Yesterday I shared last year’s to-do list and how well I did checking things off. It feels good to keep a list and look back a year later, to see how your year changed from the one you had imagined. I might not have accomplished everything on my list, but keeping an eye on it throughout the year gave a good push to keep trying new things.
I’m stepping into this year tentatively, like I am dipping my toes into water — will it be refreshing? Too hot? Will I turn and run and hide under my towel? We shall see. Here is the list for 2013:
Cook 12 new recipes. I am putting this on the list again, even though last year I failed miserably at it. I want to cook more, and if this list gives me even a little bit of encouragement it will be a positive gain. I’d love to learn more traditional Japanese dishes, so perhaps I’ll even treat myself to a cooking class.
Read 8 books. I’m upping the ante from 5 last year. Recommendations?
Visit 6 new places. This is achievable so I’m sticking with it. If I could go anywhere? The mountains of Chile, Alaska, New Zealand. Where might I go? Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, or a romp through northern Japan. I’d love to find a hike to a secret little outdoor onsen in the mountains.
Sew 6 new garments. My new sewing hobby has me obsessed. I’d like to learn more skills this year, and make a fitted and lined dress, pants, and a jacket or blazer. I vow to not be afraid to cut into expensive fabrics.
Make a gigantic sashiko art piece. A last-minute addition. Why not?!
Publish something. An article or an encyclopedia (dream big!), it doesn’t matter.
2013? Let’s do this.
Saké Puppets 
Can’t wait to see your giant sashiko piece!
I’d recommend books, but unless you’re into fantasy and sci-fi, I doubt I’d be able to recommend anything you’d enjoy. Not that I can think of, anyway.
And if you travel somewhere, it should be to eastern Canada, so I can show you… erm… actually, there isn’t much interesting here. Scratch that. :p
I don’t know if it would interest you, but I used to post articles on a site called HubPages, which actually allows you to make a little money from what you write for them. Not a bad deal; I still get money coming in from them sometimes, and I haven’t written anything new for them in well over a year!
Thanks Ria!
Yukio Mishima, “The Sea of Fertility”, tetralogy
Kazuo Ishiguro, “An Artist of the Floating World” and “A Pale View of Hills”
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, “Crime and Punishment”
Charles Darwin, “On the Origin of Species”
That makes 8 for 2013~!
I have some work to do! 😉
Though I have not read “Swamplandia!” I thoroughly enjoyed Karen Russell’s collection of short stories titled, “St Lucy’s Home For Girls Raised By Wolves” and would highly recommend it. I’ve been reading “The Address Book”, by Sophie Calle and find it enchanting. Here is the article the convinced me to read it: http://harpers.org/archive/2012/10/the-address-book/
Thanks Mike!
cooking class!