I'm doing remarkably well

      ...Especially in the face of you slackers! Not only have I been writing the shit out of the world lately (I forgot, can we say shit?), but as of now, I'm the only one still checking in on our original New Year Goals. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that regardless of how the math works out below, I deserve bonus points.

• Make this apartment feel like home: When I got back from vacation, I sighed and thought "Ah, home... All my stuff, right where I left it." That has to count for something, right? I still haven't gotten that darned chair though. I don't know what's holding me up. I visit it online at least once a week...



• Love my job: Working in August was almost as great as it would have been if I worked on the Hill. However, I still dream of the latter.



• Go someplace I've never been in the US: Done and DONE, whores.



• Write every day: I don't know about every day (to be honest, I've been caught up in reading!), but I am still writing. I just need to catch up on the "doing something" with it. I'm horribly behind on that part.



• Blog once a week: How good was I in July? Totally so good.



• Write more letters: I've randomly improved thanks to a flurry of postcards and thank-you notes. I still need to catch up on the general correspondence though, especially now that Mom is on my back, too. Does she really think that the MacStewart family can single-handedly prevent the death of letter-writing? You're right, you're right...that probably is true.



• Be a better friend, especially by communicating more through telephone and email: Struggling, but still trying. I'll leave it at that.



• Be a better friend to the planet by being energy and waste conscious: I was wracked with guilt by the knowledge that I used the dryer TWICE in the past nine weeks, but seeing as how my yearly total is still really low, I've finally gotten over it. Of course, as I say that, I'm surrounded by my clothes hanging on hangers all over my apartment. I'm such a green bug.



• *Expletive, expletive* update my *expletive* iPod: It's getting better, I promise.



• Read more books: God, I'm so obsessed with Twilight, and I don't really care who knows it. Now I have to back to reading the Bible for a bit before I move on to the Uglies series. I'm quite happy with my reading this year. In case I haven't mentioned it already, it's been way better than last year, and last year I ran a book club!



• Spend more time outside: Last week I was the brownest person in the world and it felt glorious. I would say that I spent 89% of my vacation outside and it was phenomenal, jellyfish sting and all!

      TOOT, TOOT! That's right, I think I deserve a few more toots on my own horn.