Wishlists and other various things on my Sunday night brain

As I lurk on various style blogs (these being among my recent faves) I have realized (although I suppose I have truly long known this to be true): I am a wishlister. I want. I want! I WANT! I am trying to decide if this is a good thing; evidence of motivation and drive. Hey! I know what I want. Or maybe it’s a sign of greed. I’m trying not to be a consumer. I really want to live simply. I just like pretty things.




And I want to look put together. (this latter desire is more often than not tempered by my desire to be comfortable. Style vs. Comfort, Comfort wins)

Perhaps a little update on the 26 before 26 list (just weeks to go… it’s time to renovate those goals and deadline!)

for my spirit
1. read Daily Om daily for one month – Jorge just chastised me because i have 228 unread Daily Oms in my gmail inbox. I will read them starting tomorrow. I will link to those that resonate.
2. write 20 minutes a day for one month – if only I could stick to such a schedule. I have been writing for myself more often than usual and that’s about all I can ask for at the moment. The current project is letter writing – letters to myself at both younger and older moments, letters to loved ones, handwritten letters left in colleagues’ mailboxes, emails that actually get sent and are received in the hopes of replies… it’s fun to have a theme. While I may not be writing daily, overall, it’s working. Check.
3. read for pleasure one chapter/essay a day for one month – I did this in the fall. I read all of Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle this way and soon after start Don Quixote. Not going so well. Will update as I go. Check (for the Kingsolver).
4. write 2 episodes of memoir – probably not going to happen for a good long while. I’m going to shelve this goal for the time being.
5. crochet a blanket – my cousin E has already commissioned me for this, so as soon as we can save enough pennies, I will drag him to the yarn store, we will buy skeins and skeins of luxurious yarn and I will get to work. I am definitely not expecting a finished product by May. This one gets a raincheck.
6. learn to sew. Also getting a raincheck. J’s mom is holding my machine hostage (I’m lucky she’s not charging me to store it at her place – I have no space). I will need to enlist the help of someone who sews to inspire me. Raincheck.
7. make one new recipe a week for two months – I don’t cook every day but I have adventurous periods in the culinary cosmos. My recent experiment was a quiche made from scratch (and with a modified recipe). Eggs, half and half, onions, and fresh spinach in a frozen pie crust. I cut it up and froze the slices individually and enjoyed my delicious creation for a whole week. Next up: break out the new food processor. I LOVE vegetables! Close enough. Check.
8. attend services at 3 different places of worship – I’m not worshipping anything these days except my couch and my yoga mat. Raincheck.
9. yoga once a week for two months – Friend Jen and I had a coupon for two weeks unlimited yoga at a nearby studio and I went to 5 classes in that time. I’m trying to fit yoga into my budget, but I am planning on going to class either at the studio or at the very least at the gym at least once a week from here on out. I’m calling that a check.

for my peace of mind
1. finish global citizenship project – in the midst. It’s morphing. I’ll get there.

for my brain
1. attend meetings with like-minded political activists – J and I agreed that as soon as he finishes the bar we will read up, pick our candidate and do something. Temporary raincheck.
2. find a news source i trust. read daily for one month – not doing it, know I should.
3. do a book club with christin 6x – this started as a writing group which quietly disbanded, then morphed into book talk which also hasn’t happened, but as I head into spring semester having read all but one of the texts that I’ll be teaching from now until June and having made a promise to myself that I would read the books on my shelves before buying myself new books, I’m going to say that at least the reading half of this equation will be fulfilled shortly. If nothing else, I’ll be busy over at goodreads.

for my environment
1. buy live plants and keep them alive – I have a plant! J’s mom gave me one that is easy to keep alive and familiar to me – I just learned through the magic of instant internet research that it’s called a Pothos (Epipremnum) and oh how I’d love to have a lime or neon colored one!



My grandmother has had this kind of plant for as long as I can remember. We had one in our last house that sat at the top of the stairs in the foyer and we let it grow about ten feet down to the entrance. It’s not fancy but it’s very green and hardy and serves its purpose: bring energy and fresh air to my space. Mission accomplished. Check.
2. organize family photos and hang them – not going to bother with this until I move. I don’t think it’s worth putting loads of holes in the wall for my landlord to patch if my stay seems to be temporary. More time to look for and invest in classy (matching) frames.
for my community
1. volunteer 3 hours a month for duration – haven’t. hard to do during the school year. Hoping to get a start during the summer and gain momentum that will sustain me into the next school year. Raincheck.
for my family
1. call madison once a week for a month and call taylor once a week for a month – all the girls should be included in this one since they are all verbal enough to communicate clearly.

for my wallet
1. budget $100/month for clothes/shoes/ accessories/jewelry – putting this off for very good reason. I’m trying something radical. I’m going to try to live with what I have for one whole year. This, of course, does not include necessities or something needed if a special occasion arises, but I’m going to make good use of what I have and not just in clothes, but in many corners of my life. More on this to come. I’m striking this from the list altogether.
2. begin savings plan for new car – done! Well, not the savings plan but I’ve got a new ride. She’s sweet. Still considering names. Check.
3. save $$$$ for costa rica in 2007 – done! No money saved, trip went on my credit card. So I’m paying for it now, but it was ten days of tropical paradise and worth every penny of interest I am still paying.
for my friendships
1. write a letter every week 8x – haha! Working toward this one already!
2. call one person a month with whom I haven’t spoken in awhile – this is a nebulous goal. Stricken.
3. call monica once a month for duration – Moni’s been busy with her precious new little one, Dario, but we IM and send emails. She’s about to finish her thesis and become a PhD in Archaeology. Woo hoo!
4. send birthday cards to family and close friends – I was planning to start this with the first of the year and I already failed! I’ll pick up a few belated cards and start again.
for my body
1. limit soda to once a week – switched to diet. Stricken.
2. take vitamins every day – waste of money. I’m trying to get as much raw nutrition from my food as possible.
3. eliminate fast food for two months – I have most definitely gone two months (maybe longer) without fast food but J has been craving McDonald’s lately and I have caved. I’m a sucker for the fries and then I see the menu and think a cheeseburger sounds so good right now. Weak, weak woman.
4. gym 3x a week for two months – I’m going to start with a slightly modified goal and say gym 2x and yoga 1x. that starts this week. Honest.
5. get a one hour massage every other month – not going to happen. Can’t afford it. But I refuse to strike this goal – it gets a raincheck. Furthermore, in the months without a massage I’d like to get a facial. One day, poor teacher lady, one day.

for my job
1. Grade/plan 2-3 hours day at school 2x a week – this is an awkward goal. I should plan as much as I need to. It’s the at school part that’s tricky. It’s an effort to leave more work at work, but usually at the end of the day I just want to get home and get into my sweats and watch reruns of Without a Trace (newest guilty pleasure). I am still working toward maximizing work at work time and smartly designing lessons and assignments. I would say so far a mild success but there’s always room for improvement – both in my lesson design and grading load. Not a permanent check-able goal. It’s a daily battle.
2. Plan one fun activity each week for one month – between movie clips and games, I think this is a check. I see my students enjoying what feels like a break to them and what is often a bit of a break for me. They are amazing people and I like to see them happy. Check. And a continuing goal for the future.

That’s a lot of checks! It’s time to make a new list! I’ll write about 2008 resolutions soon.

Egad. More than a month has passed since my last post. How can I recap the damage I’ve done in that amount of time? Some list-related highlights:

-I had an impromptu massage. I will now allow the nice Mongolian lady to bring relaxation to me. No more driving to massage (worried about being late) and driving home (undoing the work of the knot-unwinding with my frustration about traffic)

-I had a pocket of time during which I finished reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and then gobbled up The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Both of these titles are excellent and I would highly recommend them to most anyone I know. A student (not one of mine, but a sweet girl who has spent time in my classroom being friendly) recently finished the latter at school and spent the day battling tears because of the moving conclusion. I, thankfully, was at home where I could bawl on my couch in peace. Further reviews are forthcoming.

-I crocheted scarves and hats for friends and family during the winter break (ok, that’s pre-January 21 but speaks to an item on my list) but have failed to send them. When I finally do, the weather will negate any need for wearing them, but hopefully my beloveds will think of me when they pull them out of the winter clothes storage next fall.

-In the past week, I have made three new recipes (links forthcoming). The night before Valentine’s Day, Jorge and I had a quiet dinner at home. I made pork chops and green beans with almonds. This past Monday I made lentil soup and last night we hosted Jorge’s cousins Vero and Eloy for a schmorgesborg – I made pasta and garlic bread and Vero and Eloy brought baked ravioli and a lovely fruit platter. I have never in memory overeaten at home - to the point of discomfort, that is - I do, however, often do this when dining out. Last night I had my fill of excellent food and had perhaps just a tad too much wine for a school night. Jorge said he's just happy to be alive after all of my recent culinary experimenting. My coworkers chide me for practicing such domestic habits.

-I have yet to join a political organization, but doing so is in the works – I have a friend who is a member of a local group and has invited me to come play. Plus Jorge has been nearly nagging me on the issue. He, too, wants to take advantage of our pre-election energy and enthusiasm and hang out with blue bleeding hearts. I did join an online group for one of the 2008 candidates.

-I have NOT stuck to the for-fun budget. I recently took a trip to one of those mega-mart shoe stores and walked out with 4 pair of shoes (and about $200 fewer dollars in my bank account). People, I am going to Costa Rica (and possibly Hawaii) this summer – encourage me not to be so reckless!

-Jorge and I celebrated our seventh anniversary in Avila Beach. We went on a wine tour, ate excellent food, and took a stroll along the pier when the rainy drip drip dripping stopped. I felt heartbroken back at home, facing a full 5 days of grading and listening to myself talk while standing uncomfortably in heels. The trip truly was a much-needed getaway and it serves as a reminder that we need to budget more time for such adventures – even a short drive up the coast is a sufficient change of scenery. I felt rejuvenated and so grateful for the time well spent with the man I love.

-I haven’t been doing so well with limiting soda. I continue to buy it at the market, telling myself that when, in the rare event that I have people over, they will want something other than water and milk. So I buy the pretty red cans then I drink them.

-Ditto on the gym. I don’t go. It’s boring. And I just downloaded a rather disappointing class schedule. I was hoping to find something mildly interesting and aerobic (I must be forced to sweat because I will usually choose not to get dirty or uncomfortable and that’s why my pants don’t fit). Le sigh.

Unrelated to my list, but still a relevant tale:

-I won a parking lot standoff. I faced an entitled woman who tried to save a parking spot with her body for her friend in the car behind me. Jorge and I were both indignant and he (almost uncharacteristically) supported my usually overly-principled self in defying her demand that I find another spot. I didn’t care that the spot was steps from the mall entrance. I almost didn’t care about the line of seven cars behind me. This woman was not getting the spot because she stood in it. Nu uh. No way. People were laughing at her, telling her to get out of the way. The woman in the car behind her friend’s vehicle got out of her car to tell her she needed to move and to tell me to hold fast, that I was in the right. Jorge got out of the car in search of a security guard (none to be found – in fact, during our shopping we saw a few and I don’t have any faith that they could have accomplished much. This woman was mean and the guards were a little portly and a bit too baby-faced). The woman finally yielded the parking space, but not without crouching down to my car window and telling me that I could have the space but that I shouldn’t expect my car to be undamaged when I returned from my shopping. I sat in the space for five minutes, waiting for her to return. She didn’t and I decided that since I had already won, I would find another space and save my car.

I’m currently teaching:
-Huck Finn and Romeo and Juliet. Students think good ol’ Bill (Shakespeare) used some alien language. I tell them to suck it up. More on this later.

That’s plenty for now, friends. I am hoping to post more regularly and thus leave space for interesting topics. For now, these are the highlights.