Goals Update 1

Don't have a lot of time at the moment, and I really don't know what to write about anyway. But I figured I'd post how my goals are coming along so far, since I've had a couple of weeks to get started on them. I'll probably do an update post like this 2-3 times a month so I can keep track of my progress and figure out which goals I'm accomplishing, and which need some more work.

1. Finishing my degree. School has started, and I'm finally getting into the rhythm of classes. I still have entirely too much work as far as I'm concerned, but I'm keeping up with it fairly well so far. As for getting a job, I've got a friend who works in accounting who is going to ask around and see if she can find people hiring in the area. I've also found a few opportunities through my school's career services, so I'll probably try for everything I am even remotely qualified for.

2. Continuing my education. Have tried to figure out schools I could go to in the fall, but it's been hard. Pitt apparently doesn't have a regular accounting degree at the campus near me. Which leaves me with a bunch of private schools that cost $600-700 a credit, unless I care to commute an hour each way somewhere else. So I'm really not sure what to do there at this point. I may have to wait until I start working and see if I can get any kind of tuition reimbursement. I just hate the idea of having to put it off.

3. Finish my Nano novel....yeah. I haven't even touched it yet. I really need to get back into working on it.

4. Nano 2008 obviously isn't a factor yet, as it's not until November. I may plan it out a bit, but I'm not worried about that until at least the end of the summer.

5. Playing flute and piano. I've played my flute twice so far. Not for very long either time, just relearning some scales and basic stuff. There's not much more I can do until I find or order some music. I also called my mom and asked her to find my keyboard, but haven't heard back from her yet. I'm hoping she finds it so I can practice and get into piano lessons by summer.

6. Write every day. Haven't done well with this either. This is the one goal I really want to improve on.

7. Updating this blog, etc. I think I'm updating about once a week, though it might have been a bit more since my last post. Happy with that so far. I haven't gotten to my journal again yet, but I will. I have been doing my morning page things the last few days (from Julia Cameron's The Vein of Gold), which is good. That's about all my hand can take right now though, especially with needing to write for school.

8. Let other people read my writing. Would have to actually finish some of my stories to accomplish this one, but I'm still planning on achieving this goal.

9. Exercise three days a week. I've exercised about six times, so I'm getting there. Not where I want to be yet, but better than I used to be. I'm happy with how this is going so far.

10. Read at least 52 books. So far I've finished 8, so I'm quite far ahead on this one. I'd really like to get closer to 100 books if I can, so we'll see if I can keep this pace throughout the year.

11. Take some trips. Think I'm going to Philly to see Christian (and Avenue Q!!!) in a couple of weeks. Have to finalize that and hope the damn Amtrak people don't go on strike on the 30th though. I've worked out some more of the details for DO as well. I've got the room and roommates taken care of, now I just have to figure out how long I'm staying so I can get the money together.

12. Languages. I've found some good sites for Japanese, and a couple of people who said they'll help me out. I've also got a few books to look for. If I can find one for a decent price I will get it soon, if not I'll stick with the sites until after I'm back from DO and don't have to worry about money so much.

13. Physical therapy for my hand. I have actually done this, every day. I'm already noticing a bit of improvement, and I'm thrilled.

14. I know I didn't have a 14 before, but I'm adding it now. I need to learn how to manage my time better. As it is, I am getting the schoolwork done that I have to, but I'd like to be further than I am. Also, all of these goals I've had issues with, like the writing and the exercise, I would be fine with if I just had more time to spend on them. I spend plenty of time messing around on the Internet, or chatting with people on MSN. I need to find a way to spend at least some of that time more constructively. I'm not exactly sure how to do that, but for the next week I'm just going to wing it. Maybe just consciously thinking that I have other things to finish, or that I need to work while chatting, will be enough to make some progress. If not, I'll figure out whether I need to limit my Internet, or what else might work.

Alright, enough for tonight. My small update post ended up being longer than I expected. Time to get back to work.