The End is Just the Beginning

So I just realized that my last posting was the first of December and it is now the 31st. It has been a busy month and I won't really elaborate much further than these excuses: monstrous Christmas party my mom and I planned for 90 people, holiday craziness, a short-lived addiction to online poker and a need to just relax and do nothing.

It is safe to say that I have relaxed enough and I am ready to get serious and accomplish some goals in this year to come.

1. Prepare myself for the birth of my first child (mid-April!) through a daily routine of exercise (especially since I am not working) and healthy eating, and to start reading the many books borrowed to me about pregnancy and newborn care.

2. Learn how to overcome the need to spend money on frivolous, unnecessary things, especially since hubby and I are now living on a tight budget. Credit cards are not my money, just debt!!!

3. Master the art of home-baked bread so that hubby will actually eat it!

4. Complete my WIP and possibly even polish it enough to send in to an agent. I'm only a quarter of the way through with three and a half months before baby arrives, so I'm trying to stay realistic.

I think I'll leave the goals at that. I have to say that I actually like the start of a new year. I always feel this sense of hope; so much seems possible and even if my last year hasn't been the best, a new year is a reminder that every new day is a blessing, and an opportunity to make one's dreams happen.

My problem has always been finishing what I start. I know that getting published is pretty much out of my hands, but I can at least finish my book. That will be an accomplishment in itself.

Good luck to the rest of you in all of your endeavors! I hope that 2010 is a year of good things for everyone.

Happy New Year's Eve!

Desperately Seeking Zen

I have been living in my housecoat for the last two days, sans makeup, with a roll of toilet paper at my side. I hate being sick. I tried everything in my power not to get sick (handwashing to the point of dry, scaly, skin) and yet, here I am, stuck on the couch, praying that I only have a cold. All this hype about the deadly flu that kills pregnant women has gotten under my skin. Where, oh where, did my super-Zen state of mind go?

It probably didn't help that last week was stressful enough, with everyone at my work calling in sick and leaving us short-staffed, and then I was scheduled for an emergency ultrasound (I'm only thirteen weeks pregnant and already I've had TWO ultrasounds....and both times were probably completely unnecessary) which only added to the craziness. I'm looking forward to actually enjoying this pregnancy. Well, luckily, everyone is back at work (except for me) and my ultrasound results came back excellent, so my baby is probably inside me right now thinking, 'Would you just chill out already, mom!'

I think I will just be relieved when I'm done work for good--two weeks left!--and I can get away from all of the sick people. Besides the abundance of germs and viruses, I truly love the fall season...the changing colours...the leaves on the ground. And this year, I will actually get to see it (!) instead of being stuck in a windowless building with oodles of spiders and enough dust to build a replica of a snow-man. I won't have to live in constant darkness, getting to work just as the sun comes up and leaving when the sun has already sank below the horizon, not to mention the fact that I currently work in a darkroom, breathing in chemicals and keeping an eye out for the cousins of the spider I just squished. I can't wait to be unemployed!!

Granted, I know it is easy to fall into the trap of lethargy and sloth-like behaviour, so I have started a list of everything I want to accomplish. Mainly, I think a structured plan will be ideal: morning workout at the gym, housecleaning, blogging, working on WIP, afternoon walk for exercise and inspiration, more writing, making dinner. I really don't think I'll have time to be bored.

But, first, I need to get over this darn cold.