Monday 17 January 2011

Not Really Resolutions Update

So I thought that I would do an update every so often on the ol’ resolutions front, keep me on the straight and narrow and make sure that I’m sticking to them.
As you can imagine, not a great deal has been done so far as we’re only in January but I’m starting to make progress on a few, I am tracking my progress as I go - up there in the right hand corner there's a page, click on it. GO!

1. Run 5km race – I am now back at the gym and slowly getting back the fitness that I lost over the Christmas break, it’s ridiculous how quickly it disappears from you, I only missed 3 weeks for God’s sake. Two other friends have signed up to run this with me and I am signed up to the Race for Life website so I will know when the race in Hull is. One of these friends rather helpfully is seeing a guy who is a fitness instructor and he’s going to give us a little plan and take us out running once the weather (and our general fitness) improves.

2. Crochet a ripple blanket – Until funds improve I’m thinking this isn’t going to happen but I think I might ask for yarn for my birthday and get some stash in that way.

3. Back up photos on to CD – thank you to all of you who suggested an external hard drive but I’m sure you’ll realise that having explained my financial situation this isn’t really an option for me, I don’t have the spare £40 needed unfortunately. But I do have a stack of CDs and although it’s taking a while I’m slowly but surely making headway on this one.

4. Paint my frog – I've made a start! I spent Sunday late morning and afternoon with newspaper spread over the table, my acrylic paints beside me, and, paintbrush in hand, made a start on Project Toad. And here's how he's looking so far;


5. Go to the cinema on my own – Not yet!

6. Project 365 – I have stuck to this one so far but it’s every bit as hard as I was warned it would be, which is slightly worrying, considering that we haven’t reached the month’s end yet. But it is still fun for the most part. The problem is finding something new to photograph when you do the same thing for 5 days of the week! I’m begging for the seasons to change because then there’ll be a whole lot more action. My photostream, can be found here if you wanted to have a look (and just why wouldn't you?!)

7. Make album/scrapbook of France 2010 holiday – This is a funds issue as well – need to get the photos printed out, hopefully will have some spare cash in February/March to do this.

8. Travel to Belfast to see family – Have looked at prices for flights (that’s a whole blog post in itself, believe me). They’re not crazily expensive but it’s obviously something for much later in the year.

9. Read 12 Classics – Number 1 has been started, Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie. Talk about throwing yourself in at the deep end. I thought when I decided to do this that one a month was pretty doable but I think I’m going to need the names of some thin classics! 647 pages was a stupid thing to start with

10. Cross stitch one Christmas card each month - Done and done! Woo hoo! January’s card has been completed and I feel very proud of myself. It’s given me the chance to delve into my file of ripped out pages from Cross Stitch magazines and do some designs I haven’t done because they’re too time consuming. Very pleased. And the bonus? Finishing it meant that I could take a picture of it for Project 365 - I love it when you can kill two birds with one stone. Although not literally. That's just horrible. Anyway, you can see it here.

16 comments:

  1. Its worth keeping an eye on the sites like Groupon, because I've seen them do some deals with photobooks that might work out cheaper than actually printing the photos out yourself!

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  2. You have been sooooo busy!! Did you sign up for the Free cinema tickets on MSE? I managed to get 6 tickets to see the new Vince Vaughn movie tomorrow night all for Free! XXXXX

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  3. Well you are doing well! I totally agree about the fitness thing, I feel so unfit again if I stop exercising for any length of time. That sucks!

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  4. Wow - good going on the resolutions already! On the cinema thing...DO IT (when funds allow)... I never did it until I went and lived in the US for a bit, and it is VERY COMMON there! I have since done it at least 3 times here in the UK and totally love it - why miss a film just because you don't have anyone to go with!
    C
    x

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  5. Omigosh, it's your face!

    It's a weird sensation, seeing a book's (/blog's) character in real life. I half feel like I wanna say WARNER BROS YOU SCREWED ME OVER, THAT ACTOR IS TOTALLY NOT THE GIRL I IMAGINED IN MY HEAD until I realise that this aint Hollywood, honey.

    I love it when the rain does that to my hair. Also, um *insert comment vaguely related to actual post and/or about impressive quality of photos*

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  6. Do you think 'A Room With a View' by E M Forster could be considered a classic? It's blummin brilliant and I got a distinction in an essay I wrote about it once!! It's really easy to read and isn't *too* long. (unless you have already read it of course!!)
    My idea of a classic is Wind in the Willows :-) it's my favourite ever book!

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  7. Oh God, I LOVE going to the cinema by myself! Admittedly I haven't done it for a while, and when I did it was on a weekday afternoon but it was GREAT. If you're nervous, don't be. There's no-one there rustling sweet papers (except yourself, if you so want to)and that person who always sits behind you and talks through the important bits? They're not there either. It ROCKS. If you can, deffo go on a weekday!
    PS that frog kicks ass.
    xxx Maddie

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  8. The Christmas card is fab! What a cute design. Mr Frog/Toad is v. colourful and cheery too.

    Hmmm, short classics. I'm struggling to think of any. What exactly is your definition of classic?

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  9. Good luck with Salman Rushdie. I found him impossibly pompous and irritating when I tried to read one of his books. I have a similar resolution and have started with Breakfast at Tiffanys which is ace.

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  10. You're doing really well! I've found it's good to have goals as something to actually work towards rather than just drifting about.

    I'm pleased to see people's comments about cinema-going alone - it's something I'm trying to pluck up the courage to do as there are a couple of things I want to see at the mo and no-one to go with ... but it's really bloody scary! :(

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  11. I recommend One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich. Thin, classic, brilliant. Totally unforgettable.

    Also, good going with the toad!

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  12. Liking the photo album! Did you have to pay for it? Flickr lets you upload some stuff but never sure how much per month! and Omigod your face - looking good!!! :)

    Sounds like you're not doing too badly resolution wise either! Feeling glum today...as usual your post has distracted me a bit! xxx

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  13. You're doing well. Love the frog! I backup my photos onto CD too, it takes a while but at least I know they are there in case of a calamity.

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  14. You seem to be doing pretty well. Have you considered " A day in the life of Ivan Denisovich"? It's thin, unput downable and almost definitely a classic.

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  15. Congratulations on your resolutions! Keep it up. If you're looking for a thin classic to read, then I nominate The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. Manchester says hello!

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  16. Madame Bovary is a little 'un.

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