Dear 2009,

How unkind I've been to you, 2009! Two months have passed without even a peep from the most beloved philosophotrix of this corner of the graduate lounge! Unconscionable.

In preparation of further "real" blogging, I reproduce here a list, written during the first week of January:

To Do (as in, ever):

1. learn to use a sewing machine
2. make a skirt
3. finish reading shakespeare
4. read chekhov's plays
5. learn to understand poetry
6. learn to read music
7. read more woolf
8. be able to bike 20 miles more than once this summer
9. train myself to wake up at the same time every morning
10. make that time somewhere between 6a and 7a
11. oh. dissertation proposal
12. read kant
13. read people who explain kant
14. aristotle
15. plato
16. do one free thing in chicago every month
17. organize something social for my pals
18. write letters to far-off friends
19. homer
20. develop a well-stocked pantry and freezer
21. stop biting and picking at my nails
22. present at conferences this year
23. remain open to making new friends
24. go to the art institute
25. learn to knit or crochet
26. travel to another country
27. french
28. german
29. get a new cookbook and make everything in it
30. become a reproductive/sexual health care worker
31. become well-informed
32. practice gratitude
33. call and write gram
34. get a camera and use it
35. lean the "messiah" for next year
36. patch my denim quilt
37. become an herbalist
38. grow herbs (such that cat won't eat them)
39. get know my brother
40. stop making excuses
41. get published
42. be in a committed, healthy relationship
43. get a watch
44. write a book on women's relationship to the Pill
45. be comfortable around children
46. learn to wax my own bikini line
47. have a versatile, could-be-formal outfit with shoes to match
48. explore other chicago neighborhoods
49. journal more frequently
50. host a party
51. save money
52. love my mother
53. get my wisdom teeth removed
54. practice patience
55. be able to do 10 full push-ups in a row
56. be able to do pull-ups too!
57. write something creative
58. learn to dance
59. accept some of the invitations i would normally refuse (whirlyball?)
60. keep more secrets
61. drink less coffee
62. drink less alcohol
63. pay more attention
64. learn to whistle
65. resist impulse buys
66. be taken seriously
67. use my time efficiently
68. say less
69. mean more
70. become more proficient at the art of conversation
71. stop eating chemicals and processed junk
72. take my own advice
73. be consistently firm and loving with myself
74. learn to change a tire (car, bicycle)
75. go a month without spending a single frivolous penny