Let's try this again.

I really want to take this blog seriously. That being said, I'm going to make a list of projects I want to get done and start detailing my efforts to be productive. Now that I'm not in school, I have time to do all those little things I've always wanted to do or recently decided would be cool to try. So, since I have my randomly me blog and my secret stuff blog, this will be my self-improvement blog. I think everyone should have a self-improvement record of some sort. If you are diligent in recording your efforts at self-improvement, you're more like to actually improve, I think. It's a way of keeping yourself on track; plus, every time you actually accomplish something, you have something showy to remind yourself of it to bolster your confidence for the next venture.

So, here's a preliminary list of things I want to try out or actually accomplish. I'm going to group them in different sections: academic/professional, craftiness, parenting, health, and miscellaneous. Sometimes these groups will overlap. Each post will labeled with the category (ies) that post belongs to first, then any relevant tags will follow (e.g., Coraline, birthday, poetry). There may be more groups later. I'll just edit this post should those change. For simplicity's sake, on this post things listed that cross groups will be listed once under the category I think is its primary. EDIT: Apparently this stupid blog alphabetizes the tags. Grrrrr...well, doesn't matter.

Academic/Professional

Study for GRE

Submit to at least four (4) poetry mags this fall

Take GRE (holy crap! $140 is painful!)

Enroll in a grad level class

Research grad programs

Look for job opportunities

Update resume

Reorganize portfolio (this entails LOTS of editing)

Craftiness

Complete at least one project from my knitting book by my birthday

Complete at least one project from my jewelry book by my birthday

Become proficient with Photoshop

Bake a Coraline cake; if not for Kirstin's birthday, then Halloween

Master at least four new dishes by my birthday

Practice drawing until I draw something I actually like
Find an affordable quilting class (quilts are the most superior form of blanket)

Parenting

Pull together a relatively inexpensive Coraline Jones costume for Liv

Create Liv's "Storymaker"

Teach Liv French or enroll her in a foreign language class
Commit to weekly social activities

Miscellaneous

Memorize at least three traditional drinking songs (1st up, "Molly Mallone")

Get all the achievements for Bioshock 2 (can't do this 'til November)

Attend some sort of humanities event that I have not previously attended

Explore various writings and deepen my spiritual understanding
Tattoos, tattoos, tattoos.  I'm about to scream if I don't get another soon.

Health


Try the Wii Fit at least twice a week, especially teh yoga
Find more information about interval training
Develop a new way to feed my body that leaves both body and mind satisfied
Give up soda
Quit smoking for real
Play outside with my kid more (buy a soccer ball?)