Goal Tending

I've been thinking that for the past few years, my goals haven't been very thought out. I recycled previous goals and forgot about them for weeks at a time. 

Here are my current thoughts.

Dryuary: I've been doing some version of this for over 25 years. I'm a third of the way through the dry period (I don't drink again until Valentine's Day.) I recently read that Dryuary isn't such a great idea. Instead, you should rethink your drinking. It's something to think about. I find myself drinking more in the last week of year, because I stop after that. 

Exercise: I've been trying to exercise for a half-hour each day, and it's going pretty well. I was planning to join a gym in February but may wait a little longer. I need to do more research. 

Reading: I don't want to set a goal of a specific number of books read, but I want to read more than I have been. I have only a few books here that I haven't already read, and there in boxes, except for the Connecticut book mentioned below. I need to check out the Essex Library.

Writing: I've been journaling and doing some blogging. Unfortunately, that hasn't translated to "real" writing. I think I'll pick up a book about Connecticut railroads. I first saw this book in the history room of the Norwalk Library but later found my own copy at a library book sale. Maybe that will inspire me. 

It's Been A Week

The first full week of the year was a mixed bag: a doctor's appointment, a family funeral, and the normal errands and chores. Oh, and we sold our Norwalk condo! I have regrets about how I handled things, but I'm not going to worry about that now. We expect to close on the 30th. 

A few weeks ago I went to New Jersey for a celebration of life for my cousin's husband. This week I went back to New Jersey for my cousin Barbara's funeral. That's not the kind of routine I want to continue.

Barbara died on December 22, the same date that Spike died ten years ago. I was planning to call her before Christmas. I'm glad we spoke a few months ago and that I saw her a few summers ago.. 

Barbara was 13 years older than me so I didn't spend a lot of time with her growing up. I did take some fun trips to visit her in Cocoa Beach, Florida and San Francisco with her parents and my cousin Cindy. Later, Barbara became the matriarch of our family often hosting family reunions. I will miss her.

***

I've been exercising almost every day--doing a half-hour of yoga, stretches, and light weight work. I feel stronger already. Walks are good, but not enough. Plus, Jace and I don't walk as far in the cold as we do in the warm weather. 

I've been doing more journaling. This morning I woke up with a sentence in my head about Sylvanus Merwin. After I walked Jace, I sat down at the laptop and wrote 125 words  about the Merwinsville Hotel. A drop in the bucket, but it made me feel good. You have to start somewhere.

On To 2026!

The holidays are officially over. Jeff and I had the quiet Christmas I didn't know I needed. Quiet times continued through the week between, what Jezebel once called slug week. We celebrated New Year's Eve with our friends Annette and George with Annette's old fashions, sushi, cake, and champagne.

As far as I'm concerned, 2026 really starts tomorrow. 

In the morning I'm headed to the our new primary care doctor. Jeff's already seen him, and we both liked him. I've got other medical referrals that I have to prioritize this month. Jeff will probably start outpatient physical therapy this week. 

I want to get back to furniture shopping. Then I can unpack and put away more things. I need to organize the closets and change a few things in the kitchen. 

Hold on: one step at a time. First, I need to pack up the Christmas decorations. I started by washing the holiday napkins and towels and gathering Jace's Christmas toys. 

I'm going to give myself daily to-do lists--three things should do it. A list will keep me less easily distracted. At least I hope so. 

One thing I want to put on the list--hmm, maybe there should be four items--is exercise. A few weeks ago I did a few stretches and I was really stiff. I realized that I haven't been to a gym since August. It's been so cold lately that I'm not walking as long as usual with Jace. 

I started daily exercise: yoga, stretches, balancing exercises. I work with my body ball and small weights (we only have two and five pounds.) I already feel that it's making a difference. I want to get back to a gym routine, but want to avoid the January rush. That reminds me: we saw several gym commercials on TV on New Year's Eve, but no diet commercials. It must be because everyone's on Ozempic.

Mid Year Review

This isn't a fun post to write. It hasn't been a great year for me.

Let's start with the fact that I never put together a list of goals. Here's what I  used for the first quarter review.

Gym visits: I should have 75 visits to be on target for my annual goal of 150. As of June 30th, I have 62 visits (and 5 in July.) Not bad, especially compared to 78 visits for all of last year. I'm happy with my physical activity. I'm walking Jace about 1.5 hours daily. I usually exercise here for a half hour when I don't go to the gym. I have real biceps. I'm now working more on my left bicep so it will match the right. I notice muscles in my thigh that I never noticed much before. 

Reading: I've read 10 books this year. Parable of the Sower was the best. I reread two books: a Nancy Drew mystery and a novel about Anne Boleyn. The other night I picked up Dune when I headed into bed. I just wanted to read something that wasn't a magazine. I got three books at the library today, so no more rereading for a while. 

Blogposts: This is my 61st post. January through March I was writing over 10 monthly posts. Then I fizzled out. Not posting is part of a bigger problem--not writing. Journaling has also suffered. This is something I need to change. 

While I haven't written about moving as a goal, Jeff and still hope to move this year. We've spent a lot of time looking at condos and houses online and have made two trips to Delaware. I continue my decluttering efforts. We just need to find a place to live.

More Catching Up with a Side of Miscellanea

It's been a lot. 

I'm not sure why I haven't been writing. I've barely journaled either. Keeping myself incommunicado. Keeping my thoughts to myself. But it's counterproductive. Journaling helps keep me grounded. At least, I journaled today; I need to get back into the habit.

Our trip to Delaware was...disappointing. I had hoped to find several good housing options for us. Instead, we found only one. Reviewing the condo documents, we discovered another problem. The place is just not dog-friendly. 

We need to look further. We've been invited again to visit friends in the Baltimore area and look from there. We just have to figure our a schedule--they're away now.

I brought up three large plastic boxes from our storage bin in the basemen, including two boxes of Halloween costumes, props, and accessories. I threw out some old make-up, but I packed up the rest for Goodwill. The bags are in the back seat of my car: I was afraid I would forget about them if I put them in the trunk. 

I set up some PT appointments for Jeff, but need to reschedule two of them. It's another week before he starts. Only Jace and I have medical appointments this week.

I went to the gym one day this week. I did back, chest, leg, and ab exercises. I exercised at home most other days. I went to the hotel gym once in Newark. Jace and I didn't do much walking around the hotel. I guess Jace didn't like the neighborhood. He did enjoy walking the green at UD. Jace was a big hit, especially with the ladies. As usual.

Had another expensive week with unexpected car repairs .I needed a headlight bulb replacement, a new battery, and windshield wiper blades. At least I don't have a car payment to worry about. 

Finally got into a bit of a cleaning mode today. The feeling doesn't last long, so I have to act on it. 

It's only a good start if I continue.

First Quarter Review

It looks like I never officially made a list of 2025 goals. I'll review this quarter based on 2024 goals. 

Dryuary Plus: I didn't drink from January 2 until Valentine's Day. It was only difficult on one stressful day.

150 Gym Visits: Through March 31, I've gone to the gym 34 times, just a bit off the pace to hit 150. I only made it to 150 once, but it's doable at a pace of three visits per week. It was April 2024 that my gym visits virtually stopped for several months. I can't let that happen again. 

Reading: Last year my goal was 40 books, but I only read 27. By the end of March last year, I read four books. This year, I read five. I also read a simplified version of Little Women, which I'm not officially counting. The five are: Five Points. Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII and his Court, Road of Bones, and Angel of Darkness. All of my books so far are good. 

Blogposts: My 2024 goal was to write 150 to 200: I wrote 132 and 35 through March 31. I wrote 38 by March 31 this year. on pace to write 152.

Writing: Once again, I didn't do specific writing goals, but I had been working with the plan of writing 500 words a day. I did it several days, but kind of lost my way. I averaged 334.6 words per day on the days I wrote (January 2 through February 8.) I started revising in late March. Have to get back into the daily habit. There's lots of time left in the year.  

Two Weeks

I clicked on this site and saw the last title, "A Month Away," and thought it hasn't been that long. Just two weeks. 

Last week was bad, and the week before it had its own issues. Jeff was in a lot of pain last week; it was hard for him to even walk around our apartment. We cancelled all his appointments even the physical therapy that he needed; just walking from the car to the PT office would have wiped him out. At least he's feeling better--his normal level of pain. It sucks to have a normal level of pain on an everyday basis. He got back to PT yesterday and goes again tomorrow. We booked PT sessions through March. 

About two weeks ago, I felt like I had too many things that I needed to manage. It was if I were juggling and was losing some of the balls in the air. I pulled out a notebook and made a to-do list. Nothing earthshaking here--I just wanted to have everything in one place rather than scattered across my planner. I had nine "to-dos" and was thinking about how/when to do them. 

I quickly realized that I had forgotten two vital items: income tax prep, and health insurance research (Jeff is losing his Cobra coverage in April.) I added two more items. Over the last two weeks, I crossed off five items. That's not good, but not too bad considering. 

Anyway, time to make a new list. A new priority: my grandniece Daphne will be one in two-and-a-half ways. I'm buying her (and my other grandniece Ella) a book my cousin Deb wrote. I also have a copy of Go, Dog, Go! for Daphne. One of my favorite Cooper family photos is one of Daphne's father Kurt with his grandfather who is reading Go, Dog, Go! Unfortunately, that photo is in storage now. Recently, I've been displaying fewer photos, and put several good ones away. Oh well, I need to continue with my decluttering anyway.  

Bad news from the New Canaan Nature Center: the black vulture Mort has died. It might have been the Avian Flu. Mort was easygoing, vocal, and always hungry. Sad: NCNC just lost Ralph in February.

It's not all bad things recently. We had a week of nice weather. First the winds died down, and then it warmed up. Countdown to spring is progressing. We made it to March and are watching the Mets. This weekend we spring forward.

I went to a program on Rails to Whistlestops and made a contact with a Housatonic Railroad historian. This helped me get back into my Merwinsville work after a slow February. I'm also back in a good exercise routine. It helps with the stress and keeps me going. 

Another Steak Ends

I didn't exercise on Monday and Tuesday. I didn't feel well on Monday and was running around a lot yesterday. I only mention this because I've mentioned my exercise routine several times in these posts. I also only went to the gym twice last week instead of three times. 

I knew that I couldn't keep up a routine of exercising every day, but I can keep trying. I went back to the gym today.

On To February

I'll be happy to see February, not because I like February, but because it gets me closer to spring. I'm seeing more light later in the afternoon. 

Some snow remains from from the 20th because it's stayed cold for the most part. We have clear areas, snow patches, and piles of plowed snow. At least we're one third through winter. Actually, a little more than a third now. Yay.

Why isn't Groundhog Day on my calendar? It's not a real holiday but deserves a spot. I've already heard a news story that Staten Island Phil aka Charles J. Hogg  is the most accurate groundhog. I wonder if he has a PR person.

I've had a good January. I've been to the gym 13 times (I think--too lazy to check.) I've exercised at least a half hour when I didn't go to the gym. Of course, I'm also walking with Jace. Our walks have been less frequent and shorter

I've written every day since the second. I often get distracted from the actual writing by checking facts or going off on what may be tangents. One day it was how to learn the Morse code; another day it was women's fashions of the 1840s. I've enjoyed following where the story took me. Even if I don't end up using those pieces.

Valentine's Day is in two weeks. A local distillery is offering a welcome cocktail, whiskey tasting, and chocolates for $44 per person. Just out of curiosity, I checked out Valentine's Day menus of a few restaurants: $150 per person. That's just crazy. 

We haven't made our plans. Sometimes I cook, sometimes we get takeout. Time enough to decide. 

Off to a Good Start

It was a good feeling to walk with Jace today around 4:30 and realize it was nice out. It was 40 degrees which we hadn't seen in a while. More importantly, there was no wind. 

It sets the tone for this positive post. I'm happy with how 2025 has started.

Beginning January 2, I've been writing every day (from 223 to 587 words) for about a half hour to an hour-of-a-half. 

I've exercised every day beginning on the 2nd and gone to the gym six times. 

I've written eight blogposts. 

I've been changing up some routines and habits. The most important thing is writing in the morning. I've also changed Jace's walking schedule around. I'm switching up my gym workouts. I'm not spending as much time in the early morning on The New York Times games. That has been the most difficult routine for me to change. 

I haven't done much thinking about goalsetting. Instead, I'm actually doing things that will help me get to my goals.

I'm adding this following because I thought it was funny. It's a paraphrase from a collection of tweets--probably from the Huffington Post. 

                    I don't want a new year. I would prefer a gently used year. 

Time to Say Goodbye

 A week and a half into 2025, and things have settled in a more-or-less normal pattern. I realize that I haven't written a post about 2024 goals, highlights, etc. 

Spoiler alert: it's because 2024 was pretty much a total failure. 

Here goes: 

Dryuary Plus

Achieved.

Go to the gym 150 times. 

With 78 visits, I barely made it halfway to this goal. I was doing well with double-digit visits through March. I hit a funk in April, hurt my hand in May, had to deal with colitis (and am still navigating it to this day.) I was also away for a week in June and one in September. That doesn't fully explain my lack of visits from April through September.

Read 40 books.

I only read 27 books last year. The biggest reading month was June with six books. I wish I had at least read 30. I re-read four Preston and Child books as I waited for Angel of Vengeance (book 17.)

Write 150 to 200 blogposts.

I wrote 132 posts. I wish I had written more. On the other hand, I don't need to write more drivel.

Other writing/artistic work.

I didn't make any specific writing goals, and I barely wrote. The same with artistic work.

Back to the Gym

It's been months since I had a decent gym routine  (i.e. double digit visits each month.) I don't know what happened to April to ruin that routine .On the other hand, I know what happened in May. I hurt my finger in mid-May and then was dealing with colitis. I still had my walks with Jace (we usually walk for about two hours daily) and I did some yoga and very light weight work at home. I made it back to the gym one day in July--big deal.

I really went back on September 23. I went three times that week and another three last week. Yay me. I hit the gym today after I took my car to be serviced (and waited for it.) I was proud of myself. I was tired and it would have been easy to blow off the gym, but I went. When I got home, I took Jace for an hour-long walk. I was now fully awake and feeling good. It had been rainy when I took my car in (every time I wait for my car to be serviced, it's been a crappy day) but it was beautiful during our walk. I need to remember how good I feel when I have a good gym routine. That will help me stick to it.

Monday Miscellanea

Fall officially started yesterday. It was appropriately chilly in the morning and I appropriately used this Welcome Fall glass.

Yesterday, the Mets beat the Phillies 2-1 with a six out save by Edwin Diaz and won the series. Six more games in the regular season. Tomorrow the Mets begin a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves. The Mets have two-game lead over the Braves. If they win two games, the Mets' will cinch a Wild Card berth. LGM!

I returned to the gym after a long, months-long break. I was conservative in how much weight I used in leg presses, pulldowns, chest presses, and abdominal crunches. Then I did a half-hour on the ellipitcal. My goal is go to the gym three times a week. Hopefully, writing this goal here will make me accountable.

Rainy Day Blues

One of the first things I do in the morning is check the weather forecast on my phone. It's especially important on gloomy mornings like today. The forecast for today: rain likely to continue for several hours--a similar forecast to Saturday's even though Saturday's rain was more severe.

It feels as if it rains all the time. I keep thinking of that song, "Though April showers may come your way, they bring the flowers that bloom in May..." Then there's the Mad Magazine version of the second line, "they bring the plumbers for floods in May..." Hey, it's only March, and our ground is already saturated. Can we let things dry out? Today, Jace and I were able to  out for one long walk, one short walk, and two pee breaks. That was a great outcome based on the forecast.

Overall, a dull day. I did a short workout at the gym--no cardio. I canceled a lunch with my friend Elaine, because I just didn't feel that great. Truthfully, I probably would have gone if the weather were nice. The dreary rain was the tipping point. Instead, I spent the afternoon inside: did some light cleaning and paperwork with Jeff.  

Waiting for the sun. Waiting for the sun.

2024 Goals

I've been avoiding and/or procrastinating about goals for this year. I guess I'm hung over from 2023 failures. 

I'm two-thirds through my version of Dryuary. Going forward, I'll drink less during the week. (I know that's not specific enough to be an effective goal, but it will do for now.) I'm going to be more mindful of what I drink as well as of what I eat. 

I'm going to continue with my gym goal of 150 gym visits for 2024.

I'll stick with the reading goal of 40 books for the year. Maybe I'll have better luck in 2024. I read an article recently that opined that the type of books read are more important than the number of books read (to be continued in another post.)

Write 150-200 blogposts. I fell short of my goal of 200 posts for 2023. I guess three to four posts weekly is fine. 

Other writing--here is the hard part. I don't want to overthink this. Let's start with writing 200 words a day. 

Art goals? Let's start with something this week in my art journal. 

Maybe the time is right.

Holiday Miscellanea

Two years ago, our gym moved to a new location in a Shoprite shopping center. It's been convenient for quick visits to the grocery store, but it's a problem on big shopping days before holidays. 

Yesterday afternoon, I drove around for over five minutes before I gave up finding a parking space. Normally, it would only be a minor annoyance, but I'm close to hitting my goal for 150 gym visits this year, and every day counts. I had done my weekly shopping on Monday but was going to get bread and some more lunchmeat. So much for that.

It was better this morning, I got a parking space, grabbed a few things at the store and hit the gym by 9:20. Later I picked up dinner for tomorrow. The amount of beef tenderloin is quite generous. We'll have steak for days. 

Today is Festivus, a holiday that lives on, long after Seinfeld the television show that created it. 

Yesterday was eight years since we said goodbye to Spike. Despite having two dogs to love since then, we miss him. We were lucky to have 13 years with him.

Here's to Spike.

A Week That Went to Hell

The week started off well. Jace and I both had good checkups at the doctors. On Tuesday, I did two of my major weekly chores: food shopping and laundry. Jeff and I returned to the gym on Wednesday and had good workouts. I also took Jace for a hike on the western part of the Norwalk River Valley Trail--the first time for Jace. He loved it. Two people told me he looked happy. Another said he was impossibly cute. 

Thursday night I started sneezing and coughing. My throat hurt and I was chilled. I've been sick ever since. I feel better today, but am still spending most of the day in bed. Jace has been very attentive. Cynthia has been a big help, lending me a thermometer, walking Jace in the afternoons, and buying tissues and throat lozenges for me. I've tested negative for Covid twice, so I think this is a bad case of the flu.

Jeff's birthday is tomorrow. I don't think I'll be up to going out. I'll make it up to him.

A Friday in a Life

I started the day in a bad mood. I didn't sleep well Thursday night and overslept. By the time I washed up and dressed, it was 9. I took Jace for a 40 minute walk, had coffee and breakfast, and headed to the gym. Oops. My tire pressure light came on. I thought about driving to Town Fair Tire (two shopping centers past the gym) but then I looked at the tire. Flat.

Roadside assistance took about an hour to arrive. I did a New York Times crossword and started to clean the bathroom as I waited. By the time the tire was fixed, it was lunchtime. I had lunch, finished cleaning the bathroom, and walked Jake. We saw the mean cat on Truman Street lying under a car. When Jace started barking, he got up, took a few steps towards us, and stared at us. I hurried Jace down the block and around the corner. It may seem silly to be intimidated by a cat, but when we saw him before, he swiped at Jace and followed us down the block. I figured a close encounter wouldn't do any of us any good. 

When I got into the car to go to the gym, the tire pressure light was on. So I headed to Town Fair Tire. My morning's plug repair wasn't done correctly. A mechanic made sure my sensors were working correctly, and another filled the tire with air. I have to return Monday to have the tire repaired properly. This time, the quick fix/short cut didn't work. I should know better.

I finally made it to the gym and worked out for a half hour as planned--my fourth visit this week. Back home, I showered and washed my hair and walked Jace. Jeff and I enjoyed a Friday cocktail (gin and lemon elderflower soda.) I made dinner: mac and cheese with pork sausage, asparagus with garlic and parmesan, and sliced tomato. (I had planned to make chicken Milanese but went an easier route.) We watched the Mets lose again (their fourth in a row) and listened to various songs on Youtube. 

I was happy that I didn't let my tire problems ruin my day, despite getting off to a bad start. There's hope for me yet. 

Mid-Year Goal Review

I had most of this post written, but stupidly lost it while attempting to delete something I had accidentally added. Ugh! It's even worse because I had planned to do a quarterly review. 

Here we go: 

Stop drinking from January 2 to Valentine's Day: done with no problems.

Stop drinking on weekdays: failed. Truthfully, I didn't expect to succeed here, but I'm drinking less, so that's a positive.

Read 40 books: By the end of June, I finished 16 books, so I'm behind schedule here. Yesterday I finished Book 17 (could be writing about that now, if I hadn't deleted an early version of this post.)

Go to the gym 150 times: Again, I'm behind schedule at the end of June with 64 visits. 

Write 200 blogposts: Way behind schedule with 68 posts. I can't afford any more blocks if I want to meet this goal.

Writing, editing, researching, blogging, journaling for two hours daily, creating 200 words of new material: What can I say--this was not only a failure, but a dismal failure. I had a special notebook to track how much time I spent and how many words I produced. I stopped tracking time in February--I guess I was too embarrassed to continue--and have recently started to recreate the number of words in May. I need to prioritize my writing STAT.

Spend two hours a week making some kind of art: Another fail. I don't have a crafting area, and that is hurting me. As I write this, it sounds like bullshit. Another area to prioritize. 

It's Friday

I still think of Friday as the end of the week, even though it's really only the end of the traditional Monday through Friday work week. It was a weird week in many ways--a bit stressful with emotional ups and downs. It felt very busy although it wasn't. 

I took Jace on a hour plus walk this morning. I didn't intend to go so long, but turned on a street which dead-ended into a condominium complex. I ignored the No Trespassing sign and tried to cut through the condo to another street, but there was no way to do so. We didn't mind. It was a beautiful day--sunny in the mid-fifties--a welcome change to the last few days of cold mornings in the forties. The dead end and connecting streets had much less traffic than the streets we usually walk. It was soothing to only hear birdsong (and the occasional lawn mower) instead of traffic sounds.

Jeff and I went to the gym--this was my third consecutive week of four visits to the gym. I am feeling good about finally getting into that routine.

In contrast, my writing routine is--well, I have no writing routine. On Monday, I renewed a book from the library on American railroads and wrote a little background for my Merwinsville project. I scribbled a poem on Tuesday. National Poetry Month is coming to and end, I had hoped to write more. 

There's a little time left in the week and the month. Let's see what I can do.