Resolutions Revisited

As advised by the ladies offering up the Imagine the Impossibilties challenge, now that my challenges (for the year) have been stated I want to show my January progress this far. So, here are my 10 mini-resoultions and what I've done to make them happen--or the lack thereof--so far:

1) Belly-Dancing or Yoga Class- The yoga class starts in February and I will be signing up! If all goes well and I like the way the programs are run, then I will also sign-up for belly-dancing which starts in March. So far so good... moving on.

2) I will Read- Since writing my initial post I have finished Ellen Degeneres' Seriously...I'm Kidding, which I would highly recommend for some funny and inspiring insights to any Ellen fan. I also have started Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer. It's currently being made into a film with Tom Hanks that is already starting to get a lot of attention so I wanted to have it read before the movie hits theaters at the end of the month. I also have in my possession Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, on loan from Brittany at The Bounty of my Bookshelves that I can't wait to dive into also. Reading? Check.

3) Remembering names- I am still struggling here, but I've made progress. When I take calls at work I have made it a habit to immediately write the persons name down (usually I would wait until they were done talking, and figure I could remember it, but people talk so darn fast these days and I found myself not remembering a word of it) And I have also been working on the name/visual associations-- I met a Karen who is a tiny little woman, with pointy features who wrinkles up her nose a bit when she's listens. Like a bunny. Bunnies eat carrots. Karrot-Karen. (it's a stretch but it works). A work in progress.

4) I will try new foods- Haven't had the chance for this much lately, but I did buy fresh mango the other day...? Does that count? I've never had it before. Annd I do have plans in the very near future to try... alligator! (ahhh!)--SEE NO.5

5) Travel- A new Orleans trip for the gals and me has since been booked and is a source of extreme excitement for all of us! We're going a few weeks before Mardi Gras, but still in the Carnivale season so it should be a blast! (here's where the alligator makes a bit more sense) Traveling? One big-fat-excited- CHECK!

6) Positivity- I am still working on this one. But have been making efforts everyday to find atleast one thing that made the day worthwhile. So far there have been lots more than just one thing, s maybe it's working after all!

7) Blog Posting- Ummm Check.

8) Be the best me without being negatives about others- So far a success.

9) I will cook- Only one opportunity so far, but the other night I made up some venison tenderloin steaks for myself that were unbelieveably amazing. Here is all I did--and trust me its wayyy worth repeating and actually a pretty healthy option.

Pour a very small amount of olive oil into a pan over medium high heat. With a paper towel, rub the oil to coat the pan (this ensures that you aren't setting your meat directly into a puddle of oil and keeps everything from sticking). Next add about a teaspoon of lemon juice to the pan--I used a small frying pan and only cooked about 5 thin-tiny-round tenderloin slices. Sprinkle the tenderloins with season salt, the tiniest bit of chili powder, black pepper, and italain seasoning. Pat the seasoning in with a fork, flip the steaks, and repeat on the other side. Add them to the pan, turning the heat to medium and don't cook for longer than 2 minutes a side (my tenderloin slices were about 1/4" thick). DELICIOUS! The spicy/sour combination of the chili powder and lemon juice really knocked my socks off. Cooking? So far..check.

10) Be kind- I like to think I usually practice this one, but so far I have been making mentail efforts to do more little things for strangers. (Smiling at people who look like they need it, waiting the extra minute to hold doors for people, etc. etc.) Kindness? Check.

So there you have it. So far the year's not looking so shabby afterall.