On this whole resolution thing..

We all make resolutions and/or goals this time of year. Something that we do not do quite as often is to evaluate how well we did. We rarely measure our performance based on the resolutions we make for ourselves.

I don't talk about my job a lot in this blog (because I am pretty rigorous about keeping work and non-work separate things), but evaluation is a significant part of what I do. And, it's a part that I really value.

That being said, I'm a big nerd about it.

So instead of diving right into the future, here is a round-up of how I did last year. You may remember that I dismissed the usual, self-deprecating resolutions that we all make (knowing that we can't keep them) in favor of more reasonable goals.

They could have been formed a little bit better, but here's how I fared given the proposed goals.

Making dosa

Here are my reasonable, attainable goals for 2013:

Successfully do a downward dog-chaturanga transition. (And then keep doing them.)

Get a job that doesn’t require me to bring my personal laptop to work.

Learn 5 new cooking skills.(How to make pralines, dosa, daal (like a pro), flambee bananas, and soda bread)

Go camping. ..-ish (I spent time in the woods overnight.)

Listen to French lessons once a week. (And maybe start learning Spanish.)

A couple of goals that depend on my getting a real job that pays a living wage:

Get a dog. (COMING SOON!!!)

Go to South America. (If said job is in the Western Hemisphere) 

Mastering down-dog

If you were keeping count, that's 4 out of 5 achieved of the main goals. So, that's 80% attained central attainable goals for 2013. 

Since I didn't begin until February and I did get a job in the Western Hemisphere, I will include the dependent goals and my commitment to adopt Bogey in January. 

Therefore, that is a 71% completion rate for my goals for 2013.

That's not great.

Taking lessons learned from last year and rolling over the goals yet to be achieved, here are my reasonable, attainable goals for 2014: 

• Listen to French lessons once a week (And maybe start learning Spanish)
• Go to South America for at least 3 days
• Take Bogey to a dog park once a week
• Successfully make mayonnaise, buerre blanc, and English muffins at least once
• Do crossword puzzles 2 times per week 
• Successfully hold crow pose for 10 seconds
• Write real letters to 3 people each month

Here's to 2014. www.yogatrail.com

Next year, I resolve to assess my goals monthly, adjust them as necessary, and plan accordingly. I may or may not create a spreadsheet to track these goals...  there might need to be intermediate results and outcomes added to achieve a better completion rate. 

Also, please note that this year's goals are SMARTer. (More Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.)

Nerd problems are there.

Happy New Year, y'all! Be safe, warm, and happy.

Spreading a little joy (or "Happy Hoover Holidays")

I hope you had a very happy Christmas week. I know that the holidays can be hard; I shared in some of that emotional struggle. But there is also so much beauty and warmth - I hope you felt it too. I'll share a bit of my week with you.. fewer words, more pictures.

Christmas in Lincoln, IL: Hanging with the Mayor and my pen pal Grandma Lois in their small town was great.

 

Lois hung me a stocking, with the other grandkids'.

Getting the inside scoop from Grandma, sharing laughter with Granny, and feasting on food and happiness with the Snyder family was truly a blessing.

But let's be real, Christmas was all about the pup. Meet Hoover, the true star of the Snyder Christmas:
 

Returning to Chicago on the train Christmas night, Hannah and I were greeted by a light snow flurry and quiet streets. It was a beautiful welcoming.

White Christmas, what?!?

Zoe was happy to have us home.

And guess who we Chicago IDEXers met after work as she swept through town on Boxing Day....

JIN TRAN and all her cuteness.

(For all you Americans, Boxing Day is the succinct word that the other large English speaking countries call the-day-after-Christmas - Canada and the UK also consider this a bank holiday I am pretty sure. It's a great idea, America; we should really give that one a go. End anglophile rant.. for the time being.)

And now, Zoe and I are getting back on the yoga after ALL the treats!

She prefers that we call it down-cat.

PS - You should have seen the look on my mom's face when she opened her gift on Christmas Eve via Skype. It was classic. If you are in GA, ask her to share with you! (The children and the rest of the fam were pretty cute too, but it's hard to compete with Fifi excitement.)

PPS - This weekend has been beautiful. In the 30s and 40s! It's basically springtime - it's a post-Christmas Miracle! I am trying not to get too used to it.

Merry Christmas, y'all, wherever you are

I had the obligatory "I miss you Mom, but I just can't make it home for Christmas" chat with my mom for the umpteenth time last week. She, in her very Southern-passive-yet-obvious way, was well into her guilt trip about my not only missing Christmas but also missing my nieces' growing-up by not living nearby.

Happy Holidays y'all. (Read: I hope you make it through all the subtle word-stabs relatively unscathed this Christmas and New Year.)


Last year at this time, I was on my way back from Hampi - a stone-age looking, ancient temple-filled town in South India where I sunned on rocks, drank lassi, and gawked at international hippies and various animal creatures.

After arriving back to Hyderabad before dawn, I caught a couple of hours sleep before spending Christmas day with thirty of my closest friends in Ronald Rego's home, where his generous family hosted us for the second time in two months.

Late that night, I Skyped my family as they huddled around my sister's computer and KM ran around hyped up on sugar.

It was a truly wonderful holiday. Were there presents? No. Was my biological family there in person? No.  Was it full of traditions from my childhood? No.

But there were loved ones and joy and sharing. It was festive and bright. It was lovely.

This year, another very generous family invited me to spend the holiday with them. This one will be colder - maybe even white! - but I expect that it will be just as new to me, and just as wonderful.

Because, the thing is, I love my family and I do miss them and I wish I could spend the holiday with them. Look at these faces, who wouldn't want to be with them.

 

But, you know? A very beautiful thing about spending holidays with a different kind of loved ones - perhaps ones who don't know you quite as well, who don't love you 'in spite of things', who don't have an obligation to love you - a beautiful thing about this is that you feel the spirit of the season: the hospitality, the overflowing love, the passing of peace.

So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I am wishing you a season surrounded by warmth and love. If you can't be with your family, I truly hope you have Regos and Snyders in your life who will open their homes and their traditions to you. Cherish it.

Much love.

May you know this much happiness.

Chi-town

What's the weekend without some typical Chicago snaps?

Hannah's sister made a visit this week during her break from school.

So we did a little showing-around-town.




The Art Institute. (where there is a super neat exhibit about art and food in the U.S.)

Zoo Lights. (Christmas lights and animal shapes.. yes.)

 

 And Santaland Diaries. (Sedaris-ness and cocktails.. yes.)

And more Bean.

  
And more thrifting.

All the tourism.








PS - signed a lease on a new apartment this weekend - the one with the washer and dryer in the unit... I know you were waiting with bated breath to know about that.

Life on Ice

I've developed a pretty speedy gait. I was pressured into buying "good boots" when it snowed enough to reach the top of my ankle high boots. I wear at least three layers on my top and bottom nearly everyday. It was one degree when I checked the weather before work the other day. A.single.degree.

The "real winter" honeymoon is over folks... well, kind of. I did drag Hannah out for a walk in the snow again the other day.



And we did brave the Christkindlmarket crowd on an icy Saturday night. Was it worth the crafts and grilled cheese pieces and sauerkraut?

 











(The truth is, the weather was more bearable than the people who thought it was wise to simply yell for a misplaced member of their party... more than one group of people thought screaming into the ears of strangers was okay. It is 2013, y'all. Doesn't everyone have a cell phone now)


But, you know, the snow does have a beautifying quality about it - abandoned parking lots, fence posts, train stops, and bare trees benefit greatly from a sheet of white.














PS - The apartment search is well underway. We looked at four apartments last week and had at least three realtors cancel appointments with us, but we have a good feeling about one place. I don't want to get too excited, but it comes with a washer/dryer in the unit... don't get too excited.


Also, I spied a coyote while walking in the deserted Lincoln Park on Friday night. It was a surprising sighting. You can get excited about that. It was exciting.

Don't get too close, those people are crazy.

Yes, there are crazy people living in Chicago. There are people here who go to work and school, and drive, and generally live even though it is bitterly cold and there is snow on the ground; there are also truly crazy people (and I try to avoid them) who go for runs in freezing-snow weather.

You may be thinking to yourself, "But Amber, you are out there with them, obviously."

Yes, good point.. but I'm new. The snow and the cold are still novel to my Southern bones and eyes. I still love the the scarves and the hats. I still think the snow on the beaches of the lake are fantastic. I still think it's nice to see holiday windows with real frost on them. I still think that the first two minutes that you walk out of the heat and into the biting cold is 'refreshing'.. until I've been waiting for the El for 15 minutes, at which point thinking takes too much energy; energy that should be being used to keep yourself warm.


I'm new, that's my excuse. I don't know what those runners are thinking.

Baby, it's cold outside. Really cold.

But that song was obviously not written in Chicago. I don't think Chicagoans know what it means to halt for the winter. You don't stop life for a little bit of (freezing, snowy, icy) chill; I would almost guarantee that no female Chicagoan could be coaxed into staying an evening simply because of the weather... maybe if you just offered a beer and a Bears game?

Just don't get too close to the people running outdoors in this weather - those people are nuts.

Holiday swag

This week has been filled with lots o' work, holiday, and various other antics.

Hannah and I have Christmas swag. The wall swag came from a great garden shop in Andersonville; the other swag comes naturally... actually, we owe Mary Brittany for that:

 

Holiday party for clients at work - a work obligation more fun than the board meeting this week:

Zoe explores the Christmas tree:

 

And some downtime rummaging dug up this gem:

Classic Fifi

The highlight of the week though, was the pie and latke party on the last night of Hanukkah - because, why not?

You wish you were here:

Nice photo bomb, Hannah

More holiday swag

P.S. The sublet is up soon.. apartment hunting is on the 'to do' list, inclusive of considering a new tenant in January - stay tuned!