outta mind outta site

Tips for successful goalmaking and resolutions

Related: My 12 goals for 2012

Alright,  ladies and gents, 2012 is upon us in  just a few days, and I'm working on my final list of 12 goals for 2012. I made some last-minute goals/resolutions last year, but didn't really put too much time or effort into the making of them, and as a result sort of forgot all about them and they mostly didn't get done. So this year my very first resolution of all was to make a thoughtful, realistic list of goals to achieve in 2012. COMING SOON!

Anyways, going back even further to 2010 goals, I kind of didn't 100% succeed on my 30 While 30 list, mostly because I Met a Boy and got sidetracked  (worth it!), but I took a look back at that 2010 list and realize that I've in fact accomplished roughly 66% of it in the past two years, and that's pretty good. What did I not do?

-Take a skiing class
-Learn to change a bike tire
-Do an overnight solo camping trip
-Go to the top of the Washington Monument
-Do yoga every day
-Get an article published
-Blog twice a week
-Find a signature scent
-Visit Glacier National Park
-See one concert a month

But what DID I do? All the rest of the goals, including pay off my student loans, go to the Caribbean, volunteer, be more financially responsible, read two books a month, get certified in CPR, learn to pitch a tent, etc etc and lots more. Not too shabby! That's 20ish goals successfully stuck to, in a 24-month period rather than the original 12-month period, but still.

What helped me out? Well, let me tell you. These are tactics I'm employing for my 2012 goals, and I've found them enormously useful. Hopefully you will too.

1. Start resolution brainstorming early and thoughtfully
Don't just make resolutions or goals for the sake of it being December 31st. And definitely don't make a list in one hour or under. Come December 1st, if possible, take stock of your past year. What was good, what was bad? What did you wish you did more of, where did you succeed? I do lots of mindless, aimless, wandering thinking about this stuff (usually on long runs or during meditation) but I think lots of random journaling or walks or drinking alone over several beers or wherever you think best would help you suss this out over a period of a few weeks. When you've done lots of musing on the topic, the goals/resolutions normally come to you pretty effortlessly. Write down your goal list; sleep on it; edit and rewrite it a day or two after; sleep on it; do one more final list and you'll have a pretty solid list of considered goals that are meaningful and important to you. If you haven't made resolutions yet, don't worry about January 1. Make your goals/resolutions start February 1 instead.

2. Be specific
The tip almost every resolution tip list includes. It's really important, though. You will never achieve vague goals, simply by the fact that they're not defined in any way, so you have nothing to aim for. Be Happier? Be Healthier? Those are bullshit goals (no offense). Try this: Lose 10 pounds. Train for a race (even better, pick out the race you want to train for ahead of time). Go to the gym 3 times a week. (Mightygirl.com has a really nice, measured approach to exercising more, btw.)

Don't say "be more financially responsible" -- I did that in 2010 and it sort of worked, but I would have been better off saying, I will save $xxx by the end of 2011, or I will meet with a financial advisor. Want to keep in better touch with friends? For the love of god, don't make your resolution "I will keep in better touch with friends." Say something like, "I will place one phone call a week to an old friend" or "I will create a standing lunch date with X friend once a week." Get as granular as possible. Think broadly, of course - but create resolutions specifically. The specific resolutions will get you to that broader end goal much more easily.

3. Be realistic
If you've had Quit Smoking on your resolution list for 4 years running and it's never happened, you're going to need a new resolution. How about something like, I will cut my cigarette intake by 2/3 by July, or I will go see a health professional about ways to help me quit smoking? Same for something like losing weight or being healthier. If you haven't ever lost the weight, but it's been on your list for years, try a different, more realistic goal -- I will sign up for a personal trainer for 3 months. I will exercise 30 minutes 3 times a week. Etc etc. This is a bit the same as the Be Specific tip, but still a good way of thinking about goals, I find.

4. Write down your goals
It doesn't matter if you do it in a public place or a private journal, for some reason, this really helps. Take it a step further: place that written list in a very visible place where you'll see it at least once a day. I did this with my 30 while 30 goals, broken up by quarter. I printed out the several ongoing goals per every three months (ie, read two books a month, so read 6 books in this quarter), plus the 5 main one-time goals I wanted to hit that quarter, and stuck it on my bathroom mirror. Oh, though, the embarrassment when I forgot to hid that list the first time Zach ever came to my apartment and he came out of the bathroom and was like, uh, what is that list all about that also includes the bullet points "Go on more dates" AND THEN I DIED.

5. Create a plan
Immediately after settling on your resolutions, tackle them like they are work projects - because, uh, they sort of are - and create a full fledged plan for how you're going to do them. They're not going to magically happen, after all. One of my goals in 2010 was to get certified in CPR, and as soon as I'd settled on that goal, I researched CPR classes and signed up for one in February that fit my schedule. This year, my biggest goal is qualifying for the Boston Marathon, so I've already signed up for a race and created a training calendar. Volunteering is one of your resolutions? Research now, and identify your top 3 fits for where you want to volunteer, taking into account your interests, location, and schedule (I can tell you now that no matter how bad you want to volunteer somewhere, if they're located 20 miles from your house and only have volunteer opportunities like, Wednesday at 11am, it's not gonna work out).

Seriously, put stuff like google calendar reminders in there about your resolutions. Plan. It. Out.

6. Visual reminders
This is most helpful for me in my goals. In addition to printing out my goal list and looking at it every day, I incorporate goals into my daily computer routine (the place where I spend the most time, dur). This is how I do it:

I sign up for programs like socialworkout.com or mint.com or pick a site that aligns with a goal (for running, my Runners' World training log online, for my goal of qualifying for Boston Marathon), and I make all of those sites my home page. IE, in the AM, when I open my work browser, several tabs open at once-- I have mint.com, runnersworld.com, socialworkout.com, and other sites, auto-loaded, staring me in the face. Any time firefox crashes on me (176 times a day) and I have to reopen my browser, those sites are loaded and looking at me, saying, Catherine, don't forget, YOU PROMISED TO SAVE $XXX MONEY/DO YOGA THREE TIMES A WEEK/RUN A FREAKING MARATHON. It may even be worth it to create a google doc with your goals and make that one of your homepage tabs, too. YOU WILL NEVER FORGET.

I also used to use an auto-tweet program for running because it really encouraged me but apparently my friends would rather not receive those tweets 3-4 times a week so I had to stop. But I found it really motivating and helpful, because it held me accountable and I enjoyed sharing the fruits of my goal-making labors. So if you're into the social media, Garmin and Nike+ and a ton of other programs will autoshare your workouts, and I think it's a great way to keep on track with health/exercise goals.

Anyways, I think that's my full gamut of goalmaking/resolution-making tips. Hope they are helpful for you! Got any others to share with me? What are your goals for 2012?

Tutoring for FLOC

A few months ago I started doing elementary school literacy tutoring for FLOC (floc.org) (a long-time 30 while 30 goal) and find it incredibly rewarding. They're an amazing organization. As a PSA, I'm cutting and pasting wholesale a recent donation/volunteer letter from them. Consider signing up for their summer tutoring session (just 7 weeks long, 2x a week) or sign up in the fall. (Volunteer contact info at the bottom.)

Dear Catherine,  

 

Last month, my colleague Elizabeth told you that we are doubling the size of our summer tutoring program!  That means that another 50 hardworking children can participate in FLOC programs from first grade all the way through college and beyond.

 

It is our ability to serve students through their entire academic careers that empowers us to develop the next generation of leaders - leaders like Barbara.  Barbara is about to graduate from the FLOC Scholars Program and from high school here in her hometown of Washington, D.C.  This fall, Barbara will start her freshman year at Northwestern University as a Gates Millennium Scholar where she will study economics and geography.  She's already got her eyes set on a career in international economics. 

 

She's become quite an impressive leader AND she's far exceeded the expectations of young people in her community.  Here's what she had to say about it:

 

"D.C. kids need a support system.  High School graduation is seen as an achievement when it should be a standard.  D.C. kids settle for what's expected of them, not what they're capable of...At FLOC, I saw myself becoming the person I wanted to become."

 

FLOC helped Barbara recognize what she was capable of, and we helped her make the necessary plans to realize her potential. 

 

In the 10^th Grade Scholars Program, Barbara spent a year developing the scrap book of her life, a project through which students make plans for the next ten years of their lives.  Every topic is covered: high school, college, financial literacy, career, family and more.  Plus, Barbara spent a day shadowing an employee at USAID - this is when she decided to pursue a career in international development.

 

In 11^th grade, Barbara worked with FLOC to make her college plans.  She made a list of her top choice colleges, took an SAT prep course, and even wrote her first college essay.

 

In 12^th grade, Barbara worked one-on-one with a FLOC academic advisor who supported her through the college application, financial aid, and scholarship processes. She also continued attending FLOC workshops to plan for her four years in college.  And she attended college campus tours with FLOC students and staff.

 

One of the best ways to support students like Barbara is to begin providing educational services to them as early as first grade.  At FLOC, this is exactly what we do. 

 

Today, I'm asking you to help us build the next generation of students like Barbara.  Will you help us open our doors to even more inspiring young people next month?  You can do this by sponsoring the volunteers who serve in our Summer Tutoring Program with gifts of $25 for each two-hour tutoring session.  The children we serve today will be leaders like Barbara tomorrow.   

 

By sponsoring the tutoring program, you are helping FLOC build a pipeline of students who we will support through our three educational programs:  Neighborhood Tutoring Program, Scholars Program and Outdoor Education Center.  And we will support them until they land their dream jobs.

 

Barbara is proof that this can and WILL work!  Sponsor one, two, or even ten summer tutoring sessions by making a donation now.

 

Thank you for your support!     

 

Barbara at Shadow Day

All my best,   

Sara Maddox

FLOC Scholars Program 

 

 

P.S. FLOC's summer tutoring program is still seeking volunteers.  Contact Elizabeth Metz at [email protected] for more information.

Things I Am Doing

You know what I miss most about this space? Writing about  my cooking. Guys, I am now a cooking fiend. I mean, I'm no Julia Child, but the past 1.5 years or so of just trying -- anything -- in the kitchen has rewarded me in myriad ways. I'm far more confident in my cooking. I make shit up, which is something I never dared do before. I tackle roasts, homemade pasta, sauces of all sorts. Like I said, nobody's going to pin a #1 Gourmet pin on my lapel, but I like it. I'm cooking lots. I should be posting the results here, because they're pretty good, and I'd like to access them later, but I'm a bit lazy in the posting lately, if you hadn't noticed. Reminder to self: Don't ever doubt Marcella Hazan, especially not her bolognese recipe with fresh tagliatelle. What. Up.

• What else? Well, I've finally tackled an item on my 30 while 3...1 list that had been important to me: I'm volunteering. I tutor at a local elementary school literacy and math program. And though my 8-year-old tutee has made it pretty clear he thinks I'm a mean and relentless hard-ass, it's very rewarding and he's improving. I think.

• Oh yeah. We went to Italy. It was, you know, whatever, pretty fine and stuff:

• A dear friend who I've known since I was 12 had her baby, and I saw him for the first time this weekend. She's the first "old" friend of mine to reproduce. Newborns are cute and resemble giant burritos when swaddled. They cry a lot, but nobody seems to mind due to aforementioned cuteness... except maybe the parents who haven't achieved REM cycle sleep in 4 weeks.

• A few trips are in the planning for this summer - Charlottesville, Michigan and Wyoming. The latter two are for giganto family reunions. I'll finally be able to meet all 16 of Z's aunts and uncles... no joke. As for Wyoming (August), I'd love to tack on a few days there after we spend a family reunion weekend in Laramie, but am not quite sure what to do that's within a half a day driving distance (Yellowstone, regrettably, is not). Any ideas, Wyomingites?

• I've become disturbingly obsessed with higher-end make up and beauty products. Guys, this is not a habit you want to get into. Kiehl's products make me happy, and make my wallet empty. Trips to Sephora produce full lashes and rosy cheeks, but disappearing bank statements. Stick to CVS. (Oh, especially stick to those Sally Hansen sticker manicure things - they're definitely one drugstore thing that is super rad, I can attest. And vinegar on your hair still works wonders.)

I think that's it for now. Spring in DC is really quite lovely, and it's been a wonderful and happy season so far. So glad to be out of the winter doldrums and on the way to...hellish humidity? Ah well. As long as there's sunshine involved, I'll take it.

Catherine Learns to Cook: Recipe #28: Sweet Potato Ravioli in Cheese Broth

Last June Zach and I went to Brooklyn for the weekend. He'd lived there a few years before moving to DC and took me to one of his favorite spots, Frankie's in Carroll Gardens. I lucked out when ordering the sweet potato ravioli in cheese broth. It was enticing - sweet, savory, spicy, lots of other adjectives that start with S, etc - and I thought I hadn't had pasta so good since the last time I was in Italy, and despaired of only ever having it every time I went up to Brooklyn.

But just days later, my prapers were answered, and Serious Eats posted the recipe to the very dish I was obsessing over! You know what was funny? The ravioli was made with WONTON wrappers!

I set out a few weeks ago to recreate the dish and found it relatively easy for such a complex-tasting meal. It does require several steps, as well as finding wonton wrappers (I could only find egg roll wrappers at Whole Foods, which, when cut to circular sizes with a can, seemed to work), but it's well worth it. And the cheese broth - so simple, so delicious. Who knew adding a parmesan rind to some simmering water would end up so tasty? The one caveat is that making the ravioli, stuffing the wrapper, sealing it, etc etc, takes absolutely forever, so prepare some time. However, you can make these ahead of time and freeze them for later, too.

 

Anyways, in short, very recommended. You make it in your kitchen and end up with a dish that tastes like it came out of a really great restaurant. Which, I guess, it does! You can find the full recipe here.

 

Making it back

Look, we're not going to even pretend that it's been two months since I've posted here! Ignore ignore ignore! But I'm looking to get back on the blogging train - and more importantly, the 30 while 31 track. I've really missed the structure and motivation that the list has given me. And I miss blogging. So here we go. What shall I write about? How about an update on the list and where I stand on items so far?

-Volunteer: Making strides on this! Will soon do training to become a tutor volunteer for FLOC.org, at the (long-ago) suggestion of Adrienne.

-Cooking: I still cook quite often, though I don't record it on the blog anymore. Recent favorites? Sweet potato ravioli, mushroom lasagna, butternut squash risotto, slow-poached salmon with stewed cabbage and bacon. I'll post photos and recipes to these all soon.

-Yoga: I'm not up to daily, but I have been pretty good about doing it 2-3 times a week. The key? Watching LivingSocial, Groupon, etc, like a hawk for yoga coupons that make the enterprise pretty cheap.

-Read two books a month: Zach gave me a Kindle for Christmas/birthday, and it has increased the pace of my reading by a huge amount. Recently read: Under the Banner of Heaven; Matterhorn; The Passage; The Imperfectionists; the entire Hunger Games series (IN ONE WEEKEND); A Visit From the Goon Squad. That's 8 books since January so this is one I've got a handle on. Any particular recommendations you have to pass on to me?

-Redesign my website. Uhh...I'm going to look at new Typepad templates tonight. Does that count?

-Learn to change a bike tire - plan on bugging a friend soon about this.

-Meditate - I'm trying to re-start a daily meditation practice. I've found that MeditationOasis.com has iPhone and Droid guided meditation apps that are quite nice and of varying lengths and are really easy to use. Helpful if meditating without a guide is difficult for you, as it is for me.

-Be more financially responsible - epic #fail


-Find a signature scent and buy real lingerie - these now seem slightly frivolous to me. For perfume, this is what I do: every time I order from Sephora I get a bunch of free samples of perfume and then just rotate through those. Lingerie? I'm still at a loss how to find some that won't cost my wallet hundreds of dollars. But the hunt will continue, I promise.

-Go to the top of the Washington Monument - I need to get on this before the springtime tourist horde descends! Any takers?

-Make 2010 the best year of my life - clearly this has got to be changed to 2011. Honestly, I need to change my attitude this year a bit. Winter doldrums have got me down, as has the amount of money one apparently needs to spend to get hitched. And if you're spending a lot of money on that enterprise, you don't have any money to do much else. I can't tell you how many nights have been spent in the company of Netflix - while of course the best invention of the 21st century, it's still something that can get a little old. So I'm committing myself to finding more free, fun activities, and to having a more positive attitude going forward, at least until spring arrives and I can count on a semi-regular dose of vitamin D to up my mood. I think this goes under the "be more mindful" goal, as well.

-Blog twice a week - it's become clear to me over the past year that I'm more fulfilled and have more of a sense of purpose when I'm blogging. Slightly strange, because you might think the opposite - it's a time suck - but I love it, miss it, and am hoping to be here regularly.

Keeping it Simple

Resolutions for 2011! These are still important to me. Keeping in mind I'm planning a wedding and I'm old and weak now, I'm going to keep them relatively simple.

#1. Complete 30 while 30 - the measurable, one-time goals, for sure (like buy real lingerie and go to the top of the Washington monument and cook a five-course meal). Continue the weekly or daily goals as much as possible, even if constant documentation of them on this blog does not occur.

#2. Get married. Plan fun, relatively simple wedding that is as fun and meaningful for our guests as it is for us.

#3. Take one real pre-wedding vacation with Zach.

#4. Run one half-marathon or 10-miler.

#5. Do yoga at least 3 times a week.

#6. Be better about spending time with friends. The past year, with the new boyfriend-turned-fiance, and the new stressful all-consuming job, made me really bad about this. Time to reach out more.

#7. Read a book a month. I am a lucky girl and got a Kindle for Christmas. I just blew through "The Passenger" on it in like a week. Anybody else read that book? Holy page-turning addiction.

#8. Pay attention, invest in, and appreciate relationships with Zach and my amazing family.

#9. Stay as vegetarian as possible. I'm trying to eat vegetarian to be a bit healthier, but I have a feeling a bit of meat may slip in there occasionally. Perhaps it is easier to say: limit meat consumption to 2 or 3 times a month, and make it count - ie, it better be some really darn good meat.

I think that may be it! What about you?

What I've Been Up To (AKA I'm Alive!)

Oh lord. I covered my eyes, peeked at this blog, and realized I haven't updated in nearly a month. Eesh. I'm the worst blogger OF ALL TIME!

But here's a note to let you know that I'm back...ish. That is, the insane few months that were August, September and October are done with, and I'm hoping to settle in to a much calmer period of life, with more time to pay attention to this here blog -- and even restart the 30 while 30 project (though frankly it looks like it'll be the 30 While I'm Alive Project).

So what's been keeping me so busy? Basically insane amounts of travel. There was that whole stretch of the 10 flights in 10 days madness, but that wasn't even all of it. Zach and I then went on vacation to Seattle and Portland, and while it was just lovely and fun, I think it was hard for us to truly relax and feel like it was a real vacation, since we'd both been in the mindset of epic business travel. And we hadn't spent a full weekend at home together, doing nothing, with no plans or obligations, in ages. That weekend finally came over Halloween, and I'd like to report we spent Halloween Saturday night watching a DVD and falling asleep by 9pm. True bliss is finding somebody who sucks at much at Halloween as you do.

But just as I was able to start to relax, I was sent off for work business again -- this time for nearly a week in Denver, which, it turns out, is kind of an awesome city. I only wish I hadn't been working 14-hour days and could have seen more of it. Anyways, business or not, work also continues to be crazy, and much of my time has been devoted to that and then mainlining wine by the time I get home and can turn my mind off.

The other thing? Zach and I went on an apartment hunt. Our hunt was actually blissfully short -- we found and got the apartment of our dreams in, oh, a 12-hour process -- but now comes the dreaded moving part. I'm also sad to leave my lovely little Bloomingdale apartment. I was a freespirited single lady there. All the Big Bear baristas got to know me by name. It's got the coziest feeling and the best exposed brick and I kinda sorta taught myself to cook in the kitchen with the cute gas stove and the broad butcherblock counters. Most of all I'll be sad to leave the wonderful neighborhood of Bloomingdale. Le sigh. (I'm not so sad about moving within a block radius of Bar Pilar, though.) But the time has come to move on. Literally.

Anyways, the next two weeks will be consumed with moving plans. Also, Zach (oh, who, by the way got a new job that allowed him to finally return to DC at the start of October) and I feel like we can officially start the "planning" of this whole "wedding" thing. Honestly, we've barely given it a thought in the past couple of months. If I had my way, I think I'd do what April and Jeremy did (seriously you have to watch their elopement video), but as it is, we've gotta plan a shindig...of sorts. The plan is to keep it small and casual, and not that I'm going to turn this place into a wedding blog, but I imagine I'll post updates here. I'm going dress-trying on next weekend, for example. Oh, lord. I really wish I hadn't sampled every Colorado beer ever and then also ate basically fried chicken for dinner the past 12 nights.

Additionally, since Zach and I plan on paying for most of the wedding ourselves, we've sat down and are trying to implement a really strict budget for ourselves for the next year-ish (we're aiming for an October 2011 wedding). How strict, you ask? Like spending only $150 (per person) a week strict. Which frankly sounds impossible. But the attempt to do it so far is like a sick fun challenge for us. So far. Because we've been doing it for 24 hours. Oh god. Got any tips on how to save, oh, $15,000 in under a year?

30 While 30: The Second Quarter Report

Well, hello, July 11! It's the halfway mark of my 30 While 30 project (and, incidentally, my half birthday! THAT MUCH CLOSER TO DEATH AWESOME). As you may have deduced from a recent post (and the general fact that I haven't blogged much in the past month or two), this quarter of the project has not gone quite as well as the first. I could make a ton of excuses, but the fact is, it's just been a combination of a variety of life factors that came into play that have prevented me from having as much success as I'd hoped. Since I can't quite complain about any of them, though, I don't feel too awful. I am determined to re-focus on this project in the next six months and tackle a bunch of the goals with renewed vigor and whatnot, so here's hoping I have more success in the future! 

For a full report, click below.

Accomplishing 30 While 30: Learning to Pitch a Tent

I did it -- the very first goal on my 30 while 30 list! Okay, granted: It's not in the great outdoors. It's in my living room. But, hey, I did it! I am a tent pitching master! I even got the rain fly on correctly. Huzzah! 

For anybody interested, this tent is an REI halfdome that my parents got me for Christmas. It is lovely and has more than enough space for two people. 

PHYSICAL PROOF!

Now, I just have to figure out a place to go do an overnight camping trip by myself. That's not my backyard. Anybody have any suggestions?

Accomplishing 30 While 30: Wilderness First Aid

So, part of my list was to get certified in both CPR and wilderness first aid. I did the CPR part back in February, and was aiming to get the WFA part done this quarter.

But as I kept looking around at classes, I kept seeing that they cost hundreds of dollars and took up whole weekends, sometimes more. I've been unable to find anybody who's taken one of these certification classes, so I was unable to determine if they are useful and worth the investment. So I took an in-between step: I ordered a pretty solid first aid kit (I never had one before, believe it or not), and aim to buy a book or two related to WFA. Oh, and to never go camping without folks who know what they're doing. I injured my toe pretty badly on my last trip, but thankfully, 3 people there had first aid kits, and knew exactly what to do. Ugh. This toe. It's still freaking me out. Anyways.

This seems like a cop-out, and I'm not saying a WFA course would be useless. But I figure if I educate myself through some solid resources, and train myself on how to properly use my kit, I'll be okay. And I do know CPR. I have a pretty card that proves it.

I'm counting this one as a sort-of-done. It was something I started off thinking was necessary, but as I go through this year and evaluate my needs and costs, it seems like I want to do it less and less. Mainly, I just don't have a few hundred to drop on it. And the camping I do is relatively tame. If I ever go backcountry camping for weeks in a remote location by myself, I'd consider it, but for now I'm hoping an REI first aid kit and book can get me through anything I encounter.

So, Life is happening

Sadly, there's not much to report. Because LIFE IS KICKING MY ASS. In a kind of absurdly good way, thankfully, but also in the kind of way that you are devoting a ton of time to only a couple of things, and so everything else, like, say, all your goals for this quarter, get thrown to the side.

My new job is fantastic; I've never really enjoyed or been fulfilled by a job in this way before, and I adore my smart, talented coworkers. That said, when I finish at the end of the day, it's all I can do to stumble into the nearest bar and grunt incoherent words. My personal life is wonderful as well, but also super busy, and I'm traveling all the time. My blogging, cooking, and yoga have really taken a hit due to this, but I'm hoping a resurgence is on the horizon. I also may have foolishly decided to train for a marathon this summer, so…yeah. Uh. Life! What a thing! Eh? EH?

Even some of the smaller goals are proving a bit difficult. For example. I was in Charlottesville this weekend for my dear little sister's graduation from UVa, and she and I spent an afternoon wandering the Downtown Mall. We passed a lingerie store, and as one of my goals this year is to "buy real lingerie," I was like, well. Jeez. Let's just go into this store, buy something lacy, and call that goal done. So we walked in and OH MY GOD EVERY BRA IN THAT STORE WAS LITERALLY OVER $120!!! WHAT DO THESE BRAS DO FOR YOU?! DO THEY SHOOT OYSTERS AND GOLD OUT OF THE FRONT? DO THE STRAPS PERFORM DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE?! HOLY MOLY!

So that was a shock. So, yeah. If anybody has any tips for "real lingerie" that isn't going to cost as much as my master's degree, they'd be much appreciated.

All this to say: things on the goal front are a bit tough right now, but I'm trying to be a bit easier on myself. I'm happier right now than I've been in years and years, and that's got to count for something. So even if this quarter's goals aren't going forward quite as planned, I need to stop stressing and enjoy things as they come -- and then maybe focus on rededicating myself to them in a bit. After all, one of my goals was to make 2010 the best year of my life -- and honestly, so far, it seems to be going that way. If that's the only goal I get done this year, I'll be pretty happy.

30 While 30: The First Quarter Report

Well, can you believe it? The past three months have positively flown by. (Remember that I'm starting from my birthday on January 11, so today is the three-month mark of my 30 While 30 project.) Let's take a look at what I've accomplished, shall we?

First, the overarching goals that I'm trying to keep up with all year long:

Catherine Learns to Cook: Recipe #10: Roasted Sea Bass With Tomato and Olive Salad

Wondering what this is? As part of a list of 30 goals I want to accomplish while I'm 30, I promised that I would cook one recipe a week. You can see the list of recipes so far here.

This recipe came out of nowhere. I had been wandering around the streets aimlessly during lunch, swung by Whole Foods, and remembered a sea bass recipe I'd idly glanced at a day or two before on Epicurious so picked up the ingredients for it. I felt like doing something a little bit lighter, and this fish+tasty tomato salad recipe seemed like a good way to welcome the warmer weather. And it was! 

That on the right there is some fennel my friend brought over from his CSA box (the same source of all the crazy potatoes in the previous frittata recipe). We roasted it for about 40 minutes at 400 degrees or so, just with some olive oil and salt, and oh, em, geezy. It was about the best thing ever. Had a sweetly nutty flavor. Two thumbs up, would eat again.

The tomato and olive salad was particularly tasty. All in all, a very nice meal. You can grab the recipe here.

PS: If you have any good spring dish suggestions, please let me know! I love the cookbooks I have, but they all seem geared towards heavier wintry dishes, and I'm ready for a bit of lightness in my food.

>> See all Catherine Learns to Cook posts

Catherine Learns to Cook: Recipe #9: Potato, Onion and Rosemary Frittata

Wondering what this is? As part of a list of 30 goals I want to accomplish while I'm 30, I promised that I would cook one recipe a week. You can see the list of recipes so far here.

I think I learned about this recipe via Adrienne's Twitter, who may have learned about it from Ezra. The origins remain unclear. Regardless, it looked tasty, so I filed it away on my del.icio.us feed. Then, Friday morning, I came into a lot of potatoes. I panicked, then remembered this recipe. And lo, Friday night found me slicing a crap ton of potatoes on my kitchen counter.

Wise Amanda noted that the recipe called for a lot more potatoes than were probably needed, but since I was in a potato panic, I just used all of them anyways.

The result? Because I used way too many potatoes, it was less of an eggy frittata and more of...a giant sliced layered potato pie. But it was still tasty! I found some goat cheese in my fridge and layered that on top as it was in the broiler, and that made it even better. The leftovers today are quite good, so I imagine I'll be eating this for breakfast for a few days to come.

>> See all Catherine Learns to Cook posts

Catherine Learns to Cook: Recipe #8: Oven-roasted Shrimp with Feta and Tomatoes

Wondering what this is? As part of a list of 30 goals I want to accomplish while I'm 30, I promised that I would cook one recipe a week. You can see the list of recipes so far here.

Do you know Kat? If not, you should. She's part of the Google Reader community that I adore, and besides being a cool person to boot, she's got a nice little cooking blog that I enjoy reading. The thing I really like about her blog: She's obviously a great cook, but breaks down the recipes in super simple ways that make me think, "Hey! I could do that!" And when I saw this recipe for oven-roasted shrimp and tomatoes with feta, I thought, "Hey! I could do that!" And so I did.

This was super easy, and incredibly tasty.

Kat recommended serving the shrimp over polenta, which is another thing I've never before made. Turns out it's incredibly easy (I just followed the recipe on the bag of cornmeal I bought from the store). In fact, it was so easy I could handle the polenta and the shrimp ALL AT ONCE! This is truly a miracle for me. My cooking time management skills are not something I'm able to be proud of.

The end product. I scarfed down half, and still have enough for one or two more servings. Easy, delicious, and comes with tons of leftovers? That's pretty alright in my book.

>> See all Catherine Learns to Cook posts

Mouth to Mouth to Blog

The 30 While 30 goal-reaching continues unabated! (Well, err...sort of. I may have skipped yoga the past two days in a row. THE SHAME.) This past weekend I hit up a class at the Red Cross to get certified in CPR as part of my continued efforts to not die in the woods or let my friends die in the woods while they are with me. I mean, it’s not like we’re Dick Cheney (either in terms of the heart attacks or the shooting each other in the face) or anything, but can’t hurt to know how to do this kind of stuff just in case, right?

So I trundled down to the Red Cross building and took a class with about eight other folks (all women, all around my age-ish, interestingly enough) to get my CPR/AED certification. Six hours, one incredibly annoying instructor, and lots of mouth-to-mouth mannequin action later, I passsed the test and had my card! Woohoo! I also am now MEDICALLY TRAINED in how to use a defibrillator. Dr. Catherine, reporting for duty.

The process was relatively painless and cost about $60. For me it was well worth it, considering I previously didn’t have the vaguest clue about how to perform CPR. At the beginning of the class, the instructor asked us to go around and explain why we were taking the class. Most of the women there had to do it for job-related reasons, but one young 20-something girl said the following: “I just figured it was something that I should know. My mom nearly died recently and the only reason she lived is that somebody who was with her knew how to perform CPR.”

Word. Next up: finding a decent wilderness first aid certification course.

Accomplishing 30 While 30: Read Two Books a Month

Heyo! You didn't think I'd make that gigantic list and then not update you on any of my progress, did you? Nope. You get to read about how my 30 While 30 list is going ALL YEAR LONG. At the very least it should make good fodder for my goal to blog twice a week. Anyways, where I've already had the most progress is in reading books, so I'll be updating this page with every book I read. Here we go...

>> See my full 30 While 30 goal list

30 While 30: The List of 30 Goals to Accomplish in 2010

Well, here it is. The big old list. And I am going to do every single one of these items in the next 365 days. I will link this list up in the sidebar over there, and publish updates as they come. Here we go!

I Can Do a Headstand

You'll just have to imagine it being vertical, since I'm not smart enough to figure out how to rotate a video anywhere. Dur. But anyways: DONE! For those keeping track, that's two 30 While 30 goals concretely finished. 

Want updates on other goals? I'm keeping up with my reading (I'm on book #7, in fact); I saw one concert this month (Those Darlins at the Black Cat backstage, highly recommended); I have NOT done yoga every day since I started this challenge (I keep track; there have been 5 days since January 11 that I haven't done yoga, mostly due to vacation/traveling); I have been blogging at least twice a week; I'm starting to volunteer for PATC; I've started Italian lessons; I started a separate savings account for yoga teacher training; I am training for and have signed up for a half-marathon in March; and...I think that's it! Phew. No wonder January flew by so fast. It was an excellent month. Here's hoping February is as full and packed of fun activities, travel, friends, and goal accomplishment. 

Occasional Progress in Yoga: So How's that Headstand Going?

Not...great. But I'm nearly there. The most frustrating thing is that I can do a perfect headstand as long as I'm a few inches from a wall. When I'm out in the middle of the room, it is nearly impossible. So it's just the psychological barrier keeping me from doing it. Bah humbug, gotta work on that. Anywhere, here's video proof. Please ignore the fact that I cut most of my head off while talking to the camera: