Mid-year Resolutions

A friend left a comment, which led me to her blog, which she hasn't updated in a while, and it reminded me that New Year's Resolutions are fun.

Yes, they are. Too bad it's May. Oh well. Mid-year resolutions will have to do:

1. Be healthier-ish. I bought a Wii last August and was fairly diligent about using its exercise program through December. That combined with some increased awareness about diet and portion control helped me drop close to ten pounds. Since then I have plateaued. I should try to stick with exercising and such at least a few times a week to be consistent. On the plus side, I've started seeing a physical therapist to help figure out why I have the flexibility of an 80-year-old man. (True, I have a personality to match, but I don't think cantankerousness is supposed to affect your joints, too.)

2. Be positive (and proactive) about work. Work continues to be up and down. All my teachers like me, the kids are mostly cute, and I'm slowly getting more responsibilities in and out of class. The administration, however, continues to be clueless and it's a total crap shoot whether this will be the year I finally progress to becoming a real teacher. Still, I need to not let that big picture stuff get me down (too much). The school has potential and all the new hiring may make things improve significantly. (That said, being told in not so many words that me getting a promotion depends less on anything I can do and more on whether more experienced people wind up being incompetent is not fun.) There's no telling what might happen at school (or at another one) so I need to keep applying for things, keep my eyes and ears open, while also trying to ignore the glass ceiling I'm currently pressed up against.

3. Try to stay patient, gracious and supportive to close family (and friends) about the wedding. Though there are some things about the wedding I'm looking forward to never discussing ever, ever, again, I know that everybody coming wants to be there and have it go well because they love me and Shiksa Fiancee. It can hard to remember that sometimes, but that's the bottom line and I need to remember it more often. (Still feeling pretty uncharitable about Aunt Bozette's "WTF no RSVP card" email, though.)

4. Have more fun. This is a tricky one. I'm feeling stressed about most things these days, and while I look forward to my days off, it always feels like I waste them by either doing nothing, or using the time to do chores that otherwise don't get done (I just finished cleaning the house and doing all the dishes in the aftermath of last week's seders, for instance). It's a tough balance and seems slightly counter-intuitive, but I think I might actually feel like I'm making more of my down time if I make more plans with it. I may still just be hanging out, but if I'm hanging out with someone else, it might seem more relaxing. Or something. Still playing around with this one.