January 2010

Resolutions 2010!

January 3, 2010 – 12:51 pm
Filed under To Do/Lists
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1. Look at more art. Go to more galleries. This past semester was so jam-packed that I had little time to do anything aside from schoolwork. While school is definitely top-priority, this still caused me to miss out on a lot of cultural things around New York. This semester, my schedule is (hopefully) going to be a little less hectic, so I’d like to devote some time each week to exploring museums and galleries.

2. Take more pictures. Every year I have a resolution that says something like this and every year I don’t really make anything of it. Still, I’d like to try again this year. I should really train myself to bring my camera more places. I don’t think it’d be that hard. I just need to get over being that person with the big, awkward camera.

3. More me time. More relaxation. Whenever I get too much relaxation and me-time, I resolve to DO MORE THINGS, but I think there should definitely be a good balance. Last semester was hectic as hell and I didn’t really have much time to do anything aside from freak out and try to get my brain in order. If I did do anything “relaxing” it would be in a procrastinatory state and I’d just be anxious about all of the work I had to do. So. Less procrastination and more serious play time. Maybe go to that meditation class at Pratt that I’ve been wanting to take.

4. Try to work on being more attentive. Same as last year. My brain tends to be all over the place and I can never really, truly be completely focused and lucid. Shannon makes fun of me all the time for being blank-eyed and unresponsive in the middle of conversations. I really, really, really, really want to change this. So much.

5. Work on some personal photography (or art) projects. Because I recently switched my major to Art History, I’m not taking many photo classes next semester. I feel like this will be really good for me. Last semester, I took like four photo classes and I found it really difficult to work on my own personal projects. Hopefully, I’ll have a bit more free time to devote to working on some things of my own.

6. Actually cook something real. I think this can only be done after I learn to have some patience and I fix my whole ADD problem. Every time I’m in the kitchen and try to cook something besides pasta, I just give up and end up throwing things in frustration. I need to at least try to enjoy cooking. Plus, my father got me a pretty sweet cookbook for Christmas and it’d be rude to not use it.

7. Write more. I don’t think this will really be a problem, because I’m taking four art history classes this semester. Still, I feel like the lack of writing in my life has started to make my brain disintegrate faster. I’d also like to at least attempt to write on this blog more.

8. Get my bike fixed. Ride it.

9. Save money for: a pretty rug, a point-and-shoot camera, paying Russell back.

10. Have a happy, healthy, fantastic and amazing year!

Checklist 2009!

January 2, 2010 – 12:56 pm
Filed under To Do/Lists
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This is the checklist for my 2009 resolutions. As usual, my priorities and life has changed over the course of the year, so many of my resolutions, while not exactly fulfilled, are kind of irrelevant. I guess that’s just as good as having them fulfilled.

1. Stop freaking out about everything. Kiiind of. When I wrote this resolution, I had just come from an extremely stressful semester that consisted of waking up at godawful early hours and commuting to FIT in Manhattan every day. In some ways, my reasons to freak out have considerably diminished. Still, this year was not without freak-out sessions and at times, the accumulated stress from my schedule was enough to have me shouting obscenities to myself on the street. Still, much better year than 2008 in terms of freaking out.

2. Remove the stick from my ass. No. But I’ve had less reason to worry about said stick this year. My anal-retentiveness has been jiving with my life much better in recent months.

3. Quit being all ADD. No. Not at all. I still struggle with my non-existant attention span every day and this really needs to stop. I keep planning on making an appointment with some kind of specialist, but I always keep forgetting about it and putting it off.

4. Do things. ANYTHING. Yes! I did lots of stuff this year! — I just can’t really remember what.

5. GET A JOB. Yes! I got two jobs, as a matter of fact! Over the summer, I worked at the J. Crew offshoot Madewell and this fall, I got an office assistant job in Pratt’s Art History office.

6. Stop being a ridiculously passive doormat with an obsessive need to please people. Let’s just ignore this one entirely. 2008 was obviously a pretty emo year for me.

7. Keep a journal No, but I don’t really care.

8. Lay in the park more. No, but this past summer was so hot that I hardly ever wanted to step out of my air-conditioned room. I did lay in the park a few times during the spring, though, and that was nice.

9. Get the oven fixed. Yes!

10. Use the oven. Yes!

11. Cook new things. Kind of! I’m still absolutely terrible at cooking, but I’ve devised a new strategy. It is called Shannon. Shannon is my roommate who is uncommonly gifted at all things culinary. In an attempt to spice up my dinner repertoire, I’ve started buying food for me and ShannonI to eat together and letting Shannon help with [AKA do all of] the cooking! That way, we can both have delicious, mouth-watering dinners and the house doesn’t need to be burned down!

12. Get an internship. Yes! I just finished a two-semester-long internship at Harper’s Bazaar! And it was fantastic!

13. Get a driver’s license. This will never happen.

14. Go on a trip away from the city. Not really. I did get away from the city, but it was usually for work-related things. Sometimes to assist on photo shoots and other times to help set up the art show I had in October. Still, any reason to get out of the city for a bit is okay by me!

15. Take more pictures. While I didn’t exactly take more pictures in the carry-my-camera-around-everywhere way that I meant, I did take an unusually large amount of photographs this year. So that’s good.

16. Think positively and make 2009 a fantastic year! I think so! 2009 definitely had its ups and downs, but for the most part, I’ve liked it a lot! I have three amazing roommates, a little kitty, and I’m back at the school I wanted to be at all along. I also had an art show and one of my photographs was put on a book cover! What more could I ask for?