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Year in Review; New Year's Resolutions
I know that in my post on Best Media of 2007, I made fun of end-of-the-year memes, but this is not a meme! It's just me babbling, which is what I always do.
So. What was good this year?
It's hard to decide what was the single best decision I made all year, but it's definitely between 1) Attending Wiscon and 2) getting the job that I did.
As a friend of mine said in her own end-of-the-year post: Wiscon changed my life. Which sounds dramatic, but it really, really did. Going to Wiscon forced me to see my world through an entirely different lens. As it is a feminist science fiction convention, I focused firstly on representations of gender, race, and class in TV shows, movies, books, comics, and anime. But before long, I was reflecting on these issues in every area of my life, and I really feel like I'm a better person for it. I want to think critically about the world I live in - as well as the fictional worlds in which I choose to spend my time.
In addition to literally changing my world, Wiscon has also allowed me to meet a lot of people, a few of whom I am able to spend time with in the physical sense, and many of whom I've gotten to know through LiveJournal (Friends List is here).
As for my job - well, working in the Capitol is obviously amazing, and I get to see really neat things due to the nature of the job. I love staffing committees, and I love that I just know where every office is inside the Capitol, and what many of the buildings surrounding Capitol Square are, too.
In addition to the job itself, the people I work with are some of the most intelligent and funny people I've ever met, and it made me love going to work every day this summer. In fact, we all get along so well that we socialize outside of work as well. I also really like that it's a group of people who are different than me. And while they are really interested in my geekery (I am constantly explaining anime and science fiction things, to their endless amusement), we all have different interests. I feel like my first 2.5 years of college were kind of spent in a bubble, and working this job has been like a breath of fresh air, reminding me that while I do have many quirks, I am also very much grounded in reality and can get along with all kinds of groups of people.
I look to those two things as the best new events of the year, although recurring things were good, too. I like that I come home on a fairly regular basis, and can see my parents, sister, brother-in-law, nieces, and nephew. I like that I still maintain semi-regular contact with old friends through the Internet. I like that I have a healthy relationship with Antoine, and I'm grateful for it every day.
Best new website of the year = Bookmooch
1) Write three times per week. No length requirements. Just write SOMETHING three times per week. I've learned writing every day is something that I can't do, but I want to make writing a habit, and something that feels natural (again, as always, blogging doesn't count!).
No. Not even close. I don't think I've ever kept a writing goal in my entire life. :(
2) Exert portion control, drink a lot of water, and lose more weight. (Don't worry, I would never get down to a weight that is unhealthy - I'm trying to get to where I'm supposed to be for my height, which I think is healthy and a good goal.)
Hmm, not really. During this year, my attitude toward my weight shifted. I've never really had eating disorders, but from both my boyfriend and my Women's Studies class, I've learned that analyzing food in terms of how many calories it is (and only that) is not healthy. My goal now is for less processed food, more exercise, and yeah, I guess I could drink more water. ;)
3) Try your damndest to get an internship for the spring semester through summer. (I'm working on this now!)
Well, sort of. Instead of an internship, it was a job. Which is better! $ = good
4) In addition to #3, I'd like to find a job during the summer that pays me money. If it's related to future career options, such as editing, then that would be great, but I also have a list of bookstores to apply at in case nothing else pans out. I don't need a lot of money, but having some would be good.
I kind of combined 4 and 3. I got a job for the spring semester through summer (...and through fall, and intend to keep it through spring), AND got an internship for the summer.
5) Experiment, and get better at cooking. I'm definitely better than I was 4 months ago, but I would like to teach myself how to make more meals.
I'm still not very versatile, but now I can make rice, curry, egg drop soup, English muffin pizzas, and I experiment a bit more with throwing things on a pan and eating it. I feel like once I have my own place and my own kitchen, I'll be doing a lot more cooking experimentation.
6) Try your best to get good grades both semester and raise your GPA even more. This is always a goal of mine, but I'll write it here anyway.
Yes, I did as well as I could both semesters, and raised my GPA during both of them.
7) Make some decisions about what the heck is going to happen after college. I already know that if I ever go to graduate school or law school (probably not ever), it won't be right away. I also know that I would be totally fine finding an apartment in Madison, but also any other city, too. So, make a plan - I don't want to leave everything until my last semester to decide.
Umm, not really. :( It's not really for lack of thinking about it, though. It's just hard to figure this stuff out when I have no dream job, no end-goal, no specific desires. I have gotten my ass into gear now, and even spent time working on my resumes today.
8) Be a better person. I've learned how to keep my mouth shut. At this point, however, I'd like to relearn how to stick up for myself or say what's on my mind - but doing so with a little grace. Also, I'd like to volunteer some of my time this year.
Well, I definitely did my best to be a better person. However, I need to do a better job of sticking up with myself. I put up with a lot of bullshit this year, and I'm kind of ashamed for doing that. I didn't deserve it. As Cristina Yang (Grey's Anatomy) once said: "If you want crappy things to stop happening to you, then stop accepting crap and start demanding more."
I didn't volunteer much this year, but my "be a better person" points were definitely, definitely spent.
Which brings us to....
Goals for 2008
1) Spend less time online. A lot of good in my life has come from the Internet, and I will be the first to acknowledge that. But it really is an addition, I think. Especially during finals week, sometimes I can sit for 10 minutes (or hours!) and do nothing but refresh CNN.com, Facebook, LiveJournal, Gmail, and wait for something new to occur. There is a lot of useless time spent. If I can't get my ass into gear before Lent, then I'll be implementing a strict plan to follow.
2) Use this new-found time to exercise more often. Even if it's "just" going for walks, that's okay.
3) Continue to learn how to cook new things.
4) Graduate from college. This is your only life goal, so....be proud. Or something.
5) Do not move back home with parents unless...no. No unlesses. Even if I'm working 3 part-time jobs, I will try my best to make it on my own. Even if I find a neato job in my hometown (doubtful), I need to get my own apartment anyway. (For the curious, my default intent is to stay in Madison, but if I find a job somewhere else, I'm willing to move.)
6) Have a good last semester: Continue to try hard for good grades, be an even better Anime Club president, and keep doing church-things.
7) Find a job.
8) Do write more. I barely wrote at all in 2007, and I feel like being a writer is part of who I am. Yes, it's really hard to find time when I'm at school, but if I make it a priority, I can at least constantly be making notes about world-building, sketching, and noting plot-points.
9) Stick up for yourself. Yes, you hate pissing people off, but you are a worthwhile person, and you are allowed to fight back.
So. What was good this year?
It's hard to decide what was the single best decision I made all year, but it's definitely between 1) Attending Wiscon and 2) getting the job that I did.
As a friend of mine said in her own end-of-the-year post: Wiscon changed my life. Which sounds dramatic, but it really, really did. Going to Wiscon forced me to see my world through an entirely different lens. As it is a feminist science fiction convention, I focused firstly on representations of gender, race, and class in TV shows, movies, books, comics, and anime. But before long, I was reflecting on these issues in every area of my life, and I really feel like I'm a better person for it. I want to think critically about the world I live in - as well as the fictional worlds in which I choose to spend my time.
In addition to literally changing my world, Wiscon has also allowed me to meet a lot of people, a few of whom I am able to spend time with in the physical sense, and many of whom I've gotten to know through LiveJournal (Friends List is here).
As for my job - well, working in the Capitol is obviously amazing, and I get to see really neat things due to the nature of the job. I love staffing committees, and I love that I just know where every office is inside the Capitol, and what many of the buildings surrounding Capitol Square are, too.
In addition to the job itself, the people I work with are some of the most intelligent and funny people I've ever met, and it made me love going to work every day this summer. In fact, we all get along so well that we socialize outside of work as well. I also really like that it's a group of people who are different than me. And while they are really interested in my geekery (I am constantly explaining anime and science fiction things, to their endless amusement), we all have different interests. I feel like my first 2.5 years of college were kind of spent in a bubble, and working this job has been like a breath of fresh air, reminding me that while I do have many quirks, I am also very much grounded in reality and can get along with all kinds of groups of people.
I look to those two things as the best new events of the year, although recurring things were good, too. I like that I come home on a fairly regular basis, and can see my parents, sister, brother-in-law, nieces, and nephew. I like that I still maintain semi-regular contact with old friends through the Internet. I like that I have a healthy relationship with Antoine, and I'm grateful for it every day.
Best new website of the year = Bookmooch
1) Write three times per week. No length requirements. Just write SOMETHING three times per week. I've learned writing every day is something that I can't do, but I want to make writing a habit, and something that feels natural (again, as always, blogging doesn't count!).
No. Not even close. I don't think I've ever kept a writing goal in my entire life. :(
2) Exert portion control, drink a lot of water, and lose more weight. (Don't worry, I would never get down to a weight that is unhealthy - I'm trying to get to where I'm supposed to be for my height, which I think is healthy and a good goal.)
Hmm, not really. During this year, my attitude toward my weight shifted. I've never really had eating disorders, but from both my boyfriend and my Women's Studies class, I've learned that analyzing food in terms of how many calories it is (and only that) is not healthy. My goal now is for less processed food, more exercise, and yeah, I guess I could drink more water. ;)
3) Try your damndest to get an internship for the spring semester through summer. (I'm working on this now!)
Well, sort of. Instead of an internship, it was a job. Which is better! $ = good
4) In addition to #3, I'd like to find a job during the summer that pays me money. If it's related to future career options, such as editing, then that would be great, but I also have a list of bookstores to apply at in case nothing else pans out. I don't need a lot of money, but having some would be good.
I kind of combined 4 and 3. I got a job for the spring semester through summer (...and through fall, and intend to keep it through spring), AND got an internship for the summer.
5) Experiment, and get better at cooking. I'm definitely better than I was 4 months ago, but I would like to teach myself how to make more meals.
I'm still not very versatile, but now I can make rice, curry, egg drop soup, English muffin pizzas, and I experiment a bit more with throwing things on a pan and eating it. I feel like once I have my own place and my own kitchen, I'll be doing a lot more cooking experimentation.
6) Try your best to get good grades both semester and raise your GPA even more. This is always a goal of mine, but I'll write it here anyway.
Yes, I did as well as I could both semesters, and raised my GPA during both of them.
7) Make some decisions about what the heck is going to happen after college. I already know that if I ever go to graduate school or law school (probably not ever), it won't be right away. I also know that I would be totally fine finding an apartment in Madison, but also any other city, too. So, make a plan - I don't want to leave everything until my last semester to decide.
Umm, not really. :( It's not really for lack of thinking about it, though. It's just hard to figure this stuff out when I have no dream job, no end-goal, no specific desires. I have gotten my ass into gear now, and even spent time working on my resumes today.
8) Be a better person. I've learned how to keep my mouth shut. At this point, however, I'd like to relearn how to stick up for myself or say what's on my mind - but doing so with a little grace. Also, I'd like to volunteer some of my time this year.
Well, I definitely did my best to be a better person. However, I need to do a better job of sticking up with myself. I put up with a lot of bullshit this year, and I'm kind of ashamed for doing that. I didn't deserve it. As Cristina Yang (Grey's Anatomy) once said: "If you want crappy things to stop happening to you, then stop accepting crap and start demanding more."
I didn't volunteer much this year, but my "be a better person" points were definitely, definitely spent.
Which brings us to....
Goals for 2008
1) Spend less time online. A lot of good in my life has come from the Internet, and I will be the first to acknowledge that. But it really is an addition, I think. Especially during finals week, sometimes I can sit for 10 minutes (or hours!) and do nothing but refresh CNN.com, Facebook, LiveJournal, Gmail, and wait for something new to occur. There is a lot of useless time spent. If I can't get my ass into gear before Lent, then I'll be implementing a strict plan to follow.
2) Use this new-found time to exercise more often. Even if it's "just" going for walks, that's okay.
3) Continue to learn how to cook new things.
4) Graduate from college. This is your only life goal, so....be proud. Or something.
5) Do not move back home with parents unless...no. No unlesses. Even if I'm working 3 part-time jobs, I will try my best to make it on my own. Even if I find a neato job in my hometown (doubtful), I need to get my own apartment anyway. (For the curious, my default intent is to stay in Madison, but if I find a job somewhere else, I'm willing to move.)
6) Have a good last semester: Continue to try hard for good grades, be an even better Anime Club president, and keep doing church-things.
7) Find a job.
8) Do write more. I barely wrote at all in 2007, and I feel like being a writer is part of who I am. Yes, it's really hard to find time when I'm at school, but if I make it a priority, I can at least constantly be making notes about world-building, sketching, and noting plot-points.
9) Stick up for yourself. Yes, you hate pissing people off, but you are a worthwhile person, and you are allowed to fight back.