November Recap, December Intentions
The weather outside is **not yet** frightful.
I had a weird revelation the other day. I went downstairs to put the wash in. I was already in a grumpy mood, the laundry basket wasn’t cooperating with my hip, the open washer doors blocked the laundry door, just grumpy grumpy.
As I fumbled with quarters and tried to calm down the Angries (I don’t like feeling angry. I just overtakes me) I thought, “Well, I won’t have to do all this never-ending slog of housework when I’m dead.” And then I realized — when I’m dead, I won’t feel the ridges on the quarter. I won’t line it up to stick it in the slot. I won’t pour soap into the detergent cup, I won’t do any of it. This life I’m living now is my only shot at any of this. It’s, yes, wild and precious. What will I do with it?
Suddenly, I was able to look at some of my goals and realize how meaningless they are. What does it matter whether or not I get “the right” amount of steps in each day? What happens if I somehow manage to actually achieve a full year of three rings? What then?
So, with that cheery reminder of my mortality, here I go.
Goals & Progress for November
Goal: Read 1 1/2 ClassicQuest novels.
Report: Yes? No? I finished Oliver Twist but actually read Cloud Cuckoo Land as my next Kindle read. Read? No. Devoured. So good. But anyway, I think I messed up my calculations, and I actually only need to read 1/2 of a CQ each month, since my goal is 6/year. So, I say yes.
Goal: Read 3 non-ClassicQuest novels.
Report: (Final verdict, done.) Not quite done, but on track since I read 4 last month. This month it was only All My Rage (SO good, grim read) and Freewater (also SO GOOD, less grim even though it’s about slavery in the south). Oh wait! Cloud Cuckoo Land counts (SO SO SO GOOD), so yes! I did make it!
Goal: Write an October update for A Hodgepodge of Huffmans.
Report: Done!
Goal: Write 4 Emily’s Notebook posts.
Report: Okay, I got two written and two drafted. So I’m on a good trajectory toward success. Just warmin’ up the old blog engines.
Goal: Write 10k words of Lucy in Love.
Report: Again, didn’t quite reach the goal but I got about 7,000 words in. Very decent progress.
Goal: Complete 31 3-ring days on the Apple Watch.
Report: Alas, my months-long streak was broken when I went to New York and left my watch charger at home. Wahhhhhh. Time to start over again. Or just…not.
Goal: Complete 4 weeks of Thinner Leaner Stronger.
Report: Done, but starting to slack off into two workouts per week. Eep.
Goal: Get into the 140’s.
Report: NO BUT IT’S ABOUT TO HAPPEN. REALLY. FOR REAL THIS TIME. (See goal update below.)
Goal: Finish embroidery sampler. Not quite. No excuses, really, other than the fact that I had more than the big scary flower to complete — also some leaves. I’m at least halfway done with the leaves! Just gotta keep plugging away at it, is all.
Goal: Make 2 recipes from the ScandiKitchen Fika & Hygge cookbook. I did this! I made the blueberry studmuffins, which were okay, and the birthday rolls, also okay.
Goal: Make 4 old-timey cocktails. I made 3? The two featured in the previous post (too lazy and sleepy to find it, sorryyyy) and one Martinez for my mother-in-law.
Goal: Finish CS50 Lecture #2. I’m starting to care less about this one than before. If it has to drop off, so be it.
November Goals
Goal: Read 1/2 a ClassicQuest novel. Adjusting my reading goal to what it actually should be. I think the 1 1/2 was from when I set a quarterly goal. In reality, I’ll probably finish Age of Innocence and get a bit of the way through the next book of my choosing.
Goal: Read 3 non-ClassicQuest novels. Currently reading Scout’s Honor, and I’ll find my next reads based on what’s available when I’m finished with it. I also started American Nations, but I’m only reading ten minutes at the start of each day, so I doubt I’ll be done come January. (Although, with winter vacation, who knows.)
Goal: Write December’s Hodgepodge of Huffman update. Yep-yep.
Goal: Write 4 blog posts here. Look, I’ll even plan them out: this one, a wintery cocktail (???), clothing purchase apologetics, and THM BABYYYY.
Goal: Write 10k words of Lucy in Love. If I end up at 17k words of nonsense, I’ll be satisfied. (See above re: 7k already written.)
Goal: Get 31 3-ring days on my Apple Watch. Although I’ve already missed a day in December, so. I dunno.
Goal: Get into the 140’s. WHICH IS GOING TO HAPPEN MAYBE EVEN TOMORROW BECAUSE I’M BACK ON THE TRIM HEALTHY MAMA CRAZY TRAIN, OH YEAH, WHOOP WHOOP, AIRHORNS AND SIRENS!!! Ahem. Excuse the outburst.
Goal: Finish embroidery sampler. Really. I will.
Goal: Make 2 recipes from the ScandiKitchen Fika & Hygge cookbook. Peppernuts this month! And maybe another cookie. But not the one that involves ammonia, yuck.
Goal: Make 4 old-timey cocktails. Whee, I can do this! Friday nights are for cocktails.
Goal: Mail off Christmas card + the Huffman update before December 15. It has been written.
Goal: Mail off Secret Santa Gifts before December 21. I can do it! I can!
mins
read
