Resolutions 2008

Last night I dreamed that I was at some sort of convention with one of my dissertation committee members, who was my lover. I woke up unsure of what this says about my inner turmoil regarding both my dissertation and the guy I've been seeing. I guess I'll leave that question for my psychoanalyst when I get one.

Anyway, better late than never I guess: My New Year's Resolutions.

1) To lose, um, 20 pounds. Actually I've already lost ten of them before, but I gained them all back. And in fact, I've lost about 5 since the new year, somehow. It baffles me since I've been trying to eat up all the noodles and candy I have left before the diet technically begins. I've decided to do something like the Zone Diet. I saw this program on TLC about "The World's Heaviest Man" (BBC Story here), who has lost 500 pounds on the Zone Diet. I like the sound of a diet where I get to eat all day, but I'm not sure I will be able to work it with being a vegetarian. I can try, though. Anyway, I'll let you know how that goes. I will also go back to Jazzercise after a month-long hiatus.

2) To finish (at least a draft of) my dissertation. I'm applying for a fellowship, but probably won't get it. In that case, I haven't decided if I will teach next fall. I may be able to at Oxford again, and it would be hard to say no to that, but I have absolutely, positively, GOT to get out of school. I've started fantasizing about my life if I had gotten an MBA and gone into advertising or something. It's not looking good. I need to start making a salary and stop living off student loans, if for no reason other than my own sanity. Of course, I'd like to go back to North Carolina, but maybe that will be a resolution for 2009. First things first: finish the dissertation.

3) I think I will try to participate in the "365 Days" group on Flickr, but I haven't quite worked up the nerve. I will probably try to get a few good ones "in the can" first. Many of the people in this group are like really into it. They use Photoshop or something to put two images of themselves in one shot--things I'd love to be able to do but don't know how to. And yes, maybe I could take a class to learn, but remember Resolution 2? Anyway, I have at least one for you, even if I haven't yet decided to give it to Flickr...


(This photo was actually taken October 06.)

Also, I saw a few movies:

Juno: highly recommended. I added another of Ellen Page's films, Hard Candy, to my Netflix queue. That one looks good, too. But really really different...

28 Days Later: highly recommended if you like "disaster"/dystopic/horror/zombie movies (along with its successor 28 Weeks Later which I saw in the theater).

American Psycho: not recommended. Well, I mean recommended maybe for fans of Chuck Palahniuk.

Oh, and Live Free or Die Hard: recommended for people who like action films. And sexy mens.

charity :)