Failed Resolutions

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2014 Despite my best intentions to post a different failed resolution every week life got in the way– just like it did to every other resolution. Some weeks work picked up at a frantic pace, others were spent on computer-less road trips and summer days that made you want to ignore anything work related.  But hey, in the end wasn't the point to make fun of myself for failing to follow through on things anyhow? 

Stay tuned to find out the resolutions I managed to accomplish in the year and avoid having to post!

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Summer '10 During a college fitness class, we had to write what our fitness goals were. Because I'm incapable of setting realistic goals for myself, I wrote things like "compete in a triathlon".  Keep in mind, I swim like there's a good chance I might drown and the most I've ever run at once is 5 miles. Somehow I figured my ability to bike long distances would eventually translate. I can sadly say it has not. 

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Fall '13 Taking a long road trip made me realize just how wonderful it was to travel by car. Unfortunately it happens to be a Chevy Malibu, and minus a few rainy nights I don't think I've quite mastered sleeping half sitting up in a reclined seat.

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spring ‘13 I enjoy doing yoga from time to time. But never ever before my alarm goes off. Although I still think this would improve my life quality immensely, my bed’s hold on me is too strong. 

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Summer '08 Despite working with kids in ceramic classes and having a couple quick lessons, I haven't been able to master much beyond centering a ball of clay, which has really gotten in the way of making my own sets of bowls and dishes. Thank goodness for all my talented friends out there who are kind enough to make me pottery pieces while I watch in awe.  

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Fall '11 Despite having a career in graphic design I missed having the constant drawing projects of college after it was over. Of course a great way to remedy this would be a daily self portrait, but when I got off work the last thing I wanted to do was stare at myself long enough to make a worthwhile drawing. For now, I'm sticking to doodling mountain scenes on the edges of project notes. 

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Summer '14 Over the 4th of July weekend a good friend and I made Independence day resolutions (Because only having one holiday a year to fail at resolutions isn't enough for me). His- to start running, mine- to not buy any clothes for the remainder of the year. Fast forward one month to the fact he has not yet started running and I am currently sitting in a new pair of shorts. At least I'm in good company. 

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Winter '13 Thanks to the show Community we became briefly amused by the idea of starting a dungeons & dragons group. Granted none of us had ever played or had any connections to people that played (that we know of). So sadly, like all the others, this dream died. But someday I'm sure I'll stumble across a dungeons & dragons group and cross it off my bucket list. 

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Winter '12 I took three years worth of spanish between high school and college and managed to retain roughly nothing. After graduating and getting into the usual day to day cycle I realized how much I missed learning. Spanish seemed like the perfect solution. I even purchased Rosetta Stone off craigslist. without an activation code (Not one of my finer moments). I ended up learning; it just happened to be how not to use craigslist instead of how to speak spanish. 

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Summer '11

After graduating from college, I had the obligatory month at home. Which, after 4 years of living on my own, was not ideal. Rather than let it ruin our summer we hatched the idea of creating a blog about our quest to become more interesting. It involved attempting to cook exotic meals, starting new hobbies, setting world records. Thankfully it also created an impressive amount of ideas to never follow through on. I'm not sure if we ever morphed into more interesting people but we are better at telling stories and I'm pretty sure that's half the battle. 

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spring '14 I've had the urge to travel more for awhile, which made me start thinking about all my things. Things that would be a pain to pack, things that I really don't need. Then I listened to one too many podcasts about minimalism. The whole Idea is appealing and wonderful- to be free of all your items. But then I think about how much I enjoy my coffee grinder and having gear for outdoor activities and art supplies. I don't think I'll ever be a true minimalist, but it has inspired small changes like donating a good amount of clothing and items.

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(Or really any job in a National Park)

Summer '07 I grew up camping and visiting national parks on the east coast but the first time I realized how much I truly loved mountains was on a trip to Yosemite after high school. Nothing could be more perfect than Tuolumne Meadows complete with wildflowers, lakes, and mountains and I vowed to work there. Then I decided to major in graphic design and spend summers working at a summer camp. Both those things have led to wonderful opportunities but haven't quite landed me deep in a national park. I'm still holding onto the dream of spending quality time in our country's beautiful national parks – I just might have to revise the how. 

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Spring '10 I don't know if I can call this a resolution so much as an idea I have every time I read about our meat industry or health benefits from cutting out meat. After a little serious thought, I always come to the same conclusion. I just love a good burger. and bacon and eggs. and grilled chicken. So far I've just managed to pacify myself by keeping my meat eating at home to a minimum. Now if it's burger night somewhere, that's another story.

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"Fail Better" Some midweek inspiration I picked up from reading this article on Fast Company. If I'm going to continue to fail at these resolutions, the very least I can do is follow a wise man's advice and Fail Better. 

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fall '08 During college everyone had some kind of fun intramural sport on their list activities. Considering my parents let me quit t-ball, hand eye coordination has never been my strong suit. For some reason, I got it in my head that frisbee would be different. Don't ask me how- a large disc flying close to my face doesn't sound like a promising decision now. This lasted for about three practices until it became clear that I, along with everyone else, would be safer if I didn't run and throw a frisbee simultaneously.