Eleven in 2011! Or, Kicking This Year's Ass: The Update

Last night, as I was lathering my hair with Tresseme (I ALWAYS do my best thinking in the shower), a sudden thought caused me to almost drop the shampoo bottle on my foot, which would have rapidly devolved into an SNL skit.

What thought, pray tell, could have POSSIBLY caused me to nearly turn my bathroom into the set of Psycho? 

HOLY CATS! 2011 IS A QUARTER OVER!

 WHEN THE HECK DID THAT HAPPEN?!

(March 31, genius).

So, I thought it would be a fun idea to check in with my 11 Goals in 2011 and share my progress with you all. In the event that I'm not the absolute most important thing in your life, and you therefore don't remember what I pledged to do (or, if you're a newer reader, and you didn't deem me important enough to drop everything and go through my archives), here they are:

Eleven in 2011! Or, "How I Plan to Kick This Year's Ass"
Kicking 2011's Ass: Part Deux

1) Fiscal Responsibility
    I actually think I've done a fairly good job with this one. My monthly calls to my legal loan sharks student loan company to scream like a woman possessed because they never, EVER apply the right amount of money to the right loan subgroup seem to be paying off. I've not only created some epic profanities (see? I totally put the $40k English degree from a state school to good use), but I've also managed to pay down the principle balance of the highest interest rate loan (Seriously? 6.8%? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!) with the extra $50-$60 I've been throwing at the bill. It's not much, but it's something. I also take a slim satisfaction in knowing that "Jennifer" most likely quakes in her skinny jeans whenever my name comes up on the caller ID.
     In addition, my 403(b) is thriving, I understand the point of my pension and I've managed to save 5% of my gross income each month to increase my safety net account a respectable amount. BALLA!
First Quarter Assessment: A. Basically, I make it rain.

2) Travel More
     Sooo... that trip to Austin? It never happened. B couldn't get the time out of retail hell, and, after assessing our current financial situation, it was decided that while we really, REALLY wanted an excuse to go to TX to attend these nuptials, a few days' hotel stay in tandem with airline prices to Austin during SXSW (wtfg on the planning there, Bride) just wasn't realistic. I HAVE been doing my due diligence for B's Christmas present, i.e. the weekend in NYC, though. While I was ALL FOR dropping $350 to spend a night at the Waldorf with furry slippers and room service, Mr. "I've Never Been to NYC" apparently wants to EXPERIENCE the sights and (gag) smells of the city firsthand. Go figure.  So, if anyone has any sweet hotel recommendations or knows of a way to abscond with cheap Mets or Yankees tickets for the end of May, hook a sister up, will you?
     I've also been trying to figure out our October venture to Indy for my friend Meghan's wedding, which happens to coincide with my birthday weekend. More importantly, I've spent numerous hours perusing vacationoutlet.com, and have almost flown myself to Vegas for the weekend on more than one occasion. Big money! Come to Mama! (I'm just trying to be economical here; I could conceivably wipe out goals #1 AND 2 with this idea).
First Quarter Assessment: C+. Hey, at least I'm planning.

3) Run a Half Marathon
     Well, I *did* stick to a training plan for almost two months, and I ran a PR 5k in 36:00! Let's all clap for the slow kid (I jest; I had 1,000 people finish after me, and choose to ignore the fact that it was a run/walk). The bad news? I spent the next three weeks completely out of commission with these babies:

The other good news? I did my first run back yesterday, on the Dreadmill of Doom, with NO SHIN PAIN! It was only a quick run/walk interval of 16:30, but I made it 1.33 miles in that time, which isn't too bad for my first run in three weeks. I'll take it! (Editor's note: Motherlover... I just realized I left my Dr. Scholls inserts in my cross-trainers after Zumba last night. That's what I get for gellin' like a felon).

Boo-ya, 5k witchessss!

     Next up? Getting my mileage back up to 5k at a normal pace, registering and running another one, then proceeding to the 10k and registering for the half in October!
First Quarter Assessment: B. No "A for Effort" here.

4) Get My Blood Pressure Back to Normal
     As you might have gathered from this post, as well as this one (my most popular post to date), things in the weight loss department aren't going so well. Shockingly, my bp hasn't been climbing as high as you would expect, though. Since I've been so frustrated, I've been trying to work on the little goals I had set to help me achieve this one -- namely, getting back to being properly hydrated (8+ each day), cutting back on my coffee intake, getting in at least 30 minutes of cardio at least three times each week, and doing a yoga class at least once a week. Those were all pretty easy to accomplish, actually -- it's the "cut back on drinking" and "use less salt" that is killing me (literally) these days. I'd forgotten how good salt makes food like pasta taste, and it's a big adjustment going back to leaving it off of everything. Le sigh. Stress has also been creepin' on me, which isn't helping the matter.
First Quarter Assessment: C-.

5) Eat More Mindfully
     Now that I have 27 days as a vegetarian under my belt,  you would think that I have made tons of progress on this one, right? Except I really haven't. No, a mindful eater would probably put two and two together and realize that beef jerky constitutes, you know, beef, and therefore has no place in a meat-free diet. Except I didn't, and ate an entire bag of it while hungover on Sunday, gobbling my Veggie Delight and congratulating myself on 25 perfect days as a Lenten Vegetarian. Then I had the worst stomach pain of my entire life, barring the time I lost 7lbs in 6 hours via Norovirus (so not worth it; trust me here), and made the whole "beef jerky - beef" connection 4 hours later. I also ate all of this in my car, out of the wrappers, while reading blogs on my cell. Eff em el.
First Quarter Assessment: F.    

Step AWAY from the jerky!

 6) Get into Grad School
     I can explain this one, and it's actually a good excuse. In case you missed it, I am whatever the opposite of a mathlete is -- Kevin Gnapoor would never date me (aside from my lily white skin and the fact that he only dates women of color, of course). As such, I have been studying for the GRE for something like 359248 years, because while I don't need math for the degree I'm going for, I DO need a high composite score in order to get into the competition for fellowships, which is the only way I'll be able to justify taking on more student loan debt at this point of my life. The GRE is being restructured starting in August, with access to a calculator on the math section -- and while I SUCK at math in general, I am great at memorizing what buttons I need to push. (This is talent in other aspects of life, too, which is why I entertained the idea of becoming a lawyer for the first 20 years of my life). Once the GRE is done, the rest is cake!
First Quarter Assessment: B+.

7) Write More
     Duh. Winning!

     Actually, since the laptop disaster, I have a refreshed love for writing. I even wrote in my journal last night by hand -- like the Flintstones!
First Quarter Assessment: A-. Still working on the "creative writing/update blog three solid times/wk" thing.

8) "Control My Reactions"
      This is, possibly, the hardest goal I've set for myself this year -- because it's been ongoing for the past 7 years, since I finally sought therapy for my chronic social anxiety disorder and found my mantra, "I cannot control every situation, but I can control my ability to react". Forcing myself to stop obsessing over potential outcomes, particularly those that will most likely NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS come to pass, and stop second-guessing myself and my decisions is sort of like LSD; once you start doing it, it never really stops living in your spine. For now, I've just kept up with the yoga, worked on the meditation, found solace in the quiet moments (particularly in church), and reminding myself that LIFE is a marathon, not a sprint.
First Quarter Assessment: B. Solid, with room for improvement.

9) Spread the Love
     As I've mentioned before, I'm pretty active in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. A very dear friend has a little boy with this horrible disease, and I've got quite a bone to pick with the stupid gene that is causing this poor kid so much misery. Short of becoming a geneticist, though, which is slightly above my skill set (not to mention my pay grade), all I can do is help to raise awareness and dollars to help researchers combat this horrible condition that has robbed the world of too many lives already.

Making Great Strides to Beat CF

Be on the lookout for the link to my fundraising page for the CFF Great Strides walk in May, or if you're from the Boston area and are interested in a scenic 5-mile walk on the Charles, feel free to email me at caitieexperiment [at] gmail [dot] com and I'll get you the deets! I'm also working in collaboration with the CFF on another project in October!
     I've also been researching other volunteer opportunities, as I'd love to get more involved in another charity. My sorority is extremely philanthropically active with a million foundations, so I've been perusing their many connections to see if there is anything I find appealing.
First Quarter Assessment: B.
     
10) Push My Limits
     When two of your mini-goals were to "go vegetarian once a month" and "try new recipes", and you then decide to go vegetarian for 47 days and nights (save for one, plus the beef jerky incident), I'd say it's a solid guarantee that you're going to kick that goal's ass. Luckily, a lot of the mini-goals associated with my other goals are things that are outside of my comfort zone (like, oh, "publish blog," "smile at random strangers" and "apply to grad school"), and participating in them checks off this little box, too. I'm also trying to keep this goal in mind as I approach things that I am terrified of, and do them anyway -- although if you think there is any way in motherlovin' HELL that I am going anywhere near a spider, a balloon, a cannon or a snake, you, my friend, are one sick puppy.
First Quarter Assessment: B+.


11) Be a Better (and New!) Friend and Family Member
     First off, I planned and executed a baptism, which in my family makes one a legitimate contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. It involved flying my sister and niece up here from Corpus Christi, corralling my mother's AND father's sides of the family on a single date, dragging everyone to Church and keeping the peace through the planning stages of the reception, which might or might not have involved a few screaming matches and espionage worthy of James-Frakkin'-Bond. But look at the end result!:

So worth it.

     I've also worked on cultivating new "blends" -- shout out to all of you readers -- and, in the process, have strengthened some friendships I already had, because it gives us more stuff to talk about and commiserate over. Katie and I even ran, and then blogged about, the St. Paddy's 5K together! (Here's her recap).
     Last, but not least, I've been working very hard at making -- and STAYING -- in contact with my "friends from home", aka the ones I've collected since kindergarten straight up through college, with whom I've either lost touch or simply hadn't talked to in awhile. If I didn't loathe Facebook so much, I'd be praising it right about now. :)
     Oh, and I FINALLY bought a new camera, so I've had the opportunity to take tons of pics, none of which I have uploaded to the web yet, but which I've been picking and choosing from to share with you dolls when I need them. Kisses!
First Quarter Assessment: A.

That's it in a seashell (because seriously, after this vegetarian thing, if I have to think about another nut, I'mmacutsomeone. Just sayin'.). All in all, not so bad. Final Overall Grade: B.

So, tell me: Did you make any New Year's Resolutions or goals? How are you doing with them? Have there been any surprises -- things you expected to be hard but turned out to be easier than you thought, or vice versa? Got any sweet tips for NYC hotel rooms?