Goal Check

Now that 2010 is almost 2 months old, I thought it might be a good time to check in on the goals I set for myself late last year:

1. Complete a triathlon: I'm signed up for the Danskin SheRox Triathlon in Philly on August 1, 2010.  Training is underway.
2. Take a class in HTML or web design: Sigh.  I was signed up for an all-day HTML class yesterday.  I was really looking forward to this class and purposely chose one that occurred during my vacation week so I could attend.  Alas, Temple cancelled all classes yesterday due to the snow (wimps), and rescheduled the class for next Wednesday.  Grrrr!  I have to go back to work on Monday so there's no way I can make the new date unless I call in sick (which I seriously considered, but the guilt got the best of me).  In an effort to keep the momentum going, however, I decided to look at the selection of HTML books at Barnes & Noble yesterday and found one that looks easy enough for a newbie like me to understand.  So in lieu of a class I will be using my new book to teach myself HTML, XHTML and CSS!  I did my first lesson last night and enjoyed it very much.
3. Develop a reasonable 2 to 4-year plan for transitioning out of my current career and into one that I love: Ah, my new career plan.  Well, I am pleased to say that I've done a lot of thinking over the past week and I think I have a direction and the beginnings of a 4-year plan (you can't see the twinkle in my eye, but it's there).  I'll keep mum on it until I feel more confident, but I ran it by Ken yesterday and he thought it was a good idea!
4. Bake a loaf of french bread from scratch: I took a bread baking class, and made some pizza dough, but that's it.  This mission has yet to be accomplished.
5. Write a magazine article (does not need to be published, just written): So far I've written two posts for an eco-blog called www.iecycle.org (the second will be published on Wednesday).  Not quite a magazine article, but they did require thought and a bit of research so I think I'm moving in the right direction.
6. Find a way to cook eggs that does not completely gross me out:  Eggs, ick.  I'm trying to like them.  The reason I put them on my list is they seem to be a low calorie, high protein breakfast option and there are a million recipes for eggs.  Everyone else likes them, why don't I?  I did have a piece of quiche on my last business trip (not by choice, mind you - it was that or skip lunch entirely) and actually didn't mind it too much.  It was borderline good, although that may have had something to do with the cheese, milk and pie crust.  Which kinda defeats the purpose - quiche is really just pie in disguise.  At Miraval I tried both scrambled tofu and scrambled eggs.  The tofu was OK, but in general I'm not a fan of the stuff (it's the texture).  The eggs were not as gross-tasting as I expected - they actually didn't taste like much at all (not sure what I was expecting, but boiled eggs smell so awful I assumed all eggs would taste exactly like sulfur).  Anyway, I could eat them if I were on a desert island and they were the only thing between me and starvation.  Ken thinks I might like them better if there were some cheese mixed in, so I haven't given up hope.  Perhaps I should give fried or sunny-side-up eggs a try?  I'm open to suggestions! 
7. Keep blogging: So far, so good.
8. Finish off the exercise room so I have a dedicated space for yoga, meditation and working out: The exercise room is ALMOST DONE!  The carpet is in, the paint is on the walls, the TV and treadmill are in position.  I am now in the final stages of organizing and decorating.  I promise to post photos when everything is complete.
9. Plant a small vegetable garden: I planted an mini-indoor herb garden a few weeks ago.  Everything died except the arugula (note to self, seedlings need water - like every day).  I think this one will have to wait until the weather gets warmer.  In preparation, I have been researching organic gardening, rain barrels and composters.
10. Reduce spending and create a budget to allow for significantly more saving - in preparation for a career change:  Hmm.  I have been spending less lately - for example I've been going to the library or Bookswim instead of buying books (my HTML book notwithstanding), and I haven't bought new clothes in quite awhile.  My biggest triumph is changing my $4/day latte habit into a $1.50/day coffee with milk habit.  Not an easy feat!  But if I'm honest with myself I could do a lot better on my overall spending and I think a formal budget is in order.  In order to execute my career-change plan we'll need a healthy savings account!

Overall I've either made progress or given some thought to all of them, and since 2010 isn't even 25% over I think that's right where I should be!  I'll check back in 2 months with another progress report.