Resolutions no more! Part 1: January

With January jumping down our throats and demanding we come deal with the future, most people have come to the annual conclusion that they kind of suck and should do something about that.  I too have gone through the disparaging moments during and after Christmas where I stood with a cookie in each hand, my gut hanging over my belt, and thought "Hmm. I should do something."  Well, that something was eat another cookie.

But now, I have firmly grabbed my butt with both hands and admitted I have a problem.  My problem is making New Years Resolutions and then failing by February (if I last that long) where I then say to hell with it, throw my hands in the air and grab onto the nearest cookie for dear life.

No more, my friends.  No more.  No more two months of success for 10 months of dismal failure and guilt.

This year, I am making myself do a monthly to-do list.  An evaluation of sorts.  Of things I would like to do, when I would like to achieve them, and what I will get when I'm done.  Now, you can call them resolutions, but they aren't so grandiose or of such broad-spectrum.  They are small, attainable, livable things.  I got the idea from here but they still call these things resolutions.  I call them... well, I don't know.  A list of sorts.  I would love to print them all out and keep them somewhere.  Maybe in my sewing room!

So, that is my plan.  Here is my list for January.  Some of the things may spill into February, but that is okay.

• To finish my thank you cards by the end of the second week of January and mail them.  DONE! JAN 10
• To empty and sort the junk drawers (the kitchen, the wine cabinet, the spare room x4) (I have a lot of junk... don't tell The Guy.)
• To go through my closet and pare down the amount of clothes I have in there.  (My reward for this one is to purchase "key" pieces to replace them!)
• To go through a couple of the boxes now littering the basement.  Pare down, delegate, toss, etc.
• Organize my sewing area and set up my sewing machine.  (Reward? TO SEW SOMETHING!!!)
• To eat more responsibly this includes:
• One take out or restaurant meal a week
• One Timmy's tea a week (one cream and sugar)
• Limited pop intake
• Bring lunches to work
• Small amounts of snack or dessert -- not nothing, but just a little of some things
• Walk the dog more often or for longer at one time
• Work out on the Wii and the elliptical every week (at least 3 times in total)

There it is.  My plan.  I always like having a plan.  It makes me feel better.  Like I will actually get things done.  Like I can get things done!

This is a write up for Write of Passage -- The Resolution

It just felt like we were home

Today I took the dogs with me to run errands. There is nothing they love more than car rides, despite being terrified of them. So, all three of them sat on my lap and off we went to get Dad.

We picked up my Dad from the insurance place (his van was written off from an accident a few weeks ago) and continued on to do other errands.

Every one knows that "other errands" always includes a trip to Tim Horton's, so that was the first thing we got out of the way. I place our order and go to pull ahead when Maddy does the unthinkable. She jumped out of the car window and ran into the open backdoor of Tim Hortons. The other two dogs made like as if to follow her, but we stopped them. I imagine the drive through people were very confused to hear me yelling "Maddy get back here" into their speakers. Too bad they didn't see me - driver door open, leaning out the door, holding back the puppies with one hand and trying to negotiate the curve of the drive through so other people could order.

Maddy finally jumped back in the car. Jerk didn't even bring me a donut.

Travelling woman

I'm in Red Deer again. This time I drove out by myself. I had a good day of listening to "screw that guy" music and then overly romantic music. That combined with three Tim's along the way... I was a happy girl. I like driving by myself a lot. Although, I then don't have people to make my funny remarks to. Which I really need to have. Do you have any idea how many great puns there are out there just waiting to be shared??

Other things I thought were:

• I love driving through the prairies - its like being on a treadmill in your car. You can drive for 6 hours and the scenery never changes. Awesome.
• I sometimes look at the hills and valleys when I am driving and imagine how the glacier moved to create them.
• I saw at least 100 pickup trucks parked on the side of the road at Outlook. I thought it was a rodeo, but then I realized it was an auction. Still it amused me to see that many trucks.
• I think WAY to much about what songs I would sing for American/Canadian Idol and will never get to live my dream b/c I am 49 days from being 30.

Leaving on a jet plane

Actually, I came back on a jet plane, but that doesn't work for the song. I am home now. I got to Calgary early to have dinner with a friend and then went to the airport to find that all the flights were delayed. So I sent Grae and Mel home b/c they have an hour and a bit to drive back and I sat in the airport. I bought a crossword book (yes, I'm a dork) and a Tim's and went to town. The plane was over an hour late. And then they sent us to three different gates before settling on the one we would actually leave from. Then we loaded the plane and sat for 40 mins in the plane. And I had to fart, so it was really awkward. Then it took way longer to fly back than I thought and we didn't arrive until almost 2 am. And then the luggage took forever and then the cabs were behind so I stood outside in the cold. Although, the great part is... there was a cute guy there who offerred to share a cab with me except we were going to opposite ends of the city. I know, if I was Carrie I would have gone to his place first and not let him know I was going to the other side of the world, but I was tired and cold so I declined.

I realized certain things:
1) I hate to travel. The flight itself is fine. I like it well enough. But, I hate going to the airport and going through all the things and having to take off my belt b/c the buckle is "huge" thus saith the guy who just wanted to see if he could get my pants to fall down as I walked through his terminal thingy.
2) When I have to be alone in a public place, I am terrified. Totally. And so, I over compensate and tell myself I am very cool and important and then try to seem that way to everyone else. Like I am much too important really to be taking commercial flights, but my personal plane is in the shop.

Anyways, I have stuff to do now. So you can all stop talking about me behind my back.