New Year's Resolutions

[neadods]

I started publicly posting my New Year's Resolutions - really an annual to-do list - in December 2003. Even though I shuffle things around and change my mind upon occasion, because of that public list in the last two years I have: unpacked everything from my move 5 years previously, trashed/recycled/freecycled several carloads, kept the house (relatively) cleaned up, hung my art, redecorated a bathroom, reduced my To Be Read stack by over 400 books, and generally gotten more organized.

If I concentrate on checking everything off this list, I will go into 2007 with no old "someday I'll finish that" projects dragging me back!

Dang!

Here's to 2006!

QUICK STATUS TALLY
TBR books: 179 pleasure / 7 review / 7 borrowed
Book(s) released to BookCrossing this month:
Tapes/albums cut to CD: -
Tapes burned to DVD: -
Teaching Company classes taken: started History of England: Tudors-Stuarts
Crafts learned: -
Current Handiwork Project: -
Travelled to: -

2006 RESOLUTIONS (The year of Renfaire & catching up)
This *will* be the year I get all my renstuff in gear, plus do a lot of related study/work.

ABSOLUTELY MUST DO
Have dying oak tree in front lawn cut down
Write and post at least one major installment of "My Life Among the Apes" JL fanfic
Learn how to make my own patterns for embroidery machine
Donate to Pyrate Feast and MSFB: try to clear out book respository
Team Wench:
- Digitize TW logo
- Make cross-stitch pattern for TW logo
- Inaugurate TW Dickens Tea
- at least one stitch and bitch
Shore Leave - run masq.
Make tapes/DVDs for everyone who I have an outstanding debt to
Rescue roses before they quicken in spring
Lay plans to get to Harvard library for mission research in 2007 (time, money, connections)
Missionary research at Library of Congress
- hunt down references
- get to LoC and type up notes
Learn woodburning
- burn pattern on large wooden mug
- burn pattern (and ID) on wooden feast gear - platter, bowl, mug
- burn pattern (and name) on feast gear basket
- burn pattern (and name) on rat pucking stick
Make muslins for basic work wardrobe
- pull on pants
- gore skirt
- cap sleeve blouse
- simple jacket
Sew up wardrobe of above, as current fabric supports
Make ruana for taking to Stratford and faire
Mending
Buy frames as necessary and hang unhung art
Find home for CDs and put them away
Install wardrobe for Rennie garb
Collate & organize holiday recipes
Redecorate
-Bedroom:
- paint walls blue
- window drapes from saris
- Closet drape " "
- bedspread (cotton saris)
- rug
- new closet organizer; purchase and install
-Living Room:
- paint walls pale sage
- buy and set up new media center
- set up new area for desktop computer
Take jewelry-making classes at First Class
- stringing freshwater pearls
- stringing turquoise & coral
Clean/clear library
Figure out and initiate food storage plan

OUGHT TO DO
Set up container garden for herbs close to kitchen
List and release 12 books via BookCrossing
Sew/paint/otherwise create Shore Leave masquerade banner
Write at least 8 pages of fic
Touch up bathroom:
- hang stained glass on windows
- retouch/repair previous paintjob
Mend Renfair clothes
- Fit flat caps (black, tapestry)
- Convert drawstring skirts to elastic
- - street skirt
- - light brown skirt
- - dark brown skirt
- - light blue skirt
- mend two chemises
- - heavy cotton - pick out lace on wrists and put in elastic
- - light cotton - hem, put elastic in neck and wrists
Make new pieces for ren wardrobe from materials already in possession:
- embroider pirate vests
- make pirate pants (2)
- green corduroy nobles garb
- others as current fabric supports
Embroider & trim cloak & replace clasp
Make Team Wench outfit, with appropriate embroidery
Sew three chemises
- white cotton
- natural cotton
- black gauze

TUDOR SELF STUDY
Read:
- The Prince, Machiavelli
- The Book of the Cavalier
- Henry VIII, Jasper Ridley
- The Sisters of Henry VIII, Maria Perry
- In the Lion's Court, Wilson
- The Wives of Henry VIII, Antonia Frasier
- Six Wives, David Starkey
- The Last Days of Henry VIII: Conspiracies, Treason, & Heresy in the Court of the Dying Tyrant, Hutchinson
- Mary and Elizabeth: Cousins, Rivals, Queens, Dunn
- Queen of Scots, the True Life of Mary Stuart, Guy
- A Crown for Elizabeth, Mary Luke
- Elizabeth 1, Jasper Ridley
- Elizabeth the Great, Elizabeth Jenkins
- Elizabeth, David Starkey
- The History of the Most Renowned and Victorious Princess Elizabeth, Late Queen of England, William Camden
- Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth 1, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage, Budinsky
- England's Elizabeth, Dobson & Watson
- 1603, Christopher Lee
Listen to Teaching Company courses:
- History of Henry VIII (24 lectures)
- History of England, Tudors through Stuarts (48 lectures)

WANT TO DO
Set up LAN for cablemodem/computers/printers
Sell off Harry Potters and a couple Nancy Drews
Sell on ebay, or give to agent to sell:
- psaltry (if not donated to TW)
- 10K Newspaper prop
- Vincent costume shirt
- old BatB fanzines
Write Missionary Book pitch package
Quilts:
- Rainbow Braid
- Denim and flannel crazy
- Piece silk fibbonanni butterfly crazy
- Embroidered denim
- Pineapple scrap
- 7 Sisters
- Interlinking blocks
- Y2K watercolor quilt

AM THINKING ABOUT DOING
Make sellable somethings for general TW fundraising
Trimming Irish dresses
NaNoWriMo (missionary? Fanfic?)

CUMULATIVE STATUS TALLY
Book(s) released to BookCrossing: #
Tapes/records cut to CD: #
Tapes burned to DVD: #
Teaching Company classes taken:
Crafts learned:
Handiwork Projects:
Travelled To:

Try in 2007
Teaching Company Lit & Life class, including readings & homework
Soapmaking
Cheesemaking - www.cheesemaking.com
Book binding - www.archive.org/bookmobile, clickbook, giga Press
English paper piecing - www.brandysquiltpatterns.com (mylar foundations)
Candy making - www.kingarthurflour.com (silicon cups)

Comments

[tchwrtr.livejournal.com]

Nah, not adventurous at all, are you?

Go for it.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Last year's original list was fairly ambitious as well, it just got whittled down over time.

If I do everything under "Must do" and "ought to do" I'll be doing pretty darn well! But I so love the idea of being "done" - of having nothing but the missionary project coming with me into whatever new adventures there are... well, it may be worth working my tail off for a year.

[tchwrtr.livejournal.com]

...and you don't think that as you cross these off your list, other new interests will come along?

[(Anonymous)]

Other new interests *always* come along - I've wanted to do soap and candy making for two years now, and cheesemaking since the faire. The thing is, the Y2K quilt was started in 1999, the denim & flannel crazy quilt even further ago, the ren wardrobe upgrading in, what, 2002?, etc. And they're all things that I still want to do. I want the old stuff gone, gone, gone so I can focus on the new shiney toys!

Besides, there's a fair amount of new stuff on this list. The redecorating, for example, and the jewelry-making classes. And a certain new TW event...

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Dagnabbit, gotta learn to log in first!