Evaluations

It's the time of year for evaluations (says me), for two reasons:
1. I am nearing a transition time, where I will transition from living/working/learning in one country/city to living/working/learning in another.
2. I haven't done too many (if any) evaluations on my 2010 To Do List, and it's high time.

So here goes.

To Do List for 2010
1. Relearn the guitar.

• My skill of the instrument is "learn a few chords, and strum clumsily as I sing my favorite songs" so I guess that not only would I like to relearn guitar (as I've probably forgotten most of it), but to improve vastly. I think success for this goal would be to feel comfortable playing in front of others.

2. Take a full load of classes in the Fall.

• I am registered to take 3-4 classes online for next Fall semester. However, there is a seminary that is closer to where we will be living in the Fall, and I am considering applying for there (so as to take classes in person, and not via the internets). Success for this goal would be to not only take a full load of classes in the Fall, but love it immensely, and get the most out of it.

3. Take on a grown-up's schedule and routine (waking up and going to bed at a decent hour, doing dishes and laundry on a regular basis, eating meals at consistent times, etc).

• I'm doing moderately in this. Which is ok, but I'm not really a "C average" type of person. Currently there are some dishes to do, and most of the laundry is done, just still drying (takes a little longer these days, since the heat is shut off...and we don't have a dryer)...I am trying to be more disciplined about sleep. Success in this area would be that I would go to bed before midnight for at least half the week, and wake up feeling refreshed when it is time to wake up. It also means not only washing dishes and laundry, but putting the clean stuff away when it's dry...before it's time for the next load (currently, I usually start putting away laundry only when I need to hang new clothes on the drying rack, and I usually start putting away dishes when it's time to start a new load). It may or may not be easier to keep this up at our next place, where we will have both a dishwasher, and a dryer to do half the work for me.

4. Find a job that doesn't require a "work email" or checking it often.

• Next Fall I will be a student (so there will be a student email), and hopefully a part-time worker at an establishment that thrives on face to face interaction (perhaps a coffee shop, for example).
• I will be officially done checking my current work email on the 10th of May. On the road to success!

5. Blog whenever I feel like it, about whatever I want, with no patterns or self-imposed rules and guidelines.

• I think I've done that. I would like to be a more frequent blogger. And since I don't want to blog with self-imposed rules or guidelines, "I would like to be a more frequent blogger" is about as specific as I can get.

6. Read my Bible as often as I brush my teeth.

• I'm trying. If anything, I brush my teeth less. I think one thing that would help would be to make Scripture more readily available in all aspects of life (tape a verses in places that I look often).

7. Sing more. Laugh more. Be myself more.

• Trying. Don't have much to say on this one yet.

8. Grow my hair long

• Working on it. The hair on the top of my head has finally caught up with the rest, so I have that going for me. I guess I can't give a length that would mean success, so I will say that success will be not chopping a significant amount off before the year is through. A significant amount would be anything from 2 inches to half your length at a time.

9. Print and frame and hang some pictures

• Saving this one for our new apartment.

10. Give away things I never use.

• I've done this a ton over the past week or so (starting to pack, and will need to get rid of (mostly donate) a lot of stuff. Success will be that our suitcases are packed full with the things that we want to bring back with us, within the weight restrictions of the airplanes.