Happy New Year - 2019

Happy New Year!

A new year is widely considered a time to turn over a new leaf, to set goals or resolutions, and to put the past year behind us. My 2018 wasn't bad, and did have some very fun moments such as the Rhine river cruise, but I think many people are just glad to have 2018 behind us.

I do need to look to the past to see how I did on my goals from last year, though, so here they are:

• Read 10,000 pages - I fell short of this again, only reading 6545 pages, but I did read more than last year.
• Isengard to Minas Tirith - I made it to Minas Tirith with Gandalf and Pippin, and am now halfway to Mount Doom with the Ring.
• Lose 25 pounds - Well....not even close, and actually went negative on this goal.

Another lackluster showing, I'm afraid. It's a new year, though, so here are this year's goals.

• Read 10,000 pages - Even though I've failed to meet this goal the past two years, I don't believe it's unreasonable, and so I'm retaining it as is.
• Walk Rauros to Mt. Doom - Halfway there, so this should be an easy completion. I'll follow it by walking with Aragorn from Minas Tirith to the Morannon and back.
• Lose 25 pounds - Another failure that I really need to keep as a goal, and devote more effort to completion.

I do have some goals that aren't well-suited to progress bars, so I have a separate list. More goals may get added as the year goes by.

• Finish Teresa Wentzler's "Fantasy Triptych" - I'm aiming for the end of the month.
• Finish Chatelaine's "Violet Mandala" - I hope to finish this by the end of May.
• Clean up and organize my crafting lair - I hope to finish this by Easter (21 April)
• Complete one yarncrafting project - I don't know whether it will be crochet or knit, but I do have a number of things kitted and I need to start doing more than just hoarding yarn.

In terms of habits I want to establish, maintain, or break:

• Drink at least 1 litre of water a day
• Do Duolingo and Lumosity exercises every day
• Stop following stupid clickbait listicles that erode my faith in humanity

I've discovered an app called Habitica that I'm hoping will keep me on track with my goals and habits.

This year will probably also be heavy on introspection in general, since I'll hit a milestone birthday early next year. In the meantime, it's time for me to buckle up and enjoy this ride!