Welp, today was the first day of the winter semester and it was exactly what I expected: a bunch of intimidating syllabi and some assorted scare tactics regarding the material at hand by our professors. I was extremely uncomfortable for the majority of the day having worn real clothes for 8 hours for the first time in 2 weeks. That's not to mention the grueling workout I put myself through this afternoon in the name of a New Year's resolution, grueling not because of the intensity of the workout but rather the abysmal status of my cardiovascular health. Ugh.

At any rate, I thought I'd post a few goals for 2006 that I have for myself (I've always favored goals over resolutions--it seems much less stringent and judgemental for some reason). This list is neither exhaustive nor creative, just something to do to pass the time I guess:

...in no particular order...

1.) finally become a card-carrying member of the ACLU

2.) floss every night; the idea of serious hypocrisy has been gnawing at my conscience lately.

3.) drink a lot more water (I'm opting for a related, more realistic goal than "drink less pop/coffee")

4.) end the year with a sizeable amount of money in my savings account (umm...amount ambiguity is intentional)

5.) finally read Midnight's Children (like I was supposed to for Literature of the British Empire in college) and Love in the Time of Cholera

4.) learn to cook at least one Indian dish, even if it's incredibly simple. I'm beginning to see the flaws in my plan to have Mom just freeze large quantities of my favorites shortly before kicking the bucket.

5.) don't sweat the small stuff. This phrase, although inexcusably cheesy, should become my personal anthem. I think I'll live a longer, happier, and more fulfilling life if I try to always keep a perspective of the forest and only occasionally the trees. And as a wise middle-schooler once said: "don't sweat petty things and don't pet sweaty things." 'Nuff said.

xoxox