Tag Archives: resolutions

Two Out Of Twelve: February

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February2013

Can you believe it’s already February?! It’s no longer a “new year”, but now officially “the year” 2013. It’s around now that statistically people start forgetting about their new year resolutions, so I’m going to take this time to re-dedicate myself. As you know I have pretty lofty goals for 2013, and to make sure I complete most of them I just need a little reminder.

In the past 4 weeks I hiked almost every weekend, did many secret stair walks, spent a weekend in NYC, created some thrifty DIY artwork, saved up funds and payed off more student loans, and saw several comedy shows. I’m in the middle of reading and new book and even finished level 1 of my Rosetta Stone French program. I’m not saying these things to brag, but sometimes you need to make a list of accomplishments to feel like you’re not just treading water. How did you spend your January?

I expect February to be about more French and reading as well as exercise. I renewed my gym membership and want to spend February running and working towards a 10k. I also want February to be about cleaning up loose ends, finishing projects, and finalizing some artwork. Hopefully I’ll get in some cross country skiing and read up on typography as well as learn how to use my sewing machine. And of course, I hope to save, save, save!

2013 Resolutions

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goals-2013
(Photo from Design Love Fest- my fav design blog)

This is another just-for-me post, but posting my resolution list for everyone to see makes them that much more real. And it means I’ve gotta work hard to do them. I won’t let you down!

Resolutions for 2013:
“SAVE SAVE SAVE!” - This is my mantra for the year. I really want to knock away a lot of student loans this year in the hopes of saving and one day being able to afford a house (we’re talking 10 year plan). It’s gonna be lots of adventure on a dime in 2013!
Go Cross Country skiing for the first time! – There should be snow this year!
White water rafting. - If there’s snow now, there will be rapids later!
Go kayaking
Dig out the bizarro la book and see what else is worth doing
Walk 5 times a week at least (mornings + nights!)
Do a Monster Walk!
Do more hikes from my hike book
More camping! - This past year I had 3 camping trips, lets beat that in 2013.
Run a race! 5k and work up to 10k? - It’s about time I trained again.
Whiten Teeth
Finish Secret Stair Walks
Do a secret stair walk with the facebook group and meet other stair walkers.
Do taxes in January (to get money back sooner!)
Take an art class - I’m going to sign up for one this next week.
Do more artwork. I have the supplies, so no excuses!
Learn French I- Rosetta Stone - I got it for X-mass, no excuses!
Learn how to sew - I have a sewing machine now and I’m gonna use it!
Learn how to knit - I can save money making my own scarves? 
Take vitamin b – I’m bad about doing this every day, but I’ll work on it.
Keep up water intake!
Clean bathroom drawer + cabinet - That’s been on my todo list for a while.
Do projects from the Young, House Love book - I’m so inspired already!
See a dermatologist - I’ve put this off for 3 years now. It’s time.
Read typography book I got for Christmas
Clean out closet again this year. Maximize space and make it pretty!
Clean garage and organize with plastic bins
Clean out wallet - I carry around so many unnecessary things. 
Clean out all emails - I have 1650 unread emails. I gotta fix that. 
Clean out computer and back up files - I need to make space for 2013 fun!
Get a new cell phone – This will greatly improve blogging cell photos!
Keep going out during the week
Be more consistent with my night walks
Do more running outside – Train for that 5k/10k above!
Living on my own?? – Can I afford it? We shall see if this happens in 2013.
Improve my blog! Change is a good thing!
Keep saying yes.. to everything! Yes to life!
GROW A PAIR!

Trip Ideas:
 O Visit 2 presidential libraries
O Take the train somewhere for a day trip outside LA
O Chicago again?
O Beach camping up the coast?
O San Fran? more north? Portland?

2012 Resolution Recap

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It’s that time! Time to see what I was able to get done over the last 365 days. I’ll start by going through my 2012 New Year Resolution List. (Sorry for another pictureless post)

Life Absorbed’s 2012 Resolution List

- Complete all 42 walks in “Secret Stairs, A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of LA”
I wasn’t able to finish the entire book due to some health issues, but I certainly did 80% and now I have the pleasure of enjoying the walks as I complete the rest in 2013.

- Go rock climbing! I got to go indoor rock climbing with Amber, Lindsey and Adam thanks to a groupon to Hangar 18. Despite my crazy fear of hieghts, I was actually pretty good and got into it. I’m no pro, but I would gladly go again.

- Do at least one “monster” walk in 2012. Use my new “Car-Free LA” book to find a good really long walk and make a day of it. This didn’t get to happen. I’ve done monster walks alone, but they are more fun with a friend and my walking buddy Michelle had a wild year of getting pregnant and giving birth to lovely Cole. This goal will have to pushed to my 2013 resolution list.

- Resume hikes from my hiking book! Give those new hike boots a work out. I wasn’t too successful completing a ton of new hikes from my hike book, although I did complete a handful from the book in 2012. Bigger than that, I hiked Mount Whitney! That’s a pretty big goal for 2012, in fact I was so concerned I wouldn’t follow through with it, I didn’t add it to my resolution list from 2012. And I did it! 

- Go camping! Camping happened for a few days around Mt. Whitney as well as on The Channel Islands and when I went tubing the Kern River. 

- Hike (or ski) Mt. Baldy. I got to complete this with weights as I was training for Mount Whitney. I actually found this to be more of a challenge. 

- Go back to Catalina! When my parents came to town in September, we got to take them to Catalina and took them parasailing. My sister and I had so much fun doing it last year, that when another groupon deal came up, we bought enough for all of us to go as an anniversary gift to them. 

- Keep filling my nights and weekends with fun activities, even if it means being tired the next day. It’s worth it! This is of course hard to gauge, but I think I did a really good job at going out a lot after work and on weekends. In fact I went out so much didn’t get a ton of my night walks in. It’s about finding a balance and I have to be better about that in 2013. 

- Visit Hearst Castle. Check! I got to go when my parents came to visit and loved it. As a family we took a weekend trip up there and drove back along the coast stopping at the small beach towns. 

- Go cross-country skiing for the first time. I wasn’t able to complete this (due to lack of snow last winter) but the groupon was extended into 2013 which means I’ll be going this winter and already Big Bear has gotten some great snow. 

- Go white-water rafting. Another side-effect of no snow in the winter, is that the run-off over the summer is so depleted that there’s not enough water to make it “white water”. But in place of rafting, we got to enjoy tubing down the Kern. I’m looking forward to white water rafting in the summer of 2013!

- Go kayaking. I got to do this during my weekend excursion to the Channel Islands as well as doing it about 3 times when I was visiting my parents in Cape Cod this past summer. I love it.

- Try yoga. Did it repeatedly! I love the Core Power Yoga free Sunday noon class. Although I didn’t realize you needed to pay to borrow the mats, so I didn’t realize I was stealing every time I went. But now that I’ve realized it I will be investing in a yoga mat in 2013 :)

- Try spinning. I did not do that this year, although I really need to. I ended up canceling my gym membership this year, so now I’ll have to pay to go to a class but I still want to do this. The only reason I didn’t complete this goal was because I was busy, and frankly I forgot about it. This is why it’s good to do midyear resolution recaps, to remind myself what I still need to complete. 

- Make new recipes to last during the week. This I did only a few times. It’s hard to make meals for one. Also my job often provides meals that are around dinner time, so it’s nice to save money by eating that food and leave the cooking to the professionals. 

- Go to Chicago to visit my good friends and see a new city. CHECK! This was a really fun resolution. I got to lump a short stopover in Chicago onto my summer trip to Cape Cod. I had such a great time visiting friends and seeing the tourist sights (the FLW House!). 

- Keep up my nightly walks. An hour a day does so much. As I explained above, I did this but not as regular as I used to (since my walking buddy was busy having babies and I started doing more event stuff at night). But in 2013 I’m going to go back to doing this a solid 5 times a week, if not more. 

- Try new bars, restaurants and museums from my “L.A. Bizarro” book. (As Amber pointed out to me, we don’t have to see any of the porn-esque stuff and that is agreed). I got to do a bunch of these with Amber earlier in the year, although they did take a back seat to all of my other goals as the year went on. It’s worth digging this book out again and going more in 2013. 

- If someone says, “try this hike with me” or “lets do this sport” or any other physical activity, say yes! So far so good. Saying yes to life has only meant good things.

- “Grow a Pair!” In 2012 I need to face the little fears. I successfully faced giant fears in 2011, so this should be easy right? I’m always working on that, and that’ll continue into 2013. 

- As a part of “Growing A Pair”, I’m going to go on dates in 2011. It’s something Ive been putting off because I hate doing it, but why not? If it’s the worst, then oh well. If it’s great then maybe I get a new friend out of the deal. I’ve jumped out of a plane, I think I can handle a silly little date. So send your single, outdoorsy, male friends my way. This remains true in 2013. Also, I’ve decided that “date” is too scary a word, and only call them “friend meetups” in an attempt to making dating less scary. 

- And of course I will work hard to maintain you, Life Absorbed. I wish I had started you last Jan. 1st, so now I must make up for lost time. I feel like in one year I did a lot to improve the blog. I tried (and I’m always trying) to come up with new features like Font Friday and Do This Today. I try to blog 1 or 2 times daily midweek and once on the weekends. I also designed a business card for the blog and changed the layout a bit. The “Life Absorbed” logo photo shoots where fun, and I hope to do more in 2013. Now all my photos have watermarks and I really work hard to make improvements as I get feedback. I’ve gotten retweeted by Scott Aukerman this year. I’ve gotten “shared” on facebook by some of my favorite comedians and even CBS included me in an article about the Secret Stairs of LA. It’s been good progress and I’m looking forward to more improvements in 2013!

This completes my resolution list for 2012. I can honestly say I gave it 110% and filled my time to capacity. There’s only so much time to get things done and I have no regrets with how my time was spent in 2012. I also want to share some things I did that weren’t on my 2012 resolution list:

A big Hawaii trip that included zip-lining, snorkeling, and hiking around an active volcano. Visiting the Queen Mary with my parents. Sitting in the UCB green room with Doug Benson and Zach Galifinakis (thanks Gabe!). The 1 million comedy shows I saw this year (I’m only exaggerating a little). Finally seeing David Cross do stand up! A fun weekend getaway to Palm Springs. My first hospital visit (not a good situation, but it could have been so much worse). Running the Denver Turkey Trot and getting to enjoy Denver fun. Getting to be Shari Lewis for the day. Doing all my DIY projects. Brunches with the girls. Visiting the JPL and going to about 5 neighborhood festivals. Doing the Color Run with Lindsey. Having my celebrity crush, Harris Wittels, comment on my blog. Tubing Mt. Baldy with Michelle and Lindsey. A weekend getaway to Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear. Visiting the horse racing park for Tom’s birthday. Going to a Beer Collaboration event. Magic Castle with the girls. Celebrating Chinese New Year in Chinatown. Gosh, this has been a busy year!

Rules for Resolutions

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It’s almost 2013, but Im still not ready to share my resolution list. I keep adding and whittling away at it. I just need to note, when I’ve asked my friends about their resolutions, they have all said “I’m so bad at following through, so why make the list. I’m just setting myself up to fail”. The point of the list isn’t to complete every task (as I certainly don’t), but by making the list it makes you aware of what your goals are. I have friends that say things like “I don’t know what I want” or “Im bored and I don’t know how to fix it” throughout the year. Just by making this list, you’re ahead in the game. Whenever I’m feeling in a rut or bored or lost, I just pull out the list and put that energy into crossing a task off the list, and that pulls me out of my rut. You certainly don’t HAVE to make a resolution list, but why not take 15 minutes and make a list of goals.

Rules For Making A Resolutions List:

1) Be Realistic With Money. Don’t make a list of goals that you know you can’t afford to complete. For example “buy myself a Fendi Bag” (BAD) should be “work to save money for a nice bag by setting a little money aside from each paycheck, and invest in a nice bag by 2014″ (GOOD). Just avoid making resolutions that you know are outside your budget, because you’ll never follow through with something if you can’t afford it.

2) Be Realistic With Time. There are 365 days in 2013, and only 52 weekends. When you’re trying to complete a list of goals, those weeks go by REALLY fast. While I think it’s important to shoot for the stars with your list and be over ambitious (whatever you don’t complete can be moved on to the following years list) it’s important to be at least somewhat realistic. If you work full time “Spend 1 month in Spain” isn’t a realistic resolution. Although maybe a baby-step towards that goal is doable: “Investigate if my job would let me take time off to travel, or if there are work opportunities abroad with my job”. The goal can be to lay the groundwork, so that “spend a month abroad” can be a realistic goal for the following year.

3) Be Specific. I’ve found with me, I’m much more likely to complete a goal if the game plan to achieve it is part of the resolution. For example a goal of “See more towns outside of Los Angeles” is so open-ended that I’m less likely to take it seriously. A great alternitive is actually looking up the names of some sights to see outside of LA, and then making each location a different goal: “Visit the Elmers Bottle Tree Ranch in Oro Grande” or “Visit the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda”. This way if you have a free Saturday, you just go to the list, google the location and then make a day trip. Plus by separating the locations you can cross more off your list (it’s such a good feeling crossing items off the list).

4) Make Some Easy… Very Easy. If all of your goals require a ton of time and dedication, you’re much more likely to fall off the wagon. It’s such a motivation to be able to cross off items from the list, so make some goals easy and extra fun. For example, I often don’t let myself eat too many sweets (gotta watch my girlish figure) but “Treat yourself to a cupcake at that shop everyone keeps telling you about” is a fun awesome resolution to throw into the mix. It’s a resolution because it’s getting you to try something new and it’s not “buy a box of cupcakes” but it’s just one, which doesn’t hurt your wallet or your waistline. For the record “Eat a bag of cheetos alone on a Saturday night” is not a resolution, but a cry for help.

5) Include That Thing You’ve Been Putting Off. I hate going to the doctors. Whether it’s eye, skin, foot, or just the regular doctor, I hate it. The resolution list is a great time to include that dreaded doctors visit. As much as I hate doing it, I can tell you “Visit a dermatologist” and “Finally buy eye glasses” are on my resolution list for 2013. Maybe for you it’s “Clean out that scary drawer full of crap” (also a good resolution). With all of these dreaded tasks, you’ll feel so good finally completing them and then you get the reward of crossing them off the list and putting them out of your mind.

Well, I hope these are helpful tips for generating your own resolution list. I know you probably think resolution lists are crap, but seriously give it a shot. In the next day or two, I will take a look back at my resolution list and see what I’ve completed over the last year. I will also finally reveal my 2013 resolution list.

Holiday Blues

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mytree

Now that you are caught up on the fun times of my Denver Thanksgiving, you can imagine the second part of that trip was not so much fun. Typically that Saturday after Thanksgiving is when I allow myself to start celebrating Christmas. I start writing Christmas cards and listening to holiday music. Since Saturday was spent in the hospital and then it was a mad dash to get back to Los Angeles once I was released on Sunday, that switch from Thanksgiving to Christmas never happened for me.

I’ve spent this weekend laying low (still fighting the allergy, although it’s getting much better) and I decided to let myself start celebrating. I woke up early today and went to World Market to buy Christmas cards. I dug out my old roommates mini tree (see above) and decorated while listening to the Holiday Pandora station and breathing in my cinnamon scented candle. It’s like Santa threw up all over my room.

In all this holiday cheer, I must say I’ve got a bit of the holiday blues. Maybe it’s being single around the holidays or perhaps it’s this allergy/cold issue that’s sucked away the past month of my life, but I’ve got the blues today. I’ve also come to the sad realization that I can’t finish all my Secret Stair walks by 2013. Having lost the last 4 weekends to this cold, I’ve fallen too far behind. It’s painful to admit this, but the only way to complete them by 2013 is to rush and that takes all the fun out of it. I don’t want the walks to be a chore, but something I look forward to enjoying. So that goal is being stretched into 2013, and since I’m back logged on those posts, you’ll get to enjoy those well into 2013.

This all has me contemplating my 2013 goals, as I’ve got one month to make next years list.  Have you started thinking about 2013?

Halfway Through 2012 (almost)

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As of June 30th we will be halfway through 2012. HALFWAY THROUGH 2012?! This year has gone by so fast. I think it’s time to take a look at my 2012 resolutions and see how I’m doing. I can’t stress enough how important goals are, and how taking time to evaluate what you’ve done (and still need to do) is a great use of time. As I’ve said before, this is more for me than for you. It’s also not about scolding myself for uncompleted tasks, but just to be a reminder of the tasks I’d hope to complete in 2012. Let’s get to it!

Life Absorbed’s 2012 Resolution List

- Complete all 42 walks in “Secret Stairs, A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of LA”
This has gotten away from me, as I have 10 more to do to be where I should be by June 30th. Thankfully I’m looking into this now, and I see I have 3 weeks to do 10 walks which would put me back on track. In fact, I plan on doing one today. See how reflecting on the resolution list is helpful?

- Go rock climbing!
Completed!

- Do at least one “monster” walk in 2012. Use my new “Car-Free LA” book to find a good really long walk and make a day of it.
I haven’t gotten to do this yet, and it’ll happen before I take another job. I went on a long walk the other day, and I ached for an epic walk. Soon, soon.

- Resume hikes from my hiking book!
I need to train for Mt. Whitney, so more hikes are coming. I’ve been doing Fryman Canyon a lot, but I need to step it up. Next week I’m thinking of driving to Yosemite and hiking around there. Which brings me to my next resolution…

- Go camping!
Next week! I can’t wait. I have so much awesome gear from Christmas and I can’t wait to use it all! And Yosemite! It’s going to be amazing.

- Hike (or ski) Mt. Baldy.
I still have my groupon for the chairlift an this is a great hiking place to get ready for Whitney. I’ll be hiking it soon!

- Go back to Catalina!
The plan is to make a day trip in September. More on that later.

- Keep filling my nights and weekends with fun activities, even if it means being tired the next day. It’s worth it!
I’ve certainly been doing this. Ive seen so many comedy shows lately and I love it. I recently went to the Silver Lake Jubilee (post on that to come this weekend), the Franklin Fair, and this weekend I have a jazz event downtown. I’ve been doing super well with this.

- Visit Hearst Castle.
When Mom and Dad visit we will go up north over LAbor Day weekend. I’m so excited for this trip. I’ve been saving this weekend trip for them.

- Go cross-country skiing for the first time.
This will have to happen in December or in 2013 because we didn’t get enough snow this year. Unfortunately, that was out of my control.

- Go white-water rafting.
Spring/summertime!

- Go kayaking.
I’m going to visit Cape Cod soon, and you can bet I’ll be kayaking a lot (and cycling too).

- Try yoga.
I did it! I’ve been to the Corepower Yoga in Sherman Oaks for their free intro class. It’s every Sunday at noon and they even have free mat rentals. It’s been a challenge but fun. I hope to go back soon.

- Try spinning.
I still need to do this, and I won’t lie, I’m intimated by this.

- Make new recipes to last during the week.
I tried my s’more recipe recently (see that post here), and I have plans to make soup today. It’s not exciting but it’s something.

- Go to Chicago to visit my good friends and see a new city.
Soon :) I’ve got the ball rolling on this, and I’m looking up tickets today. I feel really good about this.

- Keep up my nightly walks. An hour a day does so much.
Since unemployment, my night walks haven’t happened as much. I need to get back into the routine. I’ve done morning walks, but I need to set a time and say “now it’s walk time” and commit to it.

- Try new bars, restaurants and museums from my “L.A. Bizarro” book. (As Amber pointed out to me, we don’t have to see any of the porn-esque stuff and that is agreed).
I haven’t done much lately from the book, but that’s because I’ve been so busy.

- If someone says, “try this hike with me” or “lets do this sport” or any other physical activity, say yes!
I’ve been saying yes to life! I don’t think I’ve said “no” in a while, and I like it.

- “Grow a Pair!” In 2012 I need to face the little fears. I successfully faced giant fears in 2011, so this should be easy right?
I’m always trying to work on this. It’s nice to go through this again and remind myself of these mantras.

- As a part of “Growing A Pair”, I’m going to go on dates in 2012.
I’m working on it, I’m working on it.

- And of course I will work hard to maintain you, Life Absorbed. I wish I had started you last Jan. 1st, so now I must make up for lost time.
I’ve been working on you a ton! I’ve even started taking web design classes so I can learn code and make you even more awesome than ever!

I have a few added goals for the year that I call my secret resolutions, because Im worried I wont have time for them in 2012. One of which is taking a knitting class to successfully make something (I’ve already bought a “how to knit” book!). Let me know if you know of a great beginner knitting class!

I’m really proud of where I’m so far in my goals. It’ll feel so great to reach my goal of 10 Secret Stair walks by the end of the month. At that point I’ll feel like I’m really at the halfway point of all my goals. Alright, time to get outside!

2012 Quarter Year Reflections

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It’s that time of year! Now that it’s April 1st, we’ve all made it through a quarter of 2012. Didn’t it go crazy fast? Remember when I posted about THIS, where I discussed all my 2012 goals? Well now that we are done with a quarter of the year, it’s time to check that I’m not forgetting any resolutions. This is the best way to stay on top of your goals, so that come December I don’t have to do 30 secret stair walks. I do this more for me than for you, but you should recap your goals for the year, so in case you’ve fallen off track you can hop back on.

Life Absorbed’s 2012 Resolution List

- Complete all 42 walks in “Secret Stairs, A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of LA”
By the end of today I’ll have done 9 walks. In order to be up to speed I should be at 10 walks… so that’s really close. When my work goes on hiatus soon, I’ll start doing these walks midweek and probably blow through a bunch. I’m just proud of myself for being (close to) on track.

- Go rock climbing!
Completed!

- Do at least one “monster” walk in 2012. Use my new “Car-Free LA” book to find a good really long walk and make a day of it.
This will happen soon, I just need to find the right path to take. My walking friend was just saying how she can’t wait to do another epic walk with me… I should start planning.

- Resume hikes from my hiking book!
I’ve done so many now. Even going to Big Bear let me cross a couple of the list. I’m really happy with the time I’ve put into hiking as I’ve done a bunch from my book this year. My next big weekend of hiking adventures will be Palm Springs!

- Go camping!
I’m waiting for spring/summer for this. I bought a new light-weight sleeping bag so I’m ready for hiking camping adventures. Did I mention I’m working my way up to climbing Mt. Whitney in August? :)

- Hike (or ski) Mt. Baldy.
I actually was just on Mt. Baldy yesterday to go tubing (more on that later this week), but I still have a Groupon to take the lift up for a hike. I’ll do this later in Spring. It was crazy cold up top and not ideal hiking weather for me.. yet.

- Go back to Catalina!
I just got an email this week that the ferry line who I bought a groupon from, has gone out of business. This makes me sad for many reasons. This also means a Catalina weekend is on the back burner for now. although it would be a great challenge and prep for Mt. Whitney if I go back and do the same camping weekend from last year. Maybe in early summer.

- Keep filling my nights and weekends with fun activities, even if it means being tired the next day. It’s worth it!
I’ve been doing more workouts lately, as I have the Color Run in April and then Hawaii right after that. Exercise has dominated my week nights, but I think that’s okay as eventually it’ll become more of a balance. I’m also saving money for Hawaii, and night walks are free. Ya can’t beat that price!

- Visit Hearst Castle.
When Mom and Dad visit we will go… which I hope happens this year. They keep putting it off.

- Go cross-country skiing for the first time.
My Big Bear trip was all about skiing until we found out there wasn’t enough snow to even open the trails! How’s that for global warming! They extended the groupon dates, which means I have all of next winter to give cross country skiing a try. Who knows, maybe in December of this year I could still work that out.

- Go white-water rafting.
Spring/summertime!

- Go kayaking.
I’m DYING to do this. I’m aching to kayak, and hopefully it will happen this summer. If not in LA, then in Cape Cod.

- Try yoga.
I NEED to do this.

- Try spinning.
And this.

- Make new recipes to last during the week.
I’ve been trying to be healthy and save money which equates to cheap fast meals. I’ve been lacking in the cooking department for some time.

- Go to Chicago to visit my good friends and see a new city.
Fingers crossed, Ill get to do this in the summer time. Even if it’s just a long weekend I need to get out there.

- Keep up my nightly walks. An hour a day does so much.
I’m keeping up with this! Several times a week.

- Try new bars, restaurants and museums from my “L.A. Bizarro” book. (As Amber pointed out to me, we don’t have to see any of the porn-esque stuff and that is agreed).
Since saving money has taken a front seat, I’ve been doing less from this book but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been going out and trying new places. Just last Saturday I went to the new Brickyard Pub.

- If someone says, “try this hike with me” or “lets do this sport” or any other physical activity, say yes!

- “Grow a Pair!” In 2012 I need to face the little fears. I successfully faced giant fears in 2011, so this should be easy right?
This one is always a constant battle for me. This resolution is the reason I do these updates. It’s a great reminder that I need to always be pushing myself and not allow any excuses. Grow a pair, Bethany!

- As a part of “Growing A Pair”, I’m going to go on dates in 2012.
I’m confident enough to admit in a public forum that this hasn’t happened yet in 2012. I’m okay with it and don’t want to force it. Maybe in 2013 I’ll try online dating but as of 2012 I’m not ready for that. I’ve been proud of my openness about it all, it just hasn’t happened yet. Baby steps.

- And of course I will work hard to maintain you, Life Absorbed. I wish I had started you last Jan. 1st, so now I must make up for lost time.
Yay! This has been a success. I hope you all enjoy the blog as much as I enjoy writing it!

I have a few added goals for the year that I call my secret resolutions, because Im worried I wont have time for them in 2012. One of which is taking a knitting class to successfully make something (I’ve already bought a “how to knit” book!). Let me know if you know of a great beginner knitting class!

Alrighty, enough with the reflections now on to secret stair walks!

January Recap

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I don’t know if anyone remembers THIS post, where I discussed all my 2012 goals. I got some feedback from people naysayers who think that resolutions are just broken promises. I disagree, as goals help motivate you at the very least. Anyway, one of the ways I help make sure I’m not forgetting about goals or pushing them off is to revaluate my goals once a month. So around the first of every month I asses how Im doing so that I don’t leave all my resolutions until December. I HIGHLY recommend this for people who really want to accomplish their resolutions. This is probably boring to everyone other than me, but I must hold myself accountable, so here is my recap of resolutions for January:

Life Absorbed’s 2012 Resolution List

- Complete all 42 walks in “Secret Stairs, A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of LA”
So far I’ve only done one. To keep on track I should do at least 5 this month. I’ve gotta kick it into gear!

- Go rock climbing!
DONE! Hopefully I’ll get to go back!

- Do at least one “monster” walk in 2012. Use my new “Car-Free LA” book to find a good really long walk and make a day of it.
Im waiting for a hiatus, and as soon as I get one I’m hitting the road!

- Resume hikes from my hiking book! Give those new hike boots a work out.
I’ve already done a new hike from my book and gave my new boots a good workout. More to go. I should do another new one this month. Even if I do 1 new hike a month Ill feel pretty good about that. 12 killer hikes a year ain’t bad.

- Go camping!
I’m waiting for spring/summer for this.

- Hike (or ski) Mt. Baldy.
This is another groupon trip, but it’s been so warm. Hopefully this month Ill get to go.

- Go back to Catalina!
Ill do it in a month or two when the weather will be warmer. I have a ferry groupon, so I know this will happen soon!

- Keep filling my nights and weekends with fun activities, even if it means being tired the next day. It’s worth it!
I keep doing it, so Im a sleepy Magee at work but I’ve gotten to do some crazy things… like Chinese New Years Eve.

- Visit Hearst Castle.
When Mom and Dad visit we will go.

- Go cross-country skiing for the first time.
I want to do this soon, so this week I will send an email out to friends to lock down a date.

- Go white-water rafting.
Spring/summertime!

- Go kayaking.
I’ve decided to look into a class that lets you kayak around the lake in Balboa. My sister did this one summer and had a lot of fun and a good workout.

- Try yoga.
I NEED to do this.

- Try spinning.
And this.

- Make new recipes to last during the week.
I’ve been good about trying new recipes with my soups and chillies. I hope to do more out of my cookbook this month.

- Go to Chicago to visit my good friends and see a new city.
Fingers crossed, Ill get to do this in May. Once I get a vacation Im booking my flight.

- Keep up my nightly walks. An hour a day does so much.
I’m keeping up with this! Several times a week.

- Try new bars, restaurants and museums from my “L.A. Bizarro” book. (As Amber pointed out to me, we don’t have to see any of the porn-esque stuff and that is agreed).
Ive gotten to see some fun stuff so far. I just need to keep maintaining it.

- If someone says, “try this hike with me” or “lets do this sport” or any other physical activity, say yes!

- “Grow a Pair!” In 2012 I need to face the little fears. I successfully faced giant fears in 2011, so this should be easy right?
I’m working on it. I’ve been open to new ideas and trying new things. I’m definitely out there, so we shall see.

- As a part of “Growing A Pair”, I’m going to go on dates in 2011. It’s something Ive been putting off because I hate doing it, but why not? If it’s the worst, then oh well. If it’s great then maybe I get a new friend out of the deal. I’ve jumped out of a plane, I think I can handle a silly little date. So send your single, outdoorsy, male friends my way.

- And of course I will work hard to maintain you, Life Absorbed. I wish I had started you last Jan. 1st, so now I must make up for lost time.
Yay! This has been a success. I hope you all enjoy the blog as much as I enjoy putting it out there.

I have a few added goals for the year that I call my secret resolutions, because Im worried I wont have time for them in 2012. One of which is taking a knitting class to successfully make something. Let me know if you know of a great beginner knitting class!

Okay, enough talk and blog posts with no images. Tomorrow Ill update with info about the Studio City Farmers Market and Fryman Canyon hike!

The Weekend Guide Jan 27 + 28 + 29

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Work has been crazy and I’m so behind the times today. I’m going to have to make this quick! I completely apologize and I swear next week I will be more thorough. Let’s get a move on,

FRIDAY Jan. 27:

If you checked out my last “Weekend Guide”, then you know that the Pacific Standard Time Festival is still happening and continuing through this weekend. If you didn’t go last weekend, you get one extra chance- don’t waste it! HERE is the festival calendar. Such good stuff going on all over the city tonight you have to check it out. Tonight Liz Glynn is hosting an event at the Black Box from 8pm-2am. This event is free and no reservations are required (check out the MAP). DJ OJO is doing an interactive set, Lucky Dragons is doing something with a ouiji board, Mecca Andrews is performing as well as a Walead Beshty’s films banned by China. Like them on facebook for more info, HERE.

Saturday Jan 28:

Two weeks ago I told you about Long Beach’s Adventure Expo and this weekend (starting tonight), is the 14th Annual LA Times Travel Show. Lisa Ling, Rick Steves and Arthur Frommer are three of many special guests attending this event. It’s taking place at the L.A. Convention Center, so you have no excuse not to hop on the metro and stop in to the show. Tickets are $10 and you can get them HERE.

As I posted about this past week (HERE), it’s year of the Dragon and as part of the celebration there will be a Golden Dragon Parade on Saturday from 1-4pm. Cupcake Wars will be providing a 1000 cupcakes to people attending the event. So if you are interested in going, or just curious which streets to avoid, check out the map HERE.

At 8pm, for $12 the Steve Allen Theater (which is now calling itself the Trepany House?), is hosting An Evening With Rob Zabrecky. They only have standing room only tkts available, but this sounds like a cool show. This weeks show has musical guests Goodnight Ladies (Liberty Larson + Shayne Eastin).

Sunday Jan 29:

On Sunday check out the LACMA’s new show “In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States”. It opens Jan 29th (Sunday) through May 6th, so you have some time to check it out.

I’m sorry this is so abbreviated, as Im sure there are so many more free cool events happening this weekend. You’ll have to do awesome things and tell me about them. This weekend I’m hoping to use my groupon (as well as cross things off my resolution list) and go rock climbing!

2012 Resolutions

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As you probably can tell, my 2011 was unbelievable. The key thing that helped push me to  do new things in 2011 was my GIANT resolutions list. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t like a huge bucket list filled with unobtainable goals. Some goals were small like “buy hiking boots”, “cook more”, and “stay positive!”. Some goals were larger like “run a 5k” and “complete 38 LA walks”. And one was huge, “conquer fear of heights”. I think its important when making a list of goals to have some easy and some hard, because boy does it feel good to cross things off the list. I also like to pull out the list at the start of every month, to help me pace out what I’ve done and what still needs to happen. Don’t save it all until December! And the point of the list isn’t to have a painful year doing really hard things, it’s about trying new things and making 2012 memorable.

Life Absorbed’s 2012 Resolution List

- Complete all 42 walks in “Secret Stairs, A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of LA”

- Go rock climbing!

- Do at least one “monster” walk in 2012. Use my new “Car-Free LA” book to find a good really long walk and make a day of it.

- Resume hikes from my hiking book! Give those new hike boots a work out.

- Go camping!

- Hike (or ski) Mt. Baldy.

- Go back to Catalina!

- Keep filling my nights and weekends with fun activities, even if it means being tired the next day. It’s worth it!

- Visit Hearst Castle.

- Go cross-country skiing for the first time.

- Go white-water rafting.

- Go kayaking.

- Try yoga.

- Try spinning.

- Make new recipes to last during the week.

- Go to Chicago to visit my good friends and see a new city.

- Keep up my nightly walks. An hour a day does so much.

- Try new bars, restaurants and museums from my “L.A. Bizarro” book. (As Amber pointed out to me, we don’t have to see any of the porn-esque stuff and that is agreed).

- If someone says, “try this hike with me” or “lets do this sport” or any other physical activity, say yes!

- “Grow a Pair!” In 2012 I need to face the little fears. I successfully faced giant fears in 2011, so this should be easy right?

- As a part of “Growing A Pair”, I’m going to go on dates in 2011. It’s something Ive been putting off because I hate doing it, but why not? If it’s the worst, then oh well. If it’s great then maybe I get a new friend out of the deal. I’ve jumped out of a plane, I think I can handle a silly little date. So send your single, outdoorsy, male friends my way.

- And of course I will work hard to maintain you, Life Absorbed. I wish I had started you last Jan. 1st, so now I must make up for lost time.

Here is my new list! It’s a lot shorter than last years, but I think this list will prove to be more challenging (and more expensive). I need to take a moment to thank all of my friends for helping me complete last years resolution list. It really is a group effort. My friends were so great about joining me for activities that I was nervous about. They got me off my butt when I felt myself getting lazy. Their encouragement really pushed me to follow through with my goals. I hope you are all as lucky to have amazing supportive people in your lives. I dedicate my 2012 list of goals to them, and cheers to 2012! We are going to have a blast!