01 January 2011

To Do List



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*gigglesnort*

I've often thought the whole New Year's celebration thing was highly overrated. It's not like we can't get a fresh start any time we want one, be it the new year, the 1st of the month, Monday morning, the top of the hour, or even at 3:27 PM on a Thursday. This fascination with the new year makes little sense to me.

I don't do New Year's resolutions, but I do a little bit of that crap they call reflection. You know ... where I'm at ... where I've come from ... where I want to go ... where I don't want to go. In other words, a mental TO DO LIST.

This year I've decided to put my TO DO LIST in writing - on the blog - as a means of accountability.

*2011 TO DO LIST*


  1. Apply for a passport. This might sound silly, considering I have no plans to leave the country any time soon, but I've never had a passport, and having a passport seems like a worldly thing to me. 2011 should be worldly!
  2. Travel into the city at least twice to take photos. This doesn't sound like something that should be on a To Do List. It sounds like something most people would enjoy. But for me? It's an anxiety riddled proposition - from the moment I leave to drive to the train, to the moment I step back into the apartment.
  3. Join a Gym. I refuse to set myself up for failure by putting some "I'll exercise 3 times a week" item on this list. This list is about success, not failure, and joining a gym will lead to success.
  4. Explore Moving. I am not happy in the Chicago area. I would not have moved here had it not been for husband's insistence that he needed to be here for his kids. It's time to at least find out if my fears (primarily school placement for Cam) are real or imagined.
  5. Update My Paralegal Resume. This needs to be done whether moving becomes an option or not. It's time to find a job that I don't dread going to each day.
  6. Take myself less seriously. I need to get better at "Fuck it" I expect this to be the most difficult task on my TO DO LIST, but probably the one that will be the most rewarding. I may need a few of you to keep me honest on this one.
  7. Address routine medical and dental visits. I hate to admit this, but it's been at least 10 years since I had a full physical. Two years since seeing an OB/GYN. Five years since my last mammogram. Three years since my last teeth cleaning. I have no excuse. I've got great insurance and a medical flex spending account to cover the co-pays. This is an issue of just not giving a shit about taking care of me.
I was going to claim that I would update this TO DO LIST monthly, but fuck it (got to practice that one). I'll update my progress when I feel like it and when there are updates to be made.

What's on your 2011 TO DO LIST??

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13 comments:

Another Suburban Mom said...

As you are updating your resume, I am happy to take a look at it. And remember the offer to visit us in Boston still stands.

Volly said...

Regarding a passport, it's a good thing to have as ID -- it kind of "trumps" the other forms that are easily counterfeited. If you apply for a job, you can present the passport and not have to give them your driver's license AND SS Card; same if you're paying with a check. This works fine until you're in the store and you get a 16-year-old cashier who has never seen a passport and has no idea what to do with it. You are right - it does project a more "worldly" image, even if you don't go anywhere to get any of your pages stamped.

Lee said...

I have but one item on my list: to put me first and whatever that entails is what I will do. :)

Mike said...

Agree with Volly on the passport. When you need another ID besides your drivers licence a passport is the go to ID.

New Years resolution? I made one years ago and have kept it ever since. 'Never make another New Years resolution.'

Hubman said...

My to-do list has one item right now- write a to-do list for my blog :-)

Good luck with your list!

Just Me said...

Great list. I did sort of the same thing on my blog.

Good Luck with your list!
Happy New Year!!

we're doomed said...

I agree with the Passport thingy. And if you do that and at least one other item from your list I would think that you have been busy.

Deech said...

Hiring a CPA to do my taxes this year is high on my list...It will be tough for me to let go of that control.

Schmoop said...

I thought I'd find a job. Good Luck Dana. Cheers!!

Maggie said...

I'm surprised you didn't already have a passport. And maybe it's the former border-liver (is that even a thing?) in me but you could totally road trip to Canada with it!

This is a good to do list, Dana. :)

Kimberly said...

I love the list - and I gotta say, getting better at 'fuck it' just made the top of mine as well! Well said!

Raquel's World said...

The usual humdrum stuff...get more organized, eat better, be more empathetic.

Knight said...

Top of my list is always CLEAN EVERYTHING. I like the passport idea. I've only had mine for a couple of years. Once you have it, adding a line to the list for vacation research might be a good idea. Mexico is pretty cheap you know.