The Crafty Lizzard

I hope that everyone had a fun and safe New Year's...Mine was spent with good friends (and good beer and games) and it was again a wonderful way to usher in a new year.

I'm usually not big on resolutions as I tend not to keep them more than a month. However, this year I have decided to jump and do three:

• First, I'm resurrrecting one I did a few years ago that I actually had a lot of fun doing. I'm going to read one book of classical literature per month. This will be picked by the wonderful people at Random House in their monthly spotlight. It helps me build an actual library and then I'm not just reading whatever I want to read. Last time, (about 3 years ago) there was only one book I couldn't read all the way through, was introduced to some wonderful books and came to appreciate some authors that I hadn't really liked before.
• Number 2: There is a list of music (divided into 3 levels) for high schoolers to choose a solo or ensemble for when they go to contest (performing for a judge for a rating and comments, for those of you who have never been). Well, I have decided that I will make my way through the hardest level of piano solos this year. I have fallen off the highest cliff as far as my own practicing goes so this is a way for me to get back in. The good news is that I've already done about half the list. The bad news is that I've already done half of the stuff I would ENJOY playing. Oh well....just trying to keep my chops.
• Lastly -- the cliche resolution. I have to fit back into my clothes! I'm not really going on a diet, just a goal and promise to get back into my exercise routine. All of my nice formed muscle as slowly turned into jiggly flab (sorry for the mental picture). I refuse to spend a whole lot of money on bigger sized clothes when I have perfectly good clothes that I just don't fit in anymore! So get back into the clothes it is!

I realize that there are no crafty resolutions here and that is for one reason -- I don't have to force myself to do those kind of things. I will always be lusting after beautiful yarn and craving to start a new project. There are a few posts coming of the holiday knitting -- the pics just aren't taken yet!

So, happy 2009, I hope that this year is better and happier for everyone out there. Good luck to myself and to anyone else who is making themselves do something to learn something this year!