Saturday, October 1, 2011

In We Go Into October

New Faux Blazer

Hello Sir

Before we get to the topic of October goals, I have two things to say.  First, I continue to be really inspired by Raquelita’s example, which is why I’ve been writing more posts about goals in the past few months.  Goal-setting definitely makes me more ambitious; I’m rather lazy when left to my own devices.  I need some carrots (or stars on my star chart) to get me excited about setting and reaching goals.  This month I’m going to make another star chart; it’s going to look pretty similar to September’s chart except that I have some specific goals for my fall running.

Speaking of fall, I am thrilled that my favorite month has finally arrived!  Fall in Texas is more like Indian summer until late November or December, but nonetheless, the days are cooler, the light is golden and gorgeous, and we start seeing winter squash everywhere.  (Side note: I was so bummed when I saw butternuts at the hippie food store today because I didn’t think I’d be able to manage a 2-3 pound squash in addition to all my other groceries.  I’m looking forward to making this salad just as soon as I get my hands on a butternut.  I love that recipe, though I’m going to use this recipe for the dressing instead of the one suggested in the recipe, which is a little bitter for my taste.)

I have a new addition to my fall/winter wardrobe: that olive green blazer in the first photo up there.  My mama bought me this blazer when we were out shopping; we like to do a mother-daughter lunch-and-shopping trip every time I’m in Michigan.  I think it’s really lovely that we have a ritual now.  It’s good for our relationship that we spend some time together, just the two of us, especially since our family is so big.  I wasn’t planning on buying anything (or letting my mom buy me anything!), but we came across this blazer, in a variety of beautiful colors.  What really sold me, though, is that it’s made of sweatshirt material!  It’s soft and cozy but it has a great tailored look.  I tend to be a sweater person, not a jacket person, but this (faux?) blazer is the best of both worlds: soft yet tailored-looking.  It’s still too hot here for jackets, but I’m looking forward to cooler days so I can wear my new gift.  Thanks, Mom!  You are the best.

It’s Saturday, and I feel great.  Part of that is because I actually got enough sleep last night—close to nine hours!  Whoo!  Today provides some convincing evidence that I am not getting enough sleep.  Furthermore, I feel like I’m wasting way too much time playing on the computer.  I’m not doing productive things, like doing the work I get paid to do, or writing blog posts, or even reading one of your lovely blogs.  I’m pissing my time away, reading Get Off My Internets, which I enjoyed quite a bit at first, but now I think I’ve reached my quota for snark.  Plus, Raquelita’s comments in a recent post definitely resonated with me, so I feel like it’s time for me to step away from the GOMI.  I have to say that one of the things I love about my blog friends and my friends in real life is that we can have really great conversations about topics on which we don’t necessarily agree.  To me, that’s a wonderful thing to have: dialogue that explores the issues without becoming filled with anger or animosity.  As a thinker, I process things slowly—I do a lot of my thinking while I’m cooking or riding my bike, not in front of other people.  So I appreciate dialogue that gives me material to ponder, and I appreciate people who are content to discuss without arguing.  I don’t like too much passion in a discussion—I’m happier when things are more relaxed.

In an effort to get more sleep and be more deliberate about how I spend my free time, I have a few goals for this month, which I’ll list below, after my fitness goals.

Fitness Goals:

* Gradually increase my run length to 40 minutes.

* Take my bike to the bike shop for its annual check-up.

* Write and make good use of the monthly star chart.

Health and Life Balance Goals:

* Be in bed by 10 PM Sunday through Thursday.

* Get back into the habit of cooking something substantial at least twice during the work week (Monday to Friday).  Otherwise I feel like I have nothing but fruit, cheese, and pretzels to take for lunches!

* Allow myself some snack and rest time after work (15-30 minutes), but spend that time on the couch, relaxing and not playing on the computer.

* Continue reading favorite blogs, but try to avoid too much aimless computer time.

Happy October, dear readers!

5 comments:

  1. I should definitely make taking my bike into the shop a priority, as I am hearing some disturbing creaking sounds on my commutes these days. The chain probably just needs some oil, but I know next to nothing about bike maintenance.

    I have a butternut squash in my fridge and have been contemplating what to do with it, since M. won't eat squash. Now I have an answer, though, I may need to slightly alter the recipe since I don't have any cilantro on hand.

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  2. Yes, get thee to a bike shop, Raquelita! I'm with you: I know nothing about bike maintenance or repair, so I leave it to the professionals. Plus I have a crush on the bike shop owner ;-)

    So...can I come to your house for dinner? I'll eat M.'s share!

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  3. Yes! Come over! I think I'm going to add couscous to the salad and use a tahini-honey-mustard vinaigrette for the dressing. :)

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  4. Those are great October goals. It is definitely getting to be fall like up here, great time for running. Good to see you pushing those runs to 40 minutes. I think I need to come up with some good long term and short term goals for myself, especially heading into next year.

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  5. Ooh, that sounds totally delicious, R. I'll bring dessert...

    Ah, Michigan fall! I envy you your beautiful Midwestern fall, JD.
    What's interesting to me about goal-setting is that it's more fun to do it now that we're grown-ups. When we're young, it's like, "My goal is to graduate from college and get a good job." But once you've done those things (even if it's more like A JOB and not your DREAM JOB), then what do you do? You start setting new goals, more unique goals, your adult-life goals. You're on such a roll with your running, JD--I can't wait to hear what you do next! If you decide to share your goals on your blog, I'll look forward to reading them. I have to say, I do like publishing my goals because it makes them more real to me that way. I feel more ambitious if I've taken the time to publish them!

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