4.09.2014

Metrics: March 2014

Sad that I only seems to be updating this space for these reports, but oh well! Better than nothing, right?

Last month was a busy one, and I am still trying to catch up. Let's see how it looked!
  • Woo hoo! Up to level 8 in Duolingo in Spanish. 
  • Worked out for about 9 hours. Better than last month, though still lower than I would like. 
  • I only managed another 10% or so of Lisa See's On Gold Mountain
  • Even more new clients. Hooray!
  • Another six posts written for QwertyCafe.
  • I spoke at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and attended a ton of events.
Onward and upward! 

3.02.2014

Metrics: February 2014

  • This month I stayed at level seven in Spanish on Duolingo, but I did gain 200 XP
  • Worked out for about 7 1/4 hours. Still lower than I'd like, but not bad.
  • I'm about halfway through Lisa See's On Gold Mountain
  • Yep, I got that new client. And a few others - woo!
  • I wrote six posts on QwertyCafe.
  • I created three new pieces for Zazzle/Cafepress. One of which is this little gal:

  • Looks like I may get to sing in a professional recording studio later this year. We'll see if that works out, but I'm excited. 
A decent month, and way busier than it looks from this list. Lots of work, lots of volunteering. 

2.01.2014

Metrics: January 2014

So, I figured I'd try a few goal check-ins throughout the year to see how I'm keeping up on things.

Thus far I have:

  • Gone from level 5 to level 7 in Spanish on Duolingo. Great!
  • Worked out for about 5 hours total. Lower than I'd like, but not bad.
  • I finished Valley of Amazement, by Amy Tan; The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love, by bell hooks; and Is Everyone Else Hanging Out Without Me, by Mindy Kaling. 
  • Replaced my phone (thanks to a new-every-two deal and a very kind and generous Christmas gift from a friend), so I've started to go a little crazy with photos: http://instagram.com/pragmacat. Mostly of my dog. Seriously. You've been warned.
  • I made it into the city twice - once with my cousin and once with Muse. Both times we got to hang out with my dear friend and his girlfriend. Day one we watched dogs in "my" park, scarfed down some Han's Hibachi and Sushi Boat, and hill climbed for about 2.8 miles. Day two we hung out at the Fork Cafe in the Castro (DELICIOUS mochas, btw), hit up CityLights bookstore (classic!), and ate at Le Cordon Bleu Vietnamese restaurant in my old neighborhood. 
  • Maybe secured a new client? Until it's super finalized, I'm not fully counting on it, BUT just the idea has helped my mood immensely.
  • I wrote seven posts on QwertyCafe. Great, though I'd like to do some creative writing in other outlets. Gotta work on that. 
  • An awkward situation popped up and I absolutely stood my ground. Worked out nicely and I'm pleased that I didn't just "stay nice" for the sake of appearances.
I'm pretty pleased with my progress thus far and am looking forward to what the rest of the year has to offer. In February, I'd like to see more time at the gym, progress on my personal projects, and another photo set somewhere other than my house (maybe the beach? in the city?). Adventure awaits!

1.09.2014

Goals for 2014

Honor my self.
I've carried this goal over from last year, because I absolutely reaped the benefits. Sleep when my body asks for sleep. Eat when it asks for food. Block out the requests of others (within reason) in favor of taking care of my own emotional needs.

Explore.
I've let money be an excuse for not getting out more. I aim to push the boundaries of my budget in order to make more interesting memories. In dreamland I'll make it to Los Angeles, Portland, Montana, Colorado, Seattle, and perhaps even Canada this year. Here's hoping.

Learn.
I want to structure my "learning" activities in a way that will allow me to track my progress. This year I plan to spend more time on Duolingo, Codeacademy, and possibly Khanacademy, teach myself a few things in Blender, fiddle with the Ren'Py engine, finally finish the exercises in The Ultimate Math Refresher for GRE, GMAT, and SAT, take the GRE, and formally apply to graduate school. 

Read.
More "for fun," less "work-adjacent." As long as I finish the last book I purchase, I'm trying to go unlimited on the budget here.

Write.
Last year was wonderful in that I managed to write a LOT for qwertycafe.com. I'd like to continue writing at the same frequency for Qwerty, venture out into pieces that are a bit more political about once a month, and also invest my time in personal creative writing ventures at least once a month as well.

Move. Dance.
My ankle is so much better than it was - so much better than it's been in years! I need to celebrate and dance again. I also plan to invest in more time at the gym. I've seen a clear link between my efforts working out and how I feel emotionally.

Perform.
Karaoke may seem like a silly thing to consider a performance, but I did a lot of it in the latter part of 2013. It never fails to make me feel happy and confident. I aim to keep that up while also exploring more serious performance options.

Document.
I am eagerly awaiting a new mobile phone. I want to take an obnoxious number of photos this year - life is short and good memories are precious.