It’s only eight days into this new year, but I’d like to pause for just a moment to recognize the really terrific things that have happened in the last eight days.
- I finally gained almost total independence from you-know-who. PRAISE ALLAH. It came not a moment too soon.
- I painted two rooms of my apartment and felt the resultant calm wash over me almost instantly. Who could have known a change of wall color could inspire such great feelings? Answer: Me.
- I met three really awesome people. I *LOVE* meeting awesome people. I hope all three will stick around for a good long time to come.
- I feel like I’ve navigated to a much healthier place with respect to two people who were, intentionally or not/directly or not, a big part of the emotional upheaval of the last two months of 2009. I needed to get to a better place with each of them, and in the last 8 days, I feel like I have.
And as for what’s ahead, I can look forward to:
- IKEA … *tomorrow*!!!!!!
- Pappasito’s … *tomorrow*!!!!!!!
- Unpacking and organizing the downstairs of my apartment. Very soon.
- The Big Bang with our biggest group ever, and “Centerfold” on my request list.
- What looks to be an interesting semester with good classes, interesting new skills to learn, and an awesome TA assignment.
- A total revamp of the way I test my government students. For better or for worse, I’m going to expect more, and hope that they respond in kind.
- Spring break in DC! I *will* make this happen, dammit!
- Continued exploration of the contours of a relatively recently discovered part of my personality, for as long as it makes sense to do so.
- San Francisco, here I come! Two presentations in April!
And these are just the adventures I know about right now. I want — nay, NEED — to make 2010 a far better year. And to that end, I’ve made the following New Year’s resolutions. Ish. Let’s call them goals, with the understanding that these are just that (goals) and not promises. Within reason, I am going to try to:
- Swim once a week. Starting next week.
- Send *at least* one article out for review before the end of the year. Probably my Congress paper, still yet due to Bruce from the fall semester, which I think is decent. But we’ll see what Mr. O thinks about that.
And that’s it. Two goals: keep swimming and start publishing. If I can do those two simple little things (which aren’t all that simple at all, as history has demonstrated), then I will recommit to keeping my physical renaissance going and work on getting my future career in academia jump started. My two biggest goals.
So here we go, 2010. Keep the positive energy flowing!