goals

Like most people, I think of the new year as a time to reevaluate my life.  Rather than resolutions, which are bound to be broken, I like to have goals.  Goals are just more attainable, not to mention more motivating.  

Let's see how I fared in 2013:

1.  Cook more and eat locally

Although I did quite a bit of cooking in 2013, I would view this goal as a fail.  Cooking twice a week, maybe, doesn't seem like success to me.  Also, I only went to the Farmer's Market once.  I suck.

2.  Read 20 books

Ack, I only read 19.  Apparently my summer slacking put me behind.  Check out all the books I read here and here.

3.  Travel somewhere new

Huzzah, success!  If I were going to succeed at a goal, this is definitely the best one to choose.  Not only did I travel to one new place, I actually travelled to two new places.  Hurrah for me.  This year, Ryan and I did a summer vacation in Baja, and then honeymooned in New Zealand.  

Kayaking in Baja

Hiking the Milford Track in New Zealand

4.  Blog once per week
Although I didn't quite accomplish this, ringing in at 46 blog posts in 2013 puts me pretty darn close.

5.  Clean out the apartment by making two Goodwill runs and make a few extra bucks at a stoop sale
Back to feeling like a winner.  Ryan and I did in fact de-clutter our apartment by donating items to our local charity, and selling a few at the world's lamest stoop sale.  Lame as it was, we still made $45, which we added to the date-night spare change jar.  Wahoo.

6.  Give Blood
I did this!  The Tiburon Fire Station has a biannual blood drive.  This year I made a pit stop on the way to the ferry to give blood.  Despite the horrifically large needle, it felt good to give blood.

So, basically I scored a 50% on goal accomplishing.

Now it's time to look forward to 2014.  I have a few new goals, but I would also like to repeat the goals where I didn't quite make it.


2014 Goals:  
1.  Cook more and eat locally, sourcing food from local farmer's markets.
2.  Read 20 books
3.  Run a 1/2 marathon
4.  Blog at least 5 times per month
5.  Juice

8 books

My goal for 2013 was 20 books.  Sigh, I only read 19.  As I worked through the remaining eight, I realized the theme of children in turmoil continued, but I added to that genocide.  It was an uplifting year in books for me.  Here are the last eight books I read in 2013.

1.  The Sandcastle Girls, by: Chris Bohjalian

All about the Armenian genocide, this book travels between present day and the past as an ancestral mystery is unraveled.  It's a page turner, but it's also about the annihilation of a group of people, so parts can be challenging to read.    That said, it's about a chapter in our world's history that is little discussed.  I love a good historical fiction.  

2.  The Lost Wife, By: Alyson Richman

The Lost Wife is another book that travels between present day and the past.  Set in both New York and WWII Prague, the characters tell their story of losing love and family during the Nazi invasion.  I was hooked from the very fist page, where it is revealed that the elderly strangers, who meet by chance at a wedding, were once married over 40 years ago.  It is the story of the evolution of their relationship. How they met, loved, lost, and found each other again.

3.  The Book Thief, By: Markus Zusak

Guess what!!??  Another book about WWII.  Told from the point of view of Death, The Book Thief focuses on the happenings in a small rural town in Germany.  It's a WWII novel that talks more about what happened to German civilians than Jews.  Liesel, an orphan taken in by a bitter woman and her jovial husband, steals books to cope with the blows she's been dealt in life.  It was also just recently made into a movie.  Read it before you see it.  

4.  Wonder, By: R.J. Palacio

After a few books about major wars, I decided to head back to books about children being dealt the short end of the stick.  August is born with an intense facial deformation.  After years of homeschooling, it is time for him to join the mainstream.  We travel through August's first year of school, as told from the point of view of several of the characters.  He is ostracized, bullied, harassed, and ultimately accepted.  Although it is technically a young adult novel, there are messages for everyone.  

5.  Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, By: Susannah Cahalan

Susannah begins to experience light sensitivity, obsessive behavior, intense mood swings, and delusions.  In her memoir, she writes about her experience with an unusual brain virus and her near death experience.  Susannah describes her experience through doctors reports, family diaries, hospital surveillance videos, and the minuscule memories she has of the ordeal.  Without a few dedicated doctors, Susannah's story may have ended very differently. After reading this book, I was basically convinced that everything I did was pointing to brain disease.  "Yikes, that light is really bright.  Brain virus?"  It's a quick and engaging read.

6.  I'm Down, By: Mishna Wolff

Mishna grows up in the Rainer Valley neighborhood of Seattle.  She spends her childhood trying to prove to her father that, despite the whiteness of her skin, she is in fact "down."  Her father, also white, is pretty much convinced that he is black.  Mishna finds that she doesn't quite fit into her black community, but when she starts attending a predominantly white private school, she finds that she doesn't really fit in there either.  Equal parts hilarious and devastating, Mishna remembers her childhood through vignettes.  

7.  Gulp: Adventures of the Alimentary Canal, By: Mary Roach

Ever wonder if you would be able to survive being swallowed by a whale?  Mary Roach examines the ins and outs of the digestive system.  She uses ancient and recent scientific experiments to explain the strangeness of the human, and animal, body.  If bodily functions don't make you feel squeamish, than go ahead and read.  

8.  Prince of Tides, By: Pat Conroy

And here is the reason why I only got though 19 books.  This last one is looooong.  Although engaging, this read is dense and slow going.  Tom, travels to New York City to speak with his twin sister's psychologist in order to help save her from depression and suicidal attempts.  Tom recounts their troubled childhood.  Born to violent parents in South Carolina, the siblings rely on each other to make it through.  Every detail is important, the tiniest one coming back to mean something large and life changing.   

Want more recommendations?  Here are the first 11 books I read.

11 books

My goal for 2013 is to get through 20 books.  We're just a little over half way through the year, and I'm just a little over half way to my goal.  Looking for something to read to fill your summer days?  Here's what I can recommend:

1.  Where'd You Go Bernadette, By: Maria Semple

Told through emails, journal entries, and letters, Where'd You Go Bernedette, is the story of an architect gone missing and the family she left behind.  A quick summer read, especially enjoyable if you've spent time in Seattle.  My favorite part is when Semple discusses the quirks and frustrations of Seattle driving.  

2.  The Marriage Plot, By: Jeffery Eugenides

A recent college graduate finds herself in a relationship with a manic-depressive classmate.  Eugenides focuses on the trials of beginning a life post-college, as well as the difficulties of relationships.  Like Middlesex, this is a dense and slow read.

3.  Wild, By: Cheryl Strayed

The book opens as Strayed's hiking boot goes careening off the side of a mountain in the middle of the PCT, a scene which pretty much sums up her novice hiking status.  This book is  the love child of Into the Wild  and Eat, Pray, Love.  Strayed discusses her failed marriage, her relationship with her mother and siblings, and her need to find herself.  A surprisingly engaging read about life on the trail.  

4.  The Paris Wife, By: Paula Mclain

I love, love, loved this book.  The story of Hemingway's first marriage to Hadley, and their life in Paris as he struggled to define himself as an author.  This book was especially fun to read on an iPad, as I was able to look up images, as well as read factual articles about the characters. 

5.  The Forgotten Garden, By: Kate Morton

The tale of a child adopted by an Australian family, and her journey to discover her true identity.  Unraveling this mystery weaves in and out of time and place.  I completely lost myself in this page turner.  Entertaining and engaging, a great summer read.

6.  Anthropology of an American Girl, By: Hilary Thayer Hamann

Ack, this book was a true test of perseverance.  I've never read a story with a more unlikable cast of characters.  Everyone is more self-centered, egotistical, and moody than the last.  A high school senior experiences first heart ache and first love.  The unrealistic dialog reads like an episode of Dawson's Creek.  Save your time, avoid.  

7.  The Family Fang, By: Kevin Wilson

This novel felt like an Wes Anderson movie, specifically, The Royal Tenenbaums.  Two children, forced to be actors in their parents' performance art, return home after years of avoidance.  Now dysfunctional adults, they are thrust into the mystery of their parents whereabouts.  A silly and quick read.

8.  Girlchild, By: Tupelo Hassman

Rory, a Girlscout wannabe, lives in a trailer park with her alcoholic mother.  Definitely not the most uplifting book I've read, but well done.  You're heart breaks for the little girl as she dreams of greener pastures and manages the bleakness of her day-to-day.

9.  The Fault in our Stars, By: John Green

Hazel, a sixteen year old cancer patient, meets Augustus, a sixteen year old cancer survivor.  Together they teach each other about love, life, and happiness.  Probably best to read this one at home, unless you're ok with public displays of blubbering.  The Fault in Our Stars will be released as a motion picture in 2014.  Be ahead of the game and read it before the movie comes out.  

10.  Greyhound, By: Steffan Piper

Apparently my literary theme this year are children from dysfunctional families and unfortunate childhoods.  Sabastien's mom chooses a relationship with an abusive accountant over her son, and sends him packing.  The eleven year old finds himself on a cross country Greyhound bus ride with a convict as a seat mate.  The duo strike-up an unlikely friendship as they roll through America's countryside.  A well written coming-of-age story.  

11.  The Light Between Oceans, By: M.L. Stedman

Maybe I loved this book because I read it on a beach in Baja, or maybe because it was just that good.  After two miscarriages and a still birth, Tom and Isabel receive a gift from god.  A boat, containing a dead man and a living baby, wash up on shore.  Deciding to raise the baby as their own, eventually comes to bite them in the ass as they realize their decision has impacted the lives of others.  A beautiful story about familial love and marriage.  

With nine more books to go, I'm looking for recommendations.  What's on your reading list?

farmer's market

Yet another one of my 2013 goals is to eat locally.  Because of this, I've anxiously been awaiting the return of the Castro Farmer's Market.  

Yesterday was opening day, so I stopped by on my way home from work.  This particular farmer's market is only a 10 minute walk from my house, which is convenient.  Unfortunately, it is also pretty dinky.  There are few booths, and not a lot of choices at each booth.  

I ended up with butternut squash ravioli, honey citrus almonds, cilantro, 2 avocados, 3 oranges, 3 carrots, and 3 small bunches of kale.  All this cost me $22.80.  The almonds and the ravioli, $6 each, were a splurge, but I really just can't say no to flavored almonds.

My next experiment will be the Mission produce markets.  I'm not sure which will end up being the bigger bargain, but one thing I know for sure, both will be cheaper than Mollie Stone's.

focus on fitness

I have oh, so many goals for the year 2013, and I feel like I'm off to a slow start.

One of my goals is focusing more on my fitness routine, as in, make fitness a more steadfast part of my week.  For me, this means running three times a week and going to yoga twice a week.

Last year I trained for the Oakland 1/2 marathon, which I ran with my dad and Ryan.  Training for this event was hard work and time consuming, but I was working towards a mutual goal.  Being able to trade stories about our training, and even being able to do some runs together, was great motivation.  

Oakland 1/2 finishers
Lech Naumovich Photography

While preparing for the half, I felt phenomenal.  But, post race, my body felt wrecked.  I was hobbling about with knee and foot pain for months after.  Even though I can remember the euphoria of those longer runs, and sometimes shorter runs, I'm having a difficult getting back out there.  I'm so used to not including running as part of my weekly routine, that it's difficult to make space for it once again.

I decided I needed to light a fire under me.  I started looking into various 10Ks in the Bay Area.  Let's face it, it will be a lot easier to get out there and run if I have a purpose.  I'm so needing a scary deadline at the moment.

I'm finding that there are surprisingly few 10Ks to choose from, especially for those of us that would like to/need to access the race by public transit.

My thought on how to fix this lack-of-organized-runs problem?  Invite friends to participate in our own 10k on a date set by us.  I'll still have that carrot dangling in front of me, but with no cost, no crowds, and no transportation issues.  Added bonus: a reason to spend time with those I care about.

If an unofficial 10k looming on the horizon isn't motivation enough, maybe this new armband will be.

After all, I'll need to carry my phone with me in order to use Strava.  The most amazing running app, that helps you track your routes and milage.  Just more motivation.  

Whatever I need to get me out there.

What motivates you?

20 books

As I mentioned in my last post, because of my ferry commute, I'm able to put my feet up and have dedicated reading time.  I haven't read this much since I was an English in college.  Last year I powered through 16  books, which may not sound like a lot, but it's about 14 more than I normally get to.

My list included:

I've been trying to read a variety of genres.  From teen fiction to memoir.  I was pretty satisfied with all my reads.  I laughed hysterically when Tina Fey described her typical pedicure experience, and cried for twin brothers as they learned harsh lessons.  I learned the gritty details of the Chicago World's Fair and rooted for a Peeta and Katniss hook-up.  The only book I didn't love was The Handmaid's Tale.  I just found it to be tedious.

This year my goal is to read 20 books.  A friend is shooting for 52, one a week.  That is a bit lofty for me.  I definitely want to feel successful.  Although, I am going to check out her reading list for ideas.

So far I've gotten through:

Where'd You Go Bernadette

This was a quick read, but to get the most out of it, I felt like you needed to be pretty familiar with Seattle, and all of it's quirks.  Which, fortunately, I am.  

I'm currently reading The Marriage Plot.

This is not at all what I thought it was going to be.  A recent college grad trying to find herself while working on her thesis centered around Victorian Literature and their love of marriage plots.  It's dense, but engaging.

With two books down, I definitely think I can accomplish my 20 book goal.

Any recommendations?