2015 Goals

Two years ago I found myself in a position of instability and purgatory when the new year rolled around. I was waiting to hear about a new job, and the uncertainty had me off balance. Even though the change was completely for the best, it took a bit of getting used to.

Last year, I was planning my wedding and honeymoon. Scheduling meetings and making decisions was taking up all of my free time.

This year, I'm in a really stable place. Everything is going well, and I'm where I want to be right now. Which means that I'm finding myself with all this extra energy. So I'm spending a lot of time thinking about things I want to do this year. I already posted about my reading resolutions. These are the other goals that have been bouncing around in my head.

• Plant some herbs. I'd love to have fresh basil and mint and maybe thyme available in my kitchen. And I think I can handle a small, indoor herb garden.
• Plant some tomatoes. Tomatoes are supposed to be easy, and it'd be great to have some nice, fresh ones available to eat. Especially since I just found an easy marinara sauce recipe.
• Learn to make jambalaya. Last year I conquered risotto and the year before that it was soup. This year: jambalaya. (My first attempt was a little too soupy. Next time will be better.)
• Bake some bread. We've got this lovely stand mixer that I never, ever use. I want to use it more. Bread could be fun, right?
• Make pasta from scratch. See above, re: stand mixer. With pasta making attachment
• Cook more new things in general. I already moved the cookbooks out of the cupboard to help with this. If I see them everyday, I'll be more likely to actually use them.
• Learn to knit? I mean, probably not. But also it could be fun. And something to do while I'm watching TV
• Start building up a home gym. I want to start small: a foam roller, a mat, a set of dumbbells. Eventually I'd like to be able to cancel my gym subscription. I just need to get in the habit of working out at home first.
• Lose some weight. It's such a cliche. For real this year, though
• Bike to work at least once. I'm doing decently on the exercise bike, and my office really isn't too far away. I'm planning to buy a bike in March or April and get out more. Especially if this summer is as gorgeous as last summer was. (I hope I didn't just jinx it.)
• Reorganize the library/living room. I want to get a couple more bookcases for the living room and start moving some books down there. Because my library is actually overflowing.
• Pay off my student loans. This is definitely happening this year. It's barely even a goal. Still you have to put down something that's guaranteed. It makes the rest of the list easier.

I think I can get started with one or two of these this weekend. As for the rest, we'll see how the year goes. Hopefully I can maintain this productive "I want to do new things" energy for a while.

Overwhelmed By Television

One of the reasons I was able to read so much last year was the dearth of Fall television. There were a few shows I watched, but not many. I found myself with a lot more time for reading simply because I wasn't spending every evening in front of the TV. It was an interesting change for me, as I'm usually following a lot of shows in real time. And it was nice while it lasted.

But then January started and with it came so many shows that I'm not sure where I'm going to find time to read. On the plus side, some of them are mini-series and will be ending soon.

I don't spend a lot of time talking about TV on this blog. It's a little weird. I actually spend as much time watching TV as I do reading (excepting this past Fall). But it's harder to talk about a story that you're in the middle of, so I write about it a lot less. Now seems like as good a time as any to take stock, though. Here's what's filling up my DVR this winter.

The Librarians. This actually started just before Christmas. I wasn't sure I was going to stick with it until I marathoned the episodes I'd missed while on vacation. It's exactly the sort of low-stakes, fun entertainment that's perfect at the beginning of the week. Plus I'll never get tired of looking at Christian Kane.

Galavant. Thankfully this one only last four weeks, so it won't be taking space up for long. But I'm already hoping that it gets picked up for a longer run. It's a hugely divisive show. People either love it or hate it. I'm in the camp that loves it. Cheesy, raunchy, ridiculous songs and plots. Galavant's lady-love is an inspired combination of tropes and I can't wait to see more from her. Plus I laughed for a solid minute at the joust scene, which is more than enough to convince me to stick with this show.

Gotham. I don't know what it is about Batman that keeps pulling me back. On the surface I don't like the idea of a rich vigilante doling out his own justice. And there aren't any actual super-powers, just a bunch of weirdos. But I can't seem to quit, and I'm really enjoying this take on Gotham and a young Jim Gordon. Probably more than I should be.

Sleepy Hollow. It's suffering the sophomore slump, but I still love this ridiculous show. You've probably already heard me rave about it and have written me off as crazy. I still think you should give it a fair chance.

Agent Carter. This mini-series is pushing back the return of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which is probably for the best. I am so excited to get more Peggy Carter, to watch a badass woman using men's assumptions against them in the 1940s, to enjoy spy hijinks and retro technology and everything else. It's a mini-series, but I can still hope that it becomes something more. It also has me excited for the other mini-series Marvel is planning.

Elementary. This airs on Thursday nights, but it has become a sort of grown-up stand in for Saturday morning cartoons. Kevin and I watch it over our eggs every week. It's a great, modern take on Sherlock Holmes, and Watson is finally carving out a life for herself outside of Holmes' influence. The addition of Kitty is my favorite thing about this season, which remains entertaining. Though I'm not sure they'll ever again recapture the magic that was the end of the first season.

Archer. I'd completely forgotten about this show until it showed up on our DVR. The last season wasn't great, but now that they've "unrebooted" who knows what will happen. It's easy enough to throw on after Elementary on Saturday mornings, so we'll probably keep watching it.

Parks and Rec. This is the final season, so I can't miss it. I'm excited and scared and I'll miss it terribly when it's gone. But then maybe I'll just make Kevin rewatch it from the beginning with me. I just hope everyone gets a happy ending, which seems like a pretty sure thing on a show like this.

Justified. Another show in it's final season, it seems like forever since I first started watching this. Timothy Olyphant is another man I could stare at forever (as long as he's wearing a cowboy hat). This season promises to be the final showdown between Raylan and Boyd, and I cannot wait to watch it play out. I just hope it's better than last season, which dragged a bit. But an end-goal and definite plot should solve those issues.

The Americans. This is slipping in, because it is coming back in January. Though probably not until after Galavant and The Librarians stop airing. Which will free up some time for me. Kevin thinks this show jumped the shark last season, but I still think it's going strong. I guess I'll be watching it by myself this year.

That's not even counting the return of Orphan Black and Game of Thrones later this Spring, Community at some point, and the premiere of Better Call Saul next month. But everything should thin out a little before then. In the meantime, I don't have high hopes for reading a ton this month. On the other hand, if I can get in the habit, this will give me tons of opportunity to spend some times on the exercise bike.

Good Beginnings

2015 started out perfectly.

As always, we went down to Zach and Sarah's for their New Year's Eve party. Kevin and I ended up heading down pretty early in the hopes that it would be easier to find a parking space. This worked perfectly, as we found a spot right by their building. Jen and Steve arrived before too long, and we ate delicious enchiladas and exchanged presents before the rest of the guests arrived.

New Year's Eve is a time for drinking games. Specifically, it's the one time a year we play something called Rage Cage. Mostly because it takes a whole year to work back up to this game. There's a lot of beer involved. It's also a fairly lopsided game, meaning that one or two people bear the brunt of the drinking, while the rest have to make it up with some beer pong afterwards.

I had spent most of the day napping and taking it easy in the hopes that I would actually be awake at midnight this year (I fell asleep at 11:59 last year). My strategy worked, because I was actually the last one awake this year. I was very proud of myself for that.

We spent the entire next day drinking mimosas and playing the Game of Thrones board game. It took about five hours to play Game of Thrones, though an hour and a half of that was just reading the rules. Hopefully it won't take as long next time. Assuming there is a next time.

How we spent New Year's Day

I'd taken Friday off from work because it seemed silly to go in for a single day. This ended up being the best decision I ever made. Kevin and I spent three whole days laying on the couch. I read and he played his video game and we basically just lounged around. It was a perfect, lazy vacation, and a great way to get over the cold I'd been fighting since Christmas Eve (sleep deprivation + travel = sick).

We did get out of the house a few times, to take my car into the shop and pick it back up the next day. And I went out to buy the next few Wheel of Time books. But mostly we just hibernated in pjs and blankets. And now I feel ready for whatever 2015 brings. Hopefully it's mostly good stuff, like 2014.

Four Christmases

Okay, so I've never actually seen the movie from which I've stolen my blog title. But it seemed appropriate, given this year's Christmas celebrations.

We started the Monday before Christmas. Kevin's sister and her boyfriend flew to DC to spend the holiday with Kevin's mom. So we all went out to dinner while Kevin and I were still in town, then back to my mother-in-law's place to open presents. Dinner was at an Argentinian steak house with excellent sides like fried plantains and cheesy rice. And presents were a lot of fun. Everyone basically exchanged books and board games which is my ideal gift exchange.

On Christmas Eve, Kevin, Connor, and I woke up way too early to fly to Colorado. We landed in Colorado as the sun was rising, to give you an idea of how long this day lasted. My mom picked us up at the airport and we went back to her place to rest and nap. Then it was time to head to her older sister's house for the huge family Christmas party. Everyone from our side of the family attends, as well as all of my aunt's in-laws. There's a big turkey dinner, a ton of catching up, and the most chaotic present opening you will ever see. After the party we went back to my mom's house for a much quieter gift exchange.

My mom has recently become enamored with Doctor Who, so we spent most of Christmas morning watching a Doctor Who marathon before heading over to her younger sister's house from Christmas brunch (at 2 in the afternoon) and the smaller family celebration (which was still bigger than our Thanksgiving dinner).

The next morning we woke up and drove down to my dad's girlfriend's house. We spent the day playing pinochle and Settlers of Catan, then enjoyed a delicious prime rib dinner. This was the only night that we needed no designated driver, and we took full advantage of that fact, breaking out moonshine and whiskey in addition to the typical wine and beer.

The rest of trip was spent celebrating my mom's birthday before we flew home on the 30th. It was a whirlwind trip, especially with a big dinner planned on nearly every night we were there. But it was a ton of fun to see everyone, including some family friends I haven't seen in years - this was Kevin's first time meeting them. I'm excited to go back in March. We won't be there any longer, but it will be nice to be back so soon and without all the craziness of the holidays.

Reading Resolutions

This entry is coming a little late. In all the excitement of the holidays and subsequent near-hibernation levels of relaxing I enjoyed, I ended up abandoning my blog for a bit. And now I have a bunch of things to write to get caught up, including entries about several books that I finished a while ago.

But this post is about looking forward and setting reading goals for the new year. Last year I joined Goodreads, set a goal of 52 books, and attempted a couple of reading challenges. I flew past the book goal, clocking in at 90 books read in 2014. But I ultimately abandoned both challenges.

This year I've set my goal for 75 books. I don't want to push myself too hard, and I want to have some room to rest in case I do hit a slump this year. I'd also like to spend some time doing things other than reading and obsessing about all the books I haven't read yet. Things got a little crazy last year, especially since I was paying more attention to new releases and various book blogs. I'm hoping to take a step back and just enjoy whatever I'm reading at the moment with less pressure to get to the next book.

I also don't think I'll do an official reading challenge this year. Though I did come across a few interesting ones, especially Book Riot's Read Harder challenge. But mostly I just want to increase the diversity in what I read while still making room for books I enjoy. To that end I'm going to do my best to seek out books written by authors from other countries. Books that are set in Africa and Asia and Latin America, and also books set in America written by African-American, Asian-American, and Latin-American authors. There's a few on my list already, and I'll be keeping my eye out for more.

At complete odds with this goal, I've also started reading Robert Jordan's 14-book epic The Wheel of Time series. Classic high fantasy written by a white dude. But it's good so far, and I'm hoping to make a big dent in it this year.

In addition to these reading goals, I'm setting myself a writing goal. I'd like to get something actually published this year. Nothing too big, just a small article on par with some of my blog posts. I've written a couple of things that I'm pretty proud of, and I'd like to see how I measure up against a bigger audience.

So those are my big 2015 resolutions. Read a little less, but in ways that expand my horizons and get something small published somewhere. Wish me luck.