I'm obviously failing already

Let's call it a seven and a half week check-in

    The thing about making excuses is that they never really sound that good. I've been trying to stop making them for that reason among many others, so here comes my somewhat belated evaluation on my goals/life:

• Make this apartment feel like home: I will blog separately to show you what I've done with my bedroom, but that room feels brand new at the moment. I also bought a clock for the kitchen, which made me feel a lot like I imagine the victims of the Titanic must have felt when they saw the Carpathia arrive.


• Love my job: So in case you haven't heard, I got a pretty big promotion at work last month. I don't mean to be annoying or ungrateful, but while I'd say that I suppose I do "love" my new job, I'm not exactly "in love" with it. It's a pretty subtle difference, but it's there nonetheless. Still, I'm going to put half a check mark here and call it a day.


• Go someplace I've never been in the US: The list of possibilities keeps growing!


• Write every day: Still doing pretty well with this, although this week was probably the worst I've had in a while, surprisingly.


• Blog once a week: Ugh, why can't I seem to blog like a normal person? This one is my D- goal.


• Write more letters: Fail. I'm so behind on this. I keep thinking about how I need to do it, and then I get distracted. I've been sending postcards as a stop-gap measure, but I need to just sit down at the table today and lay out a few pages like a good little correspondent.


• Be a better friend, especially by communicating more through telephone and email: I'm still struggling with this one as well. As I said in February, with some people I've improved (thank goodness), but with many others, I know I haven't been as good a friend as I know I can be, and that's been making me sad.


• Be a better friend to the planet by being energy and waste conscious: I'd say I'm still doing well on this one. I might even say that I've made it up to A-.


• *Expletive, expletive* update my *expletive* iPod: I have my iPod next to me right now, and I am going to finally start on this long, arduous, no-good, very-necessary task.


• Read more books: I have two new books that I haven't even cracked open yet, and I'm ashamed to admit that. I've been hung up on Sophie's World since last month, and I just haven't finished yet. Usually I read on my morning commute, and the past month I've chosen to zone-out to my un-updated iPod instead. Shame. Shaaaaaaaaame!


• Spend more time outside: Not doing so bad, but not as good as I was doing, either. At least the past few weeks I've been able to have the windows open to let a little of the outside in. In the next few weeks, I plan to be out more, but for this seven and a half week period, I know I could have done better.

    What do you think, Sisters? I think my average grade is probably a solid C? Maybe even C+?