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Friday, June 09, 2006

Going Public

A week or so ago I was thinking about how the year is nearly half over. At the beginning of the year I had ideas about what I was going to accomplish this year, and I had barely started on the list. OK, I finished a quilt. And I made some curtains. That's about it (besides doing all the mum things like cooking meals and doing laundry, and then there's my job, and the garden, and I wrote a few poems. But that's about it).

So, I have started visualising myself at the end of the year having accomplished all the things I want to. And now I am going to list them here, because it feels like more of a commitment if I make them public.

1. Write the family history that I have been researching for so long. This involves writing it, which I think I should try to do in the next month, because then I have to check it for information gaps, research them, edit it, gather illustration material, do the layout (which I have never done before), check how many people might want copies, and get it printed. Really, writing it is the smallest part of all this.

2. Finish a set of nine small quilts that I have been working on just about forever. I have one quilted and ready for binding, several more ready for quilting, some need borders and one isn't started yet. It's a good thing they are small.

3. Get fit enough to do a triathlon. OK, it's not really a triathlon. It's a sort of baby triathlon. I did it a couple of years ago, and I entered last year and then didn't train, so I didn't do it. This time I want to do it faster than the first time. It's a 300 m swim, 10 km bike ride and 3 km walk/run (which I did about half and half walking and running, the first time).

4. Lose weight - about 10 kgs. I'm hoping that 3 will take care of 4. Though I may need to stop eating the biscuits and cakes I make for the 18 year old teenage offspring (and the other chicks, but he's the hungriest).

5. Keep writing poems, so that I have at least one to take to my writing group each month. Preferably more. Keep sending them out to be published. I'm hoping to get some published in a few different magazines so that my list of publishing credits is a bit longer.

I had a feeling there was something else but I can't quite think what it was right now. Of course there are things I have to do. And things I want to do, but aren't quite important enough to make the list of goals. Sort of optional extras. Such as take part in NaNoWriMo - that may have to wait, if I'm busy on the family history still. And I am thinking I'd like to visit Oamaru for the Victorian Heritage celebrations in November. Which may entail researching and making myself a costume - or I could just hire one, I suppose. I'd also like to get organised enough that I can take one day a week to "play" - make fibre art postcards, mess around with words, try Japanese calligraphy, or whatever takes my fancy at the time.

There! It's public. And I have done a couple of thousand words on the family history so far this week, and finished quilting one of the quilts, so that's a good start. At the end of December I may just post how far I got (or I may hide my head in shame and pretend this post never happened).

5 comments:

kenju said...

Catherine, I applaud you for making your list public and trying to work on it. I have lists from 5 years ago that have not been accomplished yet! Good luck with the rest of yours. Michele sent me.

Aginoth said...

Increase 3 to allow greater cake intake :o)

Michele sent me

Kay Cooke said...

Admirable stuff - I can empathise - esp with the losing weight! I'm not too tempted to do the Triathlon thing tho' - even a mini one sounds too exhausting to me.

Prego said...

There are a lot of people looking to shed some unwanted kgs. Training for the triathlon might help. I'd try one, but I can't swim.

Thanks for the visit yesterday.
p

paris parfait said...

Posting your list is quite brave and admirable! By doing so, you've already taken the first step towards completing your goals. I'll be one of your fans, cheering you on! :)