Resolutions: 2009 Review

Every year, we all claim that we will do a bunch things that we fail to carry out. At the end of each month I'm going to review my resolutions and see if I actually fulfilled or made any progress toward fulfilling them.

1.Commit to a healthy and active lifestyle.
I have started a new schedule which has been working out for me. I've tried (and failed) to go to the gym after work, which leaves me hungry and tired. So, my new thing is that I wake up with Jason at 6:00 am, and he drops me off at the gym at 6:30 am and I work out before work.

This routine has been shockingly fantastic. I get to work much earlier than I used to, I leave earlier as well and I feel great. Jason and I also do something active each weekend running, or hiking or something.

2.Pay off my debts.
I've paid off one of my credit cards, and still figuring out whether I should focus on building up my savings at this point. I've put the kibosh on the shopping until I've reached x amount in my savings.

3.Cook more often.
I create menus on Sunday, and do all of our shopping on the weekend to make sure we have all the ingredients on hand. Jason bought this book for $5 at Barnes and Noble and it has been amazing. Mediterranean food is great for you and most of our cooking is from this book and another Spanish cookbook we have. We have been rocking this goal.

We also agreed that for Valentine's day instead of going out, we are going to cook a roasted chicken with Mediterranean vegetables, and I will make dessert and Sangria. Cooking is hot!

4.Pick up a hobby.
Does facebooking count? Otherwise, still haven't done this.

5.Read more often.
My resolve is to read at least 1 book a month. January's book was "Under the Banner of Heaven" a book Stacey recommended. Last night I picked up "Brooklyn Follies" which I got at the local library.

Conclusion:
January has been very steady in supporting all of my resolutions. I'm off to a great start!

Shitty economy

No bonus payouts, no raises, and possibly no promotions. I guess I should be lucky I have a job and do a lot of saving this year.

New blog and 43 year olds

I wanted to let you all know that I've started a new blog. I will be maintaining both blogs, this one will continue to be focused on my personal life and all my ramblings. The other blog will be focused on design in multiple facets. Mostly UI design, interaction design, typography and just plain anything that is related to design in the workplace. If you are interested feel free to bookmark/subscribe to that one too. To other things...

A few weeks ago a guy at my work started up a conversation with me. Small talk really, but then he followed up with an email saying that he was "stalking" me or something. The following week he asked me if I wanted to go to lunch. I thought this guy was gay at first, but he told me he was married with 2 kids. He then told me he was 43 years old. After we got back to the office, he kept IMing me and then left his phone number and said "text me". I thought it was kind of odd, and I just ignored him.

Last week in Omaha, he sent me an email asking me how I was doing and we had a short email exchange. On Friday he sent me a few emails and then told me to call him because he wanted to hear about my trip. I find the whole thing a bit weird, but I decided to call him because it was the second time he told me to, and I kept thinking that he's just a co-worker, no big deal. I called him and we had like a 2 minute conversation and I hung up. On Saturday, he texted me and it kind of seemed just a tiny bit flirty.

So, here's the question...is this appropriate? This guy is married with 2 kids, and though I have a few co-workers that are married that I text, its usually doesn't feel like this. I can't tell if this guy genuinely wants to be a friend or if he's interested in more. I've been guilty of being naive in the past, so I really can't tell. What do you think?

The Dolce & Gabanna tote

Yesterday, I went to the mall. The mall in San Ho is pretty large and the Nordstrom is just right. Yesterday in the "bargain" bin at Nordstrom, was an extra large patent leather Dolce & Gabanna tote. This tote retailed for $1050, but was marked down to $503.90. When I saw it, I immediately fell in love with it. Typically before I make a large purchase like that, I like to spend overnight thinking about it. I also went on all my usual online haunts to see if I could find it cheaper. I couldn't find it all. So, this afternoon around 12:15 I decided I had to have it. I reasoned with Jason saying that I could test my newly found discipline by putting it on my Amex (the one I just paid off) and paying for it immediately with my next paycheck. I made a deal with him saying that I would not buy another bag for 1 whole year.

Next thing you know, I fumbled through my old mail to find my new Amex card to activate, because the old one was expired. We hopped into his car in our gym clothes (because we were supposed to go to the gym) and drove over to Nordstrom, unshowered and unmatching. I was like a junkie in need of a fix. We get over the bargain bin, and there was my bag, gleaming like a pearl amongst the Orly Kierlys and Marc Jacobs bags. I picked it up and put it on my arm and marched over to the mirror. It didn't look as shiny as I remembered. It also didn't have any D&G markings. So here's the thing, I have a $35 Marshall's bag right now that I get compliments on all the time. It always surprises me because its the cheapest bag I own. I'm no label whore, but if I'm buying a $500 tote bag, that shit better be saying something about how much it cost. A strategically placed D&G would have done it. But, lucky for my wallet, it didn't say a thing on the outside, and frankly I just don't have enough money to be okay with that.

I put it back and didn't see anything else that I wanted. I marched out of that store with all my money and didn't spend a penny. I had won the battle with Jason's help. He told me later that I had reminded him that blond chick from MTV's True Life: I'm a compulsive shopper. On the way out of the mall, I did stop at Godiva to indulge myself with a dark chocolate almond bark. Can't win them all I guess.

1 down, 2 more to go

I paid off one of my credit cards today! I'm so glad. Now just 2 more to go...Also, I'm sort of worried about more layoffs, and I make enough to save and to spend and to pay off my credit cards, but I'm wondering if I should back off paying off the other 2 and put that money into savings. Everything I've read on the subject matter seems to indicate no, but what if I do get laid off and I end up running up my credit cards again because I didn't have enough in savings? Any thoughts?

Resolutions: 2009

Every year I claim that I will start a hobby. Last year it was decoupage. So, this year, I'm still trying to find my "thing". Sometimes I feel that I'm always on the search to find my "thing" in life. Anyhow, these are my goals:

1. Commit to a healthy and active lifestyle.
   

   I have weight to lose, and I think I've been coming to terms with the fact that my body isn't what it used to be. It takes longer to lose weight, and I have to be more cautious with what I eat. So, this year I will try to really focus on a healthy lifestyle.



2. Pay off my debts.
   

   I'm on my way to release the hold that debt has on my lifestyle. Luckily, I make enough to pay my debts off and still save money, but with an uncertain economy, its becoming more important for me to have a bigger savings and not accountable for any unnecessary bills.



3. Cook more often.
   

   I cook pretty often as it is. I do however, want to cook healthier food. I've gotten really lazy about cooking my own food and have resorted to pastas, which I normally don't like to do. This year I want to create my own enchilada sauce, my own marinara sauce and make my own hummus. I want to have my own collection of signature recipes.



4. Pick up a hobby.
   

   I'm still looking for a hobby. I'd like to grow my own vegetables, but we don't have a place for that here. I was interested in maybe a community garden or something like that, because I like the idea of growing my own vegetables for cooking. I'm still interested in learning to salsa, or sewing. I'm going to keep searching for that hobby.



5. Read more often.
   

   Just because I don't have an hour commute on the train is no excuse to stop reading, but for some reason I have. So, I'm going to try to read at least 12 books this year.