So it's 2009! A new year. I'm finally back in school. This list is pretty ambitious, and I'm putting it on the wayside for a little bit. I'm keeping it simple, and have two major goals for this semester:

1. Ace my classes
2. Run the Derby mini-marathon

Wish me luck!

7,8,9 - Since it's getting cold, I don't really want to be outside as much. Great time to pick up yoga and swimming and other indoorsy sports (rock slimbing, plz.)

41, 42 Progress being made in both my savings and paying off debt.

56 Done

58 I helped Thomas change the oil in his car, maybe he'll help me do mine? I'm overdue for a change.

60 Got together with Ellen before she left for Thailand/Korea (don't remember which one). It was wonderful, we picked right back up as if it hadn't been four years since we'd seen each other. And fumbled through cooking chicken. :)

62 One <3.

88 Well, my parents bought me a fantastic pair of running shoes at a tent sale! I've been using them, they're very comfortable.

90 Done

96 I voted, and won!

98 I've been volunteering weekly with every1reads for almost a month now. I'm tutoring a second grader named LeiAisa with her reading. She's wonderful. It's challenging, but I'm really glad I'm doing it. I'll consider this goal complete when we make it to christmas break. I can see myself continuing this for a while.

Wow, it has been a while since I updated this. Here's some progress since my last post:

I ran another 5k, Champions4her, almost exactly the same time. www.champions4her.com And placed thirteenth in my age group!

Books are selling on half.com, and I have clothes set aside so that I can take their pictures.

My savings is slowly growing, and my debt is steadily being paid off.

I've been picking up the guitar every now and then. Maybe if I move it to the living room I will play it more.

There's a poem in me, somewhere.

I made a blackberry cobbler with berries from the farmers' market! It was delicious, though I didn't follow the recipe exactly. Good cold, I prefer is warm with vanilla ice cream.

One Wednesday sometime ago, Thomas and I watched the sunset from the Belvedere downtown. "It was amazing" does not even begin to describe that evening.
The following Saturday morning after work, we biked to waterfront park and watched the sunrise. With twizzlers, goldfish, and cookiew, haha. And saw kayakers and swimmers training in the Ohio river, swimming upstream! I love it, I love it all.

I recently went to Fleet Feet on Bardstown Rd. to get fitted for running shoes. Depending on the shoe, my size may be a six and a half. And my feet bend in slightly when I run. I have the model written down of the shoe I liked best, though I don't know if I can yet justify spending $90 on a pair of shoes. Perhaps when it gets cooler and I actually am running again.

1. Run a 5k
I did it! Today! I cannot believe I can cross this number one off my list. I did "Run for the L of it" at Fourth Street Live. It was pouring down rain at about five this morning, I was afraid (but also kind of looking forward) that we'd have to run in the rain. But the weather turned out perfectly - clear, cool, and sunny.
I was honestly just hoping to make it through without stopping to walk, and maybe make it in under 30 minutes. But I did much better than I thought I would - with a time of 26:35 (26 minutes and 35 seconds). Which makes me believe that an eight minute mile is within reach, and makes running the Derby mini-marathon seem that much more feasible.

Thanks for letting me know about this, Thomas, and great job to you as well! You're amazing, you should be proud!

I saw quite a few people there who I know: Marian, Thad, Andre, Joe, Kate, Lance... Great job everyone!

15. Go camping
Both Erin and Carrie have said that they would be up for going to Red River Gorge some weekend this summer? Is anyone else interested? Hmmm. I know nothing about camping... but I'm determined to go.

Most of these aren't goals that I have completed, but one's on which that I am making some progress, or just informational reminders.

1. Run a 5k
Run for the L of it

41. Develop an emergency fund with which I could support myself for three months
Opened the account today with about 1/6 of the goal amount

57. Learn and be able to prepare 5 Filipino dishes from memory, and make 5 amazing desserts (7/10)

Tomato beef stew 5/5/08

Pork adobo 5/14/08

Chocolate Kahlua cheesecake 5/13/08

59. Renew first aid certification
register

60. Get together with my high school group – Ellen, Evie, Christina, Megan, and Laura (2/5)
Ellen will be in Cincinnati this summer... make a date!

72. Go to the zoo.
It's summer baby!

85. Floss every day for a week
I went to the dentist today for a cleaning... lets get going on this one.

39. Learn how to do my taxes
I did them all by myself this year. Yay!

41. Develop an emergency fund with which I could support myself for three months
As soon as I recieve my tax refund, that is going into a savings account created for this purpose.

61. Develop a deep and mutual friendship with 10 people I admire. With whom I am not already close. (1/10)
Dustin and I talk about pretty much everything. Who would have thought that I would find a friend at UPS?

97. Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.
I did is last Thursday with Lauren. So much fun, and a great feeling afterwards.

58. Learn the basics of car maintenance – how to change oil, jump a battery, change a tire (1/3)
Yesterday I helped Ariel change her tire. It was not that difficult at all!

90. Watch 25 “must-see” movies (22/25)
Enchanted 3/8/08
Across the Universe 3/16/08
Diarios de Motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries) 3/20/08

25. CLEP out AMAP
Working my way right now through the MIT OCW Intro Chemistry Course. Lecture 10 today!

39. Learn how to do my taxes
40. Do my taxes in January

57. Learn and be able to prepare 5 Filipino dishes from memory, and make 5 amazing desserts (4/10)
Garlic fried rice! It's really easy. I've made it four times in the past two weeks, once at home for Matthew. It has become one of my comfort foods.

77. Attend the Vagina Monologues 2/8/08
I actually went to see "A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer," a play by the the same writer as the Vagina Monologues. It was the tenth anniversary of the VM, and called V^10. I went with Ariel, bought the t-shirt, and got free condoms, lol. I'm glad I went, definitely worth it.

90. Watch 25 “must-see” movies (19/25)
I Am Legend 12/30/07
Remember the Titans 2/13/08

95. Register to vote 2/8/08
Sent it in.

39. Learn how to do my taxes
Opportunity is arriving. I might use Turbotax.com.

40. Do my taxes in January
As soon as I receive my W-2s from Radioshack and UPS... I'm on it!

55. Learn how to drive a stick shift
Done! Last Sunday Laura taught Ariel and I how in a parking lot in Radcliff. It wasn't too difficult to learn, and soon I went on the road and drove for about fifteen minutes. I only stalled out once at a light, haha. It was fun. I'm so glad she finally taught me, I've been wanting to learn this skill for months. I'm sure if I travel a lot it will come in handy. Laura said that she'll let us practice with her car sometime.

71. Find or renew my passport

83. Spend a month in a Spanish-speaking country
SO so tempting to just go...

84. Have my upper lip, eyebrows, and legs waxed, and my teeth whitened.
Two weeks ago I went with Lauren to Scissorhands on Bardstown. I got my upper lip and eyebrows waxed. It wasn't too painful, and not very expensive either.

95. Register to vote
I picked up a form from the library. Next, fill it out and mail it.

97. Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.
All I have to do is contact Susan. I can do this soon, I have plenty of free time. Anyone interested in doing this with me?

9. Do 50 consecutive push-ups
Arm strength has definitely been increasing since winterguard began. These are on a list of things I can work on at home. I'll be able to do this easily before the season is over.

12. Buy either a 3-month or year membership to Rocksport
So I went to Rocksport with Thomas, Amanda, and Kyle mid-November. It was a blast and reminded me how much I enjoy the sport.

14. Climb a tree
Yeah so it was a fallen one at Berhneim, but still! It was big.

19. Take a ballet class for one semester
WG definitely counts as a dance class. Not as formal, but I'm learning all sorts of ballet terminology and technique. EIW runs through April, but I'm crossing this goal off.

24. Be a TOSer
Currently working on the application.

25. CLEP out AMAP
I took the PreCalculus test on Nov. 19th, passed and got the credit. Phew! One down, two/three more to go.

36. Get a second job
I'm working two jobs currently, Radioshack and UPS.

37. Set up a savings/retirement account
Done, set up a 401k account with UPS. It's only taking 5% out of each check, but it's a starting point.

44. Take a photo a day for 365 days (0/365)
How about I start this on January 1st.

57. Learn and be able to prepare 5 Filipino dishes from memory, and make 5 amazing desserts (3/10)
So I made a pumpkin log Friday night for the EIW get-together on Saturday night.


74. Spend a day each at 7 of Louisville’s parks and nature preserves – Bernheim, Cherokee, Iroquois, Central... (7/7)
Thomas and I hiked the Millenium trail on Wednesday.

90. Watch 25 “must-see” movies (17/25)
This one is in the bag. Here are some I've seen lately:
11/11/07 Paris Je T'Aime
11/25/07 The Fountain
11/27/07 The Kite Runner
12/6/07 What Dreams May Come