Goals Update 5

1. Finish my degree. Honestly, I don't know that this is going to happen. I'm too stressed and I can't handle it anymore. I thought getting away for Digital Overload would provide me with a break, and allow me to come back refreshed and get to work. But nothing has changed. I had a heavier courseload than I would have been able to handle in normal circumstances, I think. With all the medical issues, I'm not sure how I'm going to finish with decent grades.

There's a job I'm applying for this week actually. If I can manage to get it, I'm going to withdraw from one or two of my classes, and take them in the summer. That will give me more of a break from school. I'd still get my degree this year at least, only three months later than planned. I don't want to do that if I don't have a job though. Without a job I wouldn't be able to pay tuition in the summer anyway.

2. Continue my education. Not even worrying about this one until I manage to finish the degree I'm working on now, or at least get back on track with my schoolwork.

3. Finish my Nano novel. Still plugging away, a bit at a time. I've actually spent more time working on my first Nano novel and not last year's.

4. Nano 2008. Don't care yet. Though if I finish my first Nano over the summer I may do the sequel.

5. Play the flute and piano. I'm about to go to my mother's house and look for the damn keyboard myself if she doesn't get back to me soon. If I get the job I'm applying for I'll be taking lessons for both piano and flute over the summer though. It's only about $100 for seven sessions.

6. Write every day. I'm not up to every day yet, but I'm making it happen more regularly. Hoping to get to every day or two by the next update.

7. Update this blog, etc. Still keeping up with the blog far more than I thought I would when I first started it. I wrote in my regular journal twice too. The daily pages...yeah, haven't done them. I should work on them for next time. They're good therapy for my hand as well.

8. Let other people read my writing. I let a friend read a couple of my old stories, but that's about it. I'm trying to get parts of my Nano novel (both of them really) to the point I feel comfortable letting other people read them.

9. Exercise three days a week. This is finally becoming more of a habit. I think I might try and up this to four times a week.

10. Read 104 books. Way ahead on this one still, even though I've slowed down a bit because I've been busy.

11. Take some trips. DO was last weekend. Glad I managed to work that out. I've also got some other trips planned. Ireland in May, Otakon in August, and a weekend in Philly at some point, to name the ones most likely to actually happen.

12. Learn Japanese. Haven't done anything here. I just didn't have the time, but I'll get back to it over the next few weeks.

13. Physical therapy for my hand. I forgot my stress ball when I went to DO, so no therapy for that week. Aside from that I've still been working on it daily.

14. Time management. This is going horribly. If anyone has suggestions here, let me know. I'm working on it, but every time I seem to start making progress I end up backsliding and not doing well for a few days. I suppose I can't expect this to change overnight but I'm getting really frustrated with my inability to manage my work and get things done.

15. Start buying less stuff, and finish what I do have lying around the house. I didn't buy anything aside from a CAD book while I was away. I've also finished a handful of books, and have been watching more DVDs. Of course, Chris lent me a metric fuckton of stuff, so I have that much more to get through now.

16. Do a book review for Jade's vlog. Right, this goal is carrying over until next time because I just didn't get to it. I didn't have the time to mess with it before I left, and I've only been home for a couple of days. Plus Jade's going to be out of town now so there's no hurry. I'll get at least one done in the next two weeks for sure.