Well, I made it to the end of 2016. This year will really stand out in my mind for many reasons, but most of them political. Through the political madness and sadness, I have also found myself becoming closer to my students, and being able to mentor them in new ways, which is pretty exciting.
I haven’t been blogging or podcasting for most of this year. I also haven’t really been posting to social media, except here and there. I would like to get back to blogging. I want to be writing regularly, sharing my knitting projects, and also my reflections on things. My goals are really just goals and reflections on the year rather than resolutions, so I’m not sure I’ll do anything that I plan. But I still think it’s worth planning. So here goes:
2016 Updates
1. Cross-stitch: 2 finished projects NO
I finished zero cross-stitch projects. I did cross-stitch a lot this year though, and made it half way through the Pumpkin Passport stitch along. I really enjoyed cross-stitching this year.
2. Spinning: 12 finished skeins NO
I haven’t spun on my wheel since March and I haven’t spun on a spindle since the summer.
3. Sock Knitting: 24 finished pairs NO
I’m not sure how many pairs I knit, but it wasn’t 24.
4. WIPs: How many can I finish from before 2016? NO
I didn’t even look at my WIPs.
5. Books: 24 finished books YES
Notable books this year were Underground Railroad, The Girl with All the Gifts, Fates and Furies, Dragonfly in Amber, A Little Life, Between the World and Me (reread), Station Eleven (reread). I had a pretty good reading year!
6. Teaching portfolio: That sucker is due in June YES
That was a HUGE accomplishment.
7. Podcasts: At least one a month. I would like to get on an every other week recording schedule. NO
I just don’t have time for podcasting anymore, so I threw in the towel.
8. Board games: This seems likely. YES
Thanks to my friend Kim starting weekly board game nights at her house, and thanks to having more friends with less responsibilties who enjoy board games, we have started playing regularly again.
9. Travel: This also seems likely. Right now I’ve plans to go to Memphis, Houston, MD Sheep & Wool, Columbus, Orlando, Door County, Dallas, Chicago. YES
Most of this travel did happen, except for Door County. I also added a few trips including a trip to Montreal, Canada.
10. Serenity: Some kind of regular spiritual practice, perhaps yoga or journaling. SORT OF
I started bullet journaling this year, and I did some writing in this journal. I wouldn’t call it regular though.
Goals for the year of 2017
1. Cross-stitch: finish one project
2. Knitting: finish 12 projects plus a bunch of hats for the kiddos for the holidays
3. Spinning: start spinning again. I want to say 15 minutes a day is the ultimate goal, or at least 15 minutes several days a week.
4. Books: 2 a month worked well for me last year, so let’s say 24 books again. Also, I’d like to read all of the graphic novels that I own.
5. Research: I need to find the next right thing for me research-wise. I haven’t really had time for research as I focused on my teaching the last five years to get tenure at Juniata, but research is important to me. I will use this year to think and consider what my research agenda will be going forward.
6. Blogging: I’d like to blog again. Maybe once a week?
7. Journal: Bullet journal all year long
8. Board games: Now I play board games like I read books! I’d love to finish 2 legacy games. Also, it’d be great to play more of the games in shrink wrap that we have in our house.
9. Travel: This year, I have many travel plans that I’m excited about. The big one is a trip to Israel in August. I am also planning to visit Philly, Portland Oregon, MD Sheep and Wool, Columbus, Orlando, Dallas, and Chicago.
10. Meditation: Maybe combine with spinning and journaling, but I’d like to start some kind of daily meditation routine. I seem to have this goal every year, and I never meet it. Daily routines are tough. But I’ll keep this one on here for now.
awesome! Hope all goes well for you in the New Year!!