An Assessment of Better

I didn’t set resolutions for 2010, but there are a few things I want to improve: I just didn’t feel the need to enumerate them at the New Year. I made a list which I titled “Things I Want To Do Better” in my notebook, and it included exercising smarter, writing, reading more, and searching for a new job; things I was already doing, but that needed some improvement. So I figured, why not a progress report now that the second month of 2010 is coming to a close?

Exercising Smarter: At the tail end of 2009, I started the New Rules of Lifting for Women (or NRoL4W as it’s affectionately known). I’d seen it recommended by various people in various places, but the place where it stuck was The Nest: Brie at The Fit Bride blog is very body positive and healthy in her fitness discussions. So I picked up the book, read through it, found it made more than enough sense, and started at it. So far I love the workouts (even the goddamn, blasted, cursed body weight matrix which I have to do tonight) and have seen some muscle gain. I’m doing less well on the nutrition aspect, though; Christmas, plus a trip to Michigan, plus a husband who loves to cook, plus a wife who’s learning all her mother’s recipes, and I find myself needing to revamp how I eat throughout the day. I use the Lose It app on the iPhone to keep track of my meals, though, so hopefully I’ll see some fat loss and more muscle gain. I’ve been lifting for years now, but I’d never done compound moves—my upper body’s already built, and I do have some nice ab definition, but I never thought I was strong enough to do a push-up until this program made me do 10 in a row. And my legs? Much stronger already. In addition to NRoL4W, I’m still running longer runs on the side; I’m registered for Cherry Blossom 10 Miler this year, and while I toyed with the idea of giving up my registration, I’ve decided to do it. I really am still at the point where running 10 miles isn’t a big deal for me. I’m slower than I once was (and faster than I’ll be, that’s not unusual*), but I can still do it. Also in the cards are the St. Patrick’s Day 8K and the RunAmuck 10K runs—I’ll be running both with my Jingle All the Way 10K buddy, so that should be fun.

Writing: I feel as if I’ve been writing more on the blog, and I have started the short story that’s been fermenting in my head since January 2009. I would say I’m about halfway through, and need to get on the ball again with the story: it’s terrible and no good, but I have enjoyed writing it and I would really like to finish it, edit it, have IP look at it, edit it again, then maybe have a friend do another reading, edit it again, and then maybe submit it. I also have an idea for a novel, and I’ve purchased some books for background research. So far it hasn’t been bad as I’ve done more now than I did in 2008 and 2009 combined, but I need to do more. I will do more, dammit. I’ve also started to write really bad, really cringe-worthy sonnets for this website, just for fun. One about Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan will be debuting soon.

Reading: I was complaining the other day to IP that I’ve only read eight books this year. He shrugged at me and said, “So? I’ve only read five.” I then looked back into Sonnet 87′s archives to see how much further along I was at this time of year in the past and, to my surprise: I’m ahead by three to five books depending on the year. I’m about to finish my ninth book of the year which, when compared to other people isn’t stellar, but it’s been a pretty good year so far. I have at least four books on my Waiting To Be Read (Already Purchased, Got as Gifts, Borrowed from My Husband or Otherwise Accessible without the Use of Funds, But Not an Assurance That I Will Read These Before I Buy More Books) list; there are already books in my Amazon cart that I desperately want to buy (although I am terribly frustrated that Wolf Among Wolves, Hans Fallada’s newest translation, has been pushed back to May 25 instead of the March release that was on Melville House Publishing’s website). The best part is that I’ve yet to read a real stinker. That will probably change, and if it didn’t it would make for a very boring 2010 Book List Awards, but hell—reading is a fun and beautiful thing.

And finally, Searching for a New Job: I am searching for a new job. However, as I mentioned a few posts ago, I dropped that whole D.C. thing and decided to focus on my efforts on getting out West. IP has also started doing the same, and the idea of moving has become less than an if and more of a when. It may not happen this year, but we are putting in the time and effort to find jobs. I’ve only been able to apply to one job that matched my skills and their needs, but I keep on looking. I’ve set up my Google Reader to filter jobs ads from SimplyHired.com to me every day; I feel more on top of this than I ever did with my D.C. search. In this, I really feel the dedicated fire you need to make things happen. I’ve felt this about three things before, and here they are in chronological order: 1) losing 65lbs in college; b) making my long-distance relationship with IP work and III) getting myself out to D.C. to be with IP. With lots of work, lots of luck, and lots of hope, we can do it.

So that’s my progress in a nutshell. Here’s hoping the next couple of months see more improvement in all areas.

*$10 if you can tell me which song I paraphrased and the original line. WordNerdia-IPia family members not eligible for said $10.