Progress

Progress on the very specific, non-New Year's resolution goals is as follows:

1. Cook with less salt: I've been measuring--with measuring SPOONS, rather than small pinch, pinch and generous pinch--and I am pleasantly surprised. My "pinch" is actually only about half a teaspoon...now I just need to find out how much is too much salt for the regular person per day.

2. Give blood at least four times a year: Appointment has been made people! This goal will be 1/4 of the way accomplished next week!

3. Take a daily vitamin. Get Lovely Husband to take one too: This one gets a big, fat check! (Yes, this was most likely the easiest of my very specific goals, but still, gimme some credit.)

4. Learn how to cook more grains--quinoa, barley, brown rice, etc: I made salmon and cous cous last week. Yes, I know cous cous is technically a pasta, not a grain, but baby steps.

5. Learn how to make pasta. Master at least one recipe that calls for homemade pasta: We're taking a ravioli making class in February.

6. Ride my bike both to and from work at least once: I'll get back to you on this one in June...

7. Go camping at least twice: See response to #6.

8. Support the USPS: write at least three letters per month: One down, two to go.

9. Learn how to do our taxes: Uhh...no W2's yet, but the file with all the things that I was told by our mortgage guy were "very important for taxes" is patiently waiting on the corner of my desk.

10. Cook with veggies that previously have scared me: bok choy, turnips, cauliflower, okra and leeks: Alright, so, I got what looks like a killer recipe for kale from my most recent Everyday Food. I ripped it out, stuck it on the fridge, went to the grocery store. Everyone in our neighborhood must get Everyday Food and had the same idea as me, because there was ZERO kale at the grocery store. Z-E-R-O. There was a big empty whole in the produce section there it should have been. I shall try again next week. Until then I shall google all of the odd veggies, make a list of them and then a plan of attack. Okra sounds really scary...

11. Read more news, specifically global politics and global current events. US media sources and international: Ermmm....I read one story about how more and more Chinese born, US educated professors and research doctors are opting to return to China, even the ones with tenure or established labs at predominate US universities and hospitals. Does that count?

12. Put some serious thought (yet again) into running a half marathon: I've definitely got the thinking part of this goal down, stay tuned for the doing part...