYS vs GIRLS opening, so far, not bad!
.	get ATEs rolling (http://ate-rochester.tumblr.com/)	Had one! Scheduling #2 right now. Weather was a bit menacing with storm #Nemo, but we still got 6 out of 8 there regardless!
.	send nice things in the mail	Participated in a Cara Box, sent my sister a housewarming & birthday package, and another Cara Box coming up SOON!
.	spend more time in coffee shops	SPARK with Kim is a few hours in a Starbucks, so that counts a bit!
.	purge “stuff” (at least 1 trash bag/month of things that can go—trash, donated, traded, whatever).	I've got one small box of donatables!
.	paint my dining room	In progress as we speak, should be done soon.
.	organize & maintain: kitchen	Got a pot/pan lid organizer rack from IKEA, and also got different garbage can & recycle bins for the kitchen, which have been keeping that much more organized.
.	organize & maintain: dining room	Big clean-up initiated, much things displaced because of ATE and painting. Also, coatrack acquired!
.	organize & maintain: book nook	Ordered a desk from Zulily, it's the wrong one, and currently in process of resolving this with the vendor.
.	organize & maintain: living room	Got a small storage ottoman for Remi's toys and chews, works fantastically!
.	go through all my mail & keep up on it	This needs to happen by the next update, especially because of taxes!
.	SAVE things less -- use as soon as makes sense to, and replenish when needed	YES! I think about this everytime I think to 'save' something and just go for it.
.	get a chore/household duty system in place	Got the system in place, working on getting it going--some big things disrupt a system.