Personal: August Update of My 2022 Goals

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So it seems that White Cabana has evolved into a goal update blog! Here we go with my August update:

  1. Write with my fountain pen. Yes! I still love this pen. I haven’t used it for my every day note-taking, but I do use it regularly. I love it especially for card writing!
  2. Complete house projects. We didn’t have much on our to do list in August. We maintained the garden. That’s about all.
  3. Stay active. I’ve just been walking here and there.
  4. Host people. People drop by all the time, but we didn’t host any specific events or large gatherings in August.
  5. Travel. It seems that August has just come and gone so quickly. We barely made it to the cottage. We’re postponing/cancelling our fall trip, which is a bit of a bummer, but it’s for a good reason.
  6. Read more. Sort of. On audio, I listened to Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang. It was great. I also listened to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, and it was wonderful. Angelou narrated it, and her voice is so powerful.
  7. Tame garbage. Reduce waste. Heck no. Who has a solution? I very much dislike our indoor and outdoor garbage sorting processes.
  8. Floss regularly. Yes. On it!
  9. Stop procrastinating. Yes. Like Juy, there has been no time to procrastinate this month. I have too much on the go!
  10. Have fun! Yes. Work life and family life have both been fun…even among the stress of busy days getting ready for fall activities and work!

Previous updates: January, February, March, May, June, July.

Personal: June Updates of my 2022 Goals

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The sun is shining, and I have been enjoying the warmth of summer. I’m happy to share this update of my 2022 goals.

  1. Write with my fountain pen. Yes. Last month, I thought my TWSBI fountain pen was broken, but after contacting a TWSBI representative, I was able to get all the parts in place. Yahoo! It really is a beautifully functioning pen.
  2. Complete house projects. Yes. This month marked the one year anniversary of our home purchase. Yay! We celebrated with a dinner of Popeyes and Veuve Clicquot. While sometimes I think that we haven’t made many drastic changes over the last year, in fact, we have. We have made each room a little bit more functional and aesthetically pleasing for us. Each room feels a bit more settled, and while the design process is slow, we have made movement. This month, I focused on my veggie garden. I check on my plants every gosh darn day, and I’m so pleased to see growth. My plant babies are doing well, and I hope they’ll be producing veggies soon. Patience, grasshopper, patience. (This has been very hard for my impatient self). I have found doing any work in the garden very calming and relaxing. Nature heals, as they say, right? My beau hung the hammock recently, and it’s a really perfect place to relax. We also have a new kitchen counter, sink, and faucet, which makes me so happy. What a difference this change has made. We’ve also ordered a few new light fixtures, which my beau will install soon. Finally, the toilet roll holder I ordered in February has finally arrived; this was the last necessary piece in our powder room refresh.
  3. Stay active. Sort of. Walking. Walking. Walking. That’s about all.
  4. Host people. Yes. One of my longest friends came for a visit at the end of May, which was great. We hosted our first outdoor music night. It was an intimate gathering on a beautiful evening.
  5. Travel. We’ve been fortunate to spend time at my beau’s family cottage regularly. We also took a tour of Port Credit on Father’s Day (it honestly felt like a vacation!). That said, I’m itching to escape Ontario!
  6. Read more. Yes. I’ve been enjoying audio books on my long drives and walks. I just finished Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. It was excellent. Read it. In my academic life, my book club is reading Academic Ableism by Jay Dolmage.
  7. Tame garbage. Reduce waste. We are trying. This is hard, but we are trying.
  8. Floss regularly. Yes. Daily.
  9. Walk regularly. Since I’ve got “stay active” on my list, I’m going to cross this one off to avoid repetition.
  10. Stop procrastinating. Yes. I think writing down my to do lists and having a lot on the go at work is keeping me accountable.
  11. Have fun! Yes. Seeing family and friends and making some plans for the summer had made daily life fun!

Previous updates: January, February, March, May.

Personal: December Update of My 2021 Goals

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It’s been nearly 12 months since I drafted a list of 14 goals for 2021. I’ll say goodbye to my 2021 goals with a short commentary on what I feel I can cross off (or not) as I reflect on last year and prepare my 2022 goals.

  1. Eat more vegetables. Yes. Done. Crossed off!
  2. Travel. Nope. Who knew in January 2021 that the world would be (mostly) shut down for the year.
  3. Save money. Sort of. I was on a good track and then a purchase (ahem…a house) has required me to review my finances, budget, and tracking systems.
  4. Pass on magazines/books/clothes/puzzles. Yes. Done. Crossed off!
  5. Crochet a blanket. Nope. Still many stitches to go!
  6. Reduce social media consumption. Sort of. I don’t really know how I should track this, but I feel that I have reduced my social media consumption.
  7. Renovate my bathroom. Eliminated this goal when we bought our new home. Now we have a new list of house projects!
  8. Play games. Yes! So many games were played (but mostly Bananagrams) in 2021.
  9. Edit my magazine subscriptions. Yes. Done. Crossed off!
  10. Read more. Yes. Done. Crossed off!
  11. Blog. Yes. Done. Crossed off!
  12. Embrace cross country skiing. Nope. Not really. I went out only a couple of times in 2021.
  13. Cross stitch. I eliminated this when I realized I should finish crocheting my blanket before I start a new craft.
  14. Have fun! Yes. Though I struggled through several months in 2021 (stress, stress, stress), there were so many happy days and moments in 2021 that reminded me of how grateful I am to live the life that I do. I am in a happy place now, and I am thankful that I have laughed and had fun in both my personal and professional lives.

Personal: October Update of My 2021 Goals

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Wow. October has come and gone. That was fast! Here’s an update of my 2021 goals.

  1. Eat more vegetables. Yes. I have been eating more salads each week, and a few veggie soups, too.
  2. Travel. Sigh. Nope.
  3. Save money. My budget spreadsheet is new and improved thanks to some brainstorming with a friend about Excel formulas and pivot tables (thanks JM!). Saving continues!
  4. Pass on magazines/books/clothes/puzzles. Yes. I keep things moving around here. I have a pile of books for friends to sort through and to move into Little Libraries. I have brought yet another carload of items to the thrift store.
  5. Crochet a blanket. Nope. Not done quite yet!
  6. Reduce social media consumption. I feel like I have reduced consumption, but maybe it’s just my imagination.
  7. Play games. Oh yes! Bananagrams and Saturday crosswords continue. I want to get into Backgammon in November.
  8. Edit my magazine subscriptions. Done. I feel like I accomplished this goal several months ago. My magazine subscription list has been reduced, and anything I don’t get, I end up borrowing from the library.
  9. Read more. Yes! I have been reading. I finished Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library. I skimmed through The Clarity Cleanse by Habib Sadeghi. I am ready to start Amor Towles The Lincoln Highway now.
  10. Blog. Yes…I’ve been blogging three days a week!
  11. Bike ride regularly. I’m deleting this from my goal list because it’s too cold for my liking to ride now.
  12. Have fun! We’ve had a very fun October, including a memorable last-minute impromptu music night which brought together a great group of people – and amazing music!

Previous updates: January, February, March, April, May & June, September.

Personal: September Update of My 2021 Goals

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Obviously, I haven’t checked in with you – or myself – about my 2021 goals. Mid-way through September seems like a good time to review them – and revise them!

  1. Eat more vegetables. I’m keeping steady with this goal. I don’t eat salad every day, but I do eat vegetables regularly.
  2. Travel. Sigh. Should I just remove this from my list? I did spend a week in Ottawa in August, so I guess I did make a bit of progress with this one!
  3. Save money. Ha ha ha. Funny considering a big move in June! The good news is though that expense tracking continues! It was a useful practice for me on my own, and it continues to be useful as a couple.
  4. Pass on magazines/books/clothes/puzzles. Yes. I have passed on so many things over the last few months. It’s been great for me and appreciated by the recipients (I think!).
  5. Crochet a blanket. Hmm…this project was put on pause as we went through the house drama. I have just a few months to finish it before winter arrives.
  6. Reduce social media consumption. I think I’ve reduced consumption without really thinking about it. Mostly, I think, I’ve reduced consumption because it’s been summer, and I’ve wanted to be outside with people instead of online.
  7. Play games. Oh yes! Bananagram tournaments galore! We played with three new people over the last couple of months, so that’s been fun! And, oh yes, that good ol’ pickle ball. I played that this summer. Once.
  8. Edit my magazine subscriptions. I’ve done well with this goal in 2021. I especially appreciate my subscription to Veranda.
  9. Read more. Yes! I have been reading. I finished Anthony Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour (really really really enjoyed it!) and I’m just starting Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library. I never did finish listening to Barack Obama’s A Promised Land. I’ve also read a couple academic books: Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning edited by Susan D. Blum and Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It by James M. Lang.
  10. Blog. I’ll keep this on my goal list, but I recognize that I haven’t been reaching it.
  11. Bike ride regularly. Because of the move, I didn’t bike for much of the summer. I rode it only once in August.
  12. Cross stitch. I’m deleting this from my goal list until I’ve made more progress with my crocheted blanket.
  13. Have fun! In between some stressful days and weeks, I have been having fun. I had an awesome birthday party with a handful of friends in our new house, we took a road trip to Ottawa, we hosted friends here in Waterloo, I have enjoyed morning walks in the park (and recovered from the dog attack way back in June!), and I’ve baked new things (like peach torte from Ina Garten’s new cookbook which was gifted to me!). Let the fun continue!

Previous updates: January, February, March, April, May & June.

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