05.15 Goals Roundup

May was a good month overall. I enjoyed the new spring weather (until the humidity took over towards the end of the month), and feeling a little more creative and inspired. My newfound love for spring didn't translate so well into accomplishing this month's goals though.

1. Read a book: I read "Tempting Fate", "The Forgotten Waltz", and "Paper Towns" in May. Like with many novels I devour, once I reach the climax of the story I can't put the book down. But then once I get to the end, I'm not that satisfied. All three of these books left me feeling that way. "Tempting Fate" was the most interesting to read, but I hated the ending. So much so that it completely changed my views on the entire rest of the book, and I was so mad that I spent time reading it. I had a hard time staying interested in "The Forgotten Waltz" until halfway through. The second half of the book was a good read, but the ending didn't do it justice. I was left wanting more, but it wasn't a good kind of more. I was left confused, like I missed an entire chapter in the middle of the book which prevented me from understanding the ending. "Paper Towns" is well written, but I think I'm finally outgrowing the "teen fiction" section of the library. I could see myself loving this book had I read it in middle school, but the plot seemed too immature for where I'm at in life now.

2. Successfully participate in Me Made May: I was hoping to wear a handmade item at least five times per week, but I didn't even come close to this. I wore a me made top maybe five times this month. While I didn't actually meet my goal, this challenge did encourage me to sew more often in the hope of having more handmade garments to wear. It was fun to think about wearing me made clothing, but hopefully next year I'll be much more successful in the actual implementation.  

3. Swim: I'm bummed that I didn't motivate myself to do this one. I know that once I actually get in the pool, I'll love it. It's the whole preparation thing that's held me back. Finding a new routine (packing the swim bag, trying on swimsuits, going to the pool/unknown territory for the first time, finding an open lane, etc.) is really what has been holding me back. If I can just get over that initial fear of starting, I can see myself wanting to go back all the time. I want to take advantage of all that my gym has to offer, and I think swimming could be the perfect cross training to running.

4. Try something new every day, even if it's just something trivial: I have to admit, I stole this goal from an episode of Friends. Ross' New Year's resolution is to try something new every day, but basically he ends up wearing leather pants and it just doesn't work out for him. I thought it would be fun to also attempt trying something new every day, but like Ross, this goal didn't really pan out for me either. While I didn't suffer from the "leather pants disaster", I definitely should've put a lot more effort into this from the very beginning. I stopped even thinking of new things to try by the third day of May.

5. Keep a journal: I didn't journal on a daily basis, but I did do it more this past month than I have in the past year. So, I'm calling this one a win in my book.

6. Make at least five recipes from cookbooks I already own: From "Vegan with a Vengeance" I made Falafel, and Chipotle, Corn, and Black Bean Stew. I also made Sweet Corn and Green Chile Baked Flautas, Braised Winter Cabbage and Potatoes, and Lemony Red Lentil Soup from "Thug Kitchen". The flautas recipe was the big winner over here and I've been making them weekly for dinner since. The stew was also another huge favorite.

7. Take more meaningful photos for Project 365: I still need to work harder at this. I have made an effort to use my big camera more often, and am enjoying playing around with the settings. While all of my food and projects pictures are fun and dandy, they aren't super meaningful to me.

8. Go on a picnic: I was really looking forward to this one, but the timing was never right. The lack of a picnic is my fault; I should've made actual plans instead of just thinking about them. The humidity has also deterred me from wanting to sit outside for a long period of time, but I'm still hoping to get to enjoy a relaxing picnic this summer.

9. Finish knitting my cowl: I thought I had this one in the bag. I finished the actual knitting and blocking on Friday, thinking I could quickly kitchener stitch the cowl together by the end of the month. Yesterday I attempted joining my cowl together, but as things normally go, I ended up having to unpick the majority of the join and didn't have time to try again. I was so close to finishing this in May, but I'll definitely officially complete it this week.

10. Make something out of clay: I have ideas for how I want to use clay, but I've been stuck in how to execute them. I think I finally came up with a solution that I want to try out though. So, like finishing my cowl, I hope to do this within the week.

Score for May: 3 out of 10.

I didn't do that great at accomplishing this month's goals. However, I came pretty close to completing a few unfinished ones. Better yet, even though I didn't get to them in May, I'm now pumped to swim, picnic, take more quality pictures, and work with clay soon!