New Years in June

Today is June 1st. It has been exactly six months since New Years, so I thought I would take a look at my resolutions and see how they’re coming along. New Years in June: It’s like Christmas in July, but with less of a ring to it…

1. Read. For my own enjoyment.

So far this is the only resolution that gets a big fat check mark next to it. Especially since classes conveniently decided to go away, I’ve been cracking into some quality books! I’m currently in the middle of Lord of the Rings, Eragon, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

2. Learn the constellations.

Fail. Complete and utter fail. I brought my star wheel back to school with me, but spring is a really hard time for stargazing in these parts because it is very cold and often rainy, and I’d probably have to go all the way to the beach to escape light pollution and trees.

3. Write at least once a week!

This one gets half a check mark. While I’ve done little of my own personal writing, I have cranked out a few chapters of my novel, and my internship forced me to keep my writing gears well oiled. Now that it’s summer and I’m back from Italy, the time has come for serious work on the novel. I’m looking forward to my fiction class next fall because it’ll be an opportunity to workshop a lot of what I’ve been doing mostly on my own. And it will force me to meet deadlines! Sometimes that’s all I need to be productive.

4. Do something that scares me.

I don’t think I can honestly put a check beside this one. But then, I’m not sure I have a very good definition of what scares me.

5. Pray.

Another half-check. Although I broke the habit around the same time I broke the habit of sleeping while it was dark out, I did have a solid month or so for which I was writing letters to God as a way to try and “plug in” (as the Christians say). It was kind of nice; I think that’s another habit to start up now that my adventurous life is settling down.

As 2010 continues, I think I’m going to scratch number four for its sheer vagueness and probably number two as well so that I can really focus on reading, writing and praying. And perhaps now is a good time to tack on my new goal, which emerged in light of my recent travels: to learn Italian.

Did I mention I’m at least one eighth Italian? (The reason I say “at least” is because I’m adopted and we’re not actually sure how Italian I am.) So these past two weeks were like returning to the homeland in some weird way, even though I’d never been there. Now I’m determined to learn the language and save up enough money to go back.

Peace, love, and Eggo waffles (which I sorely missed overseas),
Miss Rex