2012 Goals Wrap-up

2012 Goals (archived)

DONE! Read 100 books in 2012.

NOT DONE Exercise for 90 minutes per week.

DONE! Get rid of (sell, donate, recycle) 80 items from the house by the end of the year.

DONE! Write 70 posts for this blog in 2012.

NOT DONE Volunteer 60 hours in 2012.

DONE! Save or donate 50 percent of my take-home income.

NOT DONE Distribute 40 business cards by the end of the year.

PARTIAL Spend 30 minutes per day in meditation. Spend 30 days without cell phone or computer in 2012.

NOT DONE Be able to do 20 pushups at once by the end of the year.

NOT DONE Write 10 recommendations on LinkedIn in 2012.


Progress:
January
February 
March 
April
May
June
July 
August
September
October 
November
December

Reading List 2012

Here's an archived copy of my Hundred-Book Challenge for this year. I'll be keeping up the new list here: http://mlisunderstanding.blogspot.com/p/reading-list.html

I would recommend the bolded titles with enthusiasm, and I enjoyed the italicized titles but probably wouldn't read them again.

Goals check-in: December

I've summed up my progress for the year as well and will post it later today.

Read 100 books in 2012.
Absolutely gravy this month: I checked out a stack from the library mid-December and enjoyed brain popcorn up to #125.

Exercise for 90 minutes per week.
I was definitely on my feet more after the semester ended. The weather got worse, though, so I was less inclined to spend time outside. This has not been an active year.

First Married Xmas: No One Cries, No One Dies

So overall a positive result. :) Very long details (and pictures, when I get them) behind the cut.

Actually, despite a few Grinchlike obstacles like heavy rains and my own body forcibly requiring me to rest, we enjoyed a series of low-key holiday events with friends and family. Sidenote: my family has lovely festive traditions that are largely secular. Not being Christian myself, I usually refer to my chosen holiday as Xmas (pronounced /ˈɛksməs/).

Keeping Up With Christmas

Well, unlike last year, I haven't gotten all my holiday shopping and wrapping done by now. Oof.

However, we've been through a wedding, a new job (hers), minor veterinary woes, and several concert performances in the last few months. I'm gonna give myself a break.

Here's what the plan looks like this year:

Read Aloud Roundup: December 2012

This month the volunteers read on on a day just before school let out for break. I picked out books to touch on several winter holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice. I'd purchased Mrs. Greenberg's Messy Hanukkah, but somehow it didn't make it into the stack. I'll have to put it aside for next year. :/

Fall Semester Grades

Partway through the term, in the midst of wedding whirl and behind on assignments, I reframed my goals for the semester. While it would be nice to continue my run of As, I was okay with passing (B or better) grades. Good enough is good enough for now, because I am continually learning, and I am pretty darn busy, and my success is not wrapped up in a GPA or a string of letters. I did turn in extra credit assignments, and I caught up with some nearly-due work in time, so I am satisfied with the outcome. (Even if it was a surprise!)

Gimme a break!

I finished up all my coursework for this semester, and I am SO READY to go on winter break. (Still appreciating this semester thing where you get like a full month of vacation.) Just have to download the stuff I want to save for my e-portfolio, and then... well, then I'll have time to do the dishes. And reorganize the pantry. And tidy my dresser. And the closet. And wrap Xmas presents. And make dinner for my wife. All of that stuff that got flung out the window during finals. It doesn't actually stop.

A variety of charitable organizations for holiday (or year-round) giving

If you'd like to contribute to charitable causes this season, but are a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of organizations out there, you might appreciate this post, where John Scalzi's readers provide their suggestions. (I had to add my own, of course.)

I enjoy the animated discussions in the blog's comments as much as I appreciate Scalzi's own commentary (on topics like poverty, privilege and respecting boundaries). I read several of Scalzi's sf novels before I discovered he was active in the blogosphere, and he wields one of the best banhammers I've encountered. While I may not agree with everyone who posts (or even with the blogger -- gasp!), they all have strong opinions and causes they passionately support, and I'd like to give to charities that inspire that.

Goals check-in: November

Read 100 books in 2012.
This month I re-read quite a few books, without time to go to the library. A nice chorister handed me a couple of books he'd finished, and I devoured those even though I wouldn't have chosen them for myself. The list is up to #111. 

Exercise for 90 minutes per week.
Still just a lump in front of the computer. I am so looking forward to winter break.