:: GOAL TRACKER :: Update 1/19/10

So I don't think it's enough to just have my goals hanging out there on the side of the page.  I should probably be talking about them and updating you if I'm ever gonna give myself the chance to stick to them.  So here goes...

:: get a job!

While this goal has eluded me for the last 6.5 months that I've been back up in Nor Cal, I refuse to continue on like this; penniless and ineffective.  On the bright side, I do have two (that's right, TWO) interviews this week.  One is courtesy of a staffing agency that I teamed up with last week and, while it's just a part-time gig, it is a step in the right direction and could lead to bigger things.  The other found myself by just checking out websites that I liked and seeing if they were hiring.  And I'll be hearing back soon from an internship that I applied for back in November.  I know an internship isn't exactly going to get me out of my parents' house any sooner, but it would be a really amazing opportunity and I'll be working from home so it's something I'll be able to do in addition to a full-time job.  Fingers crossed!!

:: move to San Francisco

This is goal is entirely dependent on the first one, so I don't really have much to report here.  But it is becoming seriously imperative that I accomplish these two goals quickly, folks.  Besides just wanting to have my own place again, I am struggling with my living conditions right now.  My parents' have a decent-sized home, but when my sister and I were finally both out of their hair they kind of stretched their arms and used the extra space for what suited them, and who can blame them?  But now that I've moved back in, with all my crap, the house that once felt like the 4-bedroom that it is now feels like the size of my old 1-bedroom apartment.  My computer and printer is set up at the kitchen table, my closet is split up between two rooms and the garage, and 3/4 of my possessions are neatly packed away in big plastic bins at a storage facility.  It's the pits.  So I'm really hoping to see one of these jobs work out...

:: read more books

So I've been reading Eat, Pray, Love and A New Earth for waaaaay too long now.  It's an amazing book, but for some reason I just can't seem to properly dedicate enough time to it.  I always think of something else that I can use that time for, which is usually no where near as satisfying as completing a good book.  But as my list of books I want to read grows, I realize that I better step on it if I'm ever going to get to the new ones.  And with the helpful suggestion of my friend Sarah to join her in the book club The Book Lushes (hint: one of my interviews is for a company related to this group), I have even more reason to make reading a priority.  After all, I'm going to feel awfully pathetic when I have to click "Leave The Book Lushes" link at the bottom of my settings page because I couldn't read the one book we're assigned each month.  Oh the shame!

:: relearn French

As an Art History major, which I was, you have to have 2 years of either French or German (I know right?  Where's the Italian option?).  I chose French because I have a ridiculously romantic heart and a love for all things French.  It's hard to learn a new language when you're 22, but it's even harder to remember it once you've thrown out your book bag and sack lunches for the last time.  So I've armed myself with both CD and CD-Rom versions of a French teacher.  By the end of the year I hope to be singing along with (and understanding) my entire collection of French music!

:: lose 15 pounds

I know it's not always good to use your weight as your indicator of progress, but when I saw the scale read... well let's just say it read the number I used to weigh plus 10 when I checked it after the holiday shuffle, I was a little disappointed.  I knew it was fat and not muscle adding the pounds because I certainly was not working out.  So if I can just get back down to my old number and then some, I should be a pretty happy camper.  So far I'm doing great!  It's my third week of my new routine and I've only missed this last Saturday because I flew to Newport for my sister's birthday.  But I was back on schedule again today and still feeling awesome about it!  And, my weight has already come down two pounds.  Not a huge success, but I'll take it.  On the other hand, my beautiful baby Belle has gained 2.5 pounds, and all since moving in with Grandma (my mom) who has gotten pretty good about sneaking bits of chicken and fish into her food bowl when I'm not around...  What an interesting correlation.