Mid-Year Resolutions

I need to start taking this (this = life) seriously. I can't wait around for January to change shit. Change happens now. My blog will, from here on out, be updated weekly every Sunday as a progress report on how I'm accomplishing these goals. (Emo rambling is has already proven to be counter-productive.)

Here are my current long-term goals:

1) Get in shape. From now on, a jog every morning and every evening, coupled with push-ups and sit-ups. This will improve my health and be good exercise for Shamus. Finished my first jog already. My plan for sit-ups and push-ups is to find out how many I can do, then do that many and raise it by one each week. If there's no marked improvement by January in my stamina and muscle build, I'll join a real gym. Also, by the time I graduate, I'm going to quit chewing tobacco, something I'm reluctant to do but would have to do sooner or later anyway. This will save money, plus my teeth.

2) Blitz my way through college. I'll start with one class in the fall to get myself into gear, then do two a semester until finished. Including both summer sessions, I can, in theory, graduate in spring 2012. That's what I'm aiming for.

3) Get my finances in order. I'm diverting all money towards college and nothing else. Assuming no major setbacks, this is doable, though it will mean forfeiting luxuries such as cable and new clothes and crap I frankly just don't need right now. I'll be making minimum payments on my student loan (current balance: about $2,300) and focus on paying it off after I get my degree. As far as housing goes, I think I've got myself covered. No house, no expensive apartment. A room rental from some friendly, dog-liking Mormons at my church will take care of that. If I win my court case in September, I'm going to put the money in savings and probably use it toward classes; I can quit my job in my last semester and go fulltime to ensure I get my degree "on time," by which I mean two years later than originally planned. If things get really over-the-top difficult to pay for, my parents have offered me housing and a transfer to a university in Illinois, which I'm taking into serious consideration. Which leads to...

4) Renewing my relationship with my family. We don't get to choose our families but I firmly believe God has a plan in putting certain people together, even if they don't see eye-to-eye. If nothing else, I owe my parents the courtesy of keeping in touch, what with the whole giving-me-life thing. I think that if I prove my responsibility financially and demonstrate my commitment towards my education, they'll be more inclined toward forgiving me. (I am, after all, the first born. That's got to count for something.)

5) Getting my career together. Okay, technically, working in a department store in the mall is not a "career." But it is my livlihood. My current salary is okay, but I think it could be better. I've mentioned an interest in working in a commissioned sales area, like the women's shoe department. (Also, fun fact: due to liabilities, I will no longer name the company I work for, either now or in the future.) If I can't get the position I want, I'm going to begin looking for a job working in a nursing home or assisted living facility. This has benefits such as better pay, more relevance to my major, and also regular hours, which will help me balance my school schedule. Also, once I bolster my GPA, I'm going to look into one of the work programs with the University. There are semester-long jobs that count for "practical" credits, which would get me experience, a salary, and fulfill the requirements for practical requirements in the biology major. I already discussed this with my advisor, who says that there's an 80% chance of getting a paid intership if I get myself up to a 3.0 GPA. (My current GPA is around a 2.77. However, I've also discussed the possibility of "late withdrawal" for the all the classes I fucked up during junior semester, which would boost my GPA considerably.)

6) Get my ass into counseling. I need the support to be able to get my degree, get my goals actualized and my mind in order. There are services like this offered through the university which I should have taken advantage of a long time ago.

7) Swear off men for a while. I don't care if motherfucking Price Charming rolls up in a silver carriage: so far, my relationships have proved to be major distractions and have ended in heartache and conflict. I'm clearly not mature enough yet for one, and need to get my education, degree, and mental health in order before I even attempt to forge another one.

Okay, ready, Jules? On the count of three.

One... two... three... GO!