The best of 2004

There were so many special moments for me in 2004.

Good things from 2004

- the lunar eclipse with neighbors
- winning $300 in Vegas
- holding 3-day old Claire Carmody
- fancy Valentine's Day night out
- a promotion and a raise
- fell in love with the sweetest guy
- sang a solo in Bach's Magnificat with 8 loved ones in the audience
- that adventure-filled day with Chris
- midnight tour of Rome with Donato Fabio
- performing a song I wrote
- Amy's tea party bridal shower
- the Pope, fifteen feet away
- an afternoon by the fountain at Point Park in Pittsburgh
- discussing music, writing, and life with Craig in the Las Vegas airport
- dinner in Tribeca
- finally, a flattering hairstyle!
- pancakes and sausage on Public Square with Heather
- dinner party with Chris, Shandra, and Mike
- sleeping on faux fur
- talking for hours with Brian at Ray's
- finally finding someone to see KIDDO with
- touring Mike Novatny's house
- singing two solos from the Messiah
- a bouquet made of wildflowers
- boat ride on Lake Maggiore, Italy
- pain au chocolate on a summer NYC morning
- my first hibachi experience in Califonia
- pink Christmas cards

making progress with the goals

Had a successful "Italian dinner" with Chris, Shandra, and Mike last night. I think every thing went well. The food turned out well, conversation was lively. The wine turned out to be pretty good too.

I read the next three Lemony Snicket books, 3-5. So now i have to wait for the 6th to come in from the library.

Everything else is going well.

reevaluating goals...

Decided to revamp another goal. i am not comfortable with the amount in my emergency savings fund, so i've decided to make it my number one financial goal. Repeat after me "I work at Penton. I work at Penton. I work at Penton." - That's all the motivation i need.

I've been getting a lot of stuff from my TO DO lists done, and not necessarily working towards goals...
i am reading the third lemony snicket book
i need to do something creative this week (pumpkins?)

and i feel compelled to say that two unwritten goals have been met now that i have a boyfriend, mike. (are you satisfied now?)

finished the second Lemony Snicket book on the plane to las vegas.
won $312.75 in a slot machine, most of which went straight to the bank.

i've whipped up some excitement about this italian dinner thing, so I must do it soon.
been looking at easy recipes online.

i'm taking a class on Front Page software today - i'm excited to see what it's all about!

finished "Book the first" by lemony snicket
changed font size on the front page

rearranged and added some goals.
i still need more long-term goals. i guess i have no ambition.

need to figure out how to make the font smaller on the front page without changing the color! it's goofy.

updated my yahoo calendar.

Goal: Buy a computer

Goal: Save up $700 to buy a computer

When:Most likely next year, after credit cards paid off.

How: Will figure out how much to save each month when I get all my finances in order. Early next year.

Goal: Cook an Italian dinner

Goal: Cook an Italian dinner for real people!

How:
Choose a meal: look online, magazines
Practice cooking!
Invite Shandra, Chris, and Mike?
Set the table, light some candles, and act like grown ups.

DONE
Shandra and Chris came over Sunday, Nov 14. Mike helped me with the prepwork. We had pesto chicken with bowtie pasta and pears mascarpone for dessert. I think it went well. I had fun!

Goal: Make a pretty web site

Goal: Make a pretty web site

How:
Learn to use Front Page at work
- 10/8 - took first class in the Front Page training session


Get a computer with Front Page on it!! :)

Goal: One creative thing a month

Goal: Do at least one creative thing a month. Ideas may include:

Make jewelry
Make a purse
Paint a picture
Draw a picture
Write a fun article
Write a song
Shoot a roll of film
Make greeting cards
Knit/crochet something

Hey, I've been doing this for over a year! I guess you could consider it ingrained now.
GOAL REACHED!

October
Decorated apartment
Crocheted


September
Made a birthday card
Designed and made "I Moved!" cards
Practiced crochet stitches

August
Finished carving wood block
Made prints with wood block

July
Designed a pattern for wood carving class
Started carving wood block


June
2 fabric gift bags
decorated a paper bag
coupon book thing
restrung pink necklace

May
1 purse
1 purse in progress

April
Assembled shelf project
2 baby boy notecards (not very good)
Several designs for purses and gift bags

March
Cross-stitched two hand towels
Baked cupcakes
Design and bought pieces for big Shelf Project
Sewed a sunglasses case
Polka-dot purse

February:
Four purses
Valentine's cards
Valentine's cookies
Notecards for craft sale
Decorated a binder filled with correspondance from my brother
Made a pouch for my purse
2 rolls of film


January:
Marble magnets
Lots of purse design and supply acquiring. (it counts)
Made a certain valentine thing.
Tried a new recipe for pesto twists
Made a book marker for my journal

December:
Sewed a Santa felt bag for Liz' Christmas present.
Made Christmas cards.
Made a brown, felt purse.

November:
Made Amy's birthday card.
Threw a dinner party and cooked for Shandra, Chris, and Mike.

October:
Finished Italy scrapbook.

September:
Made a blue necklace
Made wedding cards
Shot a roll of black and white film (sept and oct)

Goal:Read Lemony Snicket books

Goal:Read as many Lemony Snicket books as possible before the movie comes out in December.

Read:
1. The Bad Beginning Done Sept 29
2. The Reptile Room Done Oct 1
3. The Wide Window Done Oct 29
4. The Miserable Mill Done Oct 30
5. The Austere Academy Done Nov 3
6. The Ersatz Elevator Done Nov 26
7. The Vile Village Done
8. The Hostile Hospital Done
9. The Carnivorous Carnival Done Feb 1
10. The Slippery Slope Done Apr 12
11. The Grim Grotto Done Apr 18

DONE DONE DONE!

funny girl

after making such a big deal about not watching any more sunsets, i stopped by edgewater to watch the sun set tonight! i was coming back from visiting chris and it just looked so pretty.

i didn't get out of the car.

I am almost done with the dresser project. I just need to varnish the whole thing and buy some drawer pulls. Not sure when i can get to home depot. Maybe tomorrow????

feng shui vs the haircut

there are so many things changing around me
miles quit. sherri and pat are going to be parents within the week.
amy quit. heather's pregnant. shandra's not going back to school.
chris broke his leg. i've had 6 dates in 4 weeks (and counting).
david quit st. ann's and there's no choir. we hardly ever have band practice.
i might be getting a promotion/raise.
liz and christian are getting married.
dave and linda are getting married.
mike and mindy are getting married.

The first week of august i got a new hairdo and rearranged the furniture in my apartment.
So I wonder, is it the haircut that's brought about change in my life?
Or did rearranging my living room bring on good feng shui?

What happens when I go to my next hair appointment and he styles it straight???

The world waits with baited breath...

Goal:Refinish bedroom dresser

Goal:Strip and refinish bedroom dresser by midnight labor day. (Sept 6)

TO DO:
Buy paint - Done
Dismantle mirror - Done
Strip and sand old finish off of mirror - Done
Paint 3 coats on mirror - Done
Strip and sand old finish off bottom Done
Paint 3 coats on bottom - done
Strip and sand old finish off drawers (6) done
Paint 3 coats on drawers done 9/7
Buy varnish and handles done 9/11
1 or 2 coats varnish DONE


DONE DONE DONE DONE

goal revamp

i am going to do a little editing on the goals here.
I haven't seen a sunset since May, and frankly, I couldn't care less. So i'm taking it off the goals list.

I'm also posting a new goal, it's been on paper for quite some time. Refinish my bedroom dresser.
I hope to have it done this weekend.

I also need a push on the meet with friends goal. I haven't emailed or seen carino in a long time.

one cool chickster

Woo hoo!
Forget the rut, Baby.
I was recognized twice at a show last night.

One guy passed by me and mike said, 'that guy looks like he recognizes you" - and I think i have seen him at shows before.

Then the drummer for machine go boom walked by and said, "don't i know you?" and i told him i was in quarter panel and we opened up for them at the rockwood.

Not only do I make the scene, I AM the scene. :)

malkmus rules

Ok. I am stuck in a rut. I'm restless.
Now that I'm back from Italy, I've got nothing going on, and nothing much to look forward to.

Trying to figure out how to get out of it.
This is what I have so far:

Ways to get out of a rut:
1) Put on stephen malkmus. Can't help but be happy listening to him.
2) Do something out of the ordinary. (but what???)

Send me your ideas.

update on goals:

resume is done.
paying off credit card debt.
didn't catch the sunset in June.
haven't written any songs.
met up with some friends, need to visit Liz and Christian.

gosh it's been a while

haven't posted in a long time. does anyone care? does anyone read this?
no.
but in my little head it is important to keep up on such things.

off to italy tomorrow.
back in july

don't call me, i'll call you

went to watch a very lovely sunset at edgewater tonight.
as i go to leave, this guy, who's been looking at me, finally gets up the nerve and corners me on the stairs. asks me "where's your boyfriend?" wanted to know if i was a student, did i like classical music, how old was i? would i like to get coffee sometime?

i took his number to get rid of him.
stephen, don't hold your breath.

uncool

oh my gosh. how did I get to be so uncool?
a friend from high school contacted me, and i checked out his friendster profile and all his friends are artsy, cool kids with multicolored hair.

I don't know anyone with multicolored hair, or funky piercings. the coolest people I know are liz and christian, and i don't hang out with them enough.

i feel a new goal coming on: GET COOL...

sunday funday

got a lot of work done on the resume this weekend. maybe another week until it's finished.

apartment is clean.

next project - baby shower present for Sherri & Pat!! yipes. one week.

the friday report

Had lunch with Shandra in the hotel arcade - first time i'd eaten there. It's so much fun talking with Shandra - she's always testing a theory, or working on a project.

that security guard who likes me asked if i'd had any popcorn yet. (there's popcorn in the lobby for the bank opening)

there was a policemen's parade outside our building this morning. there were canadian mounties, too.

I was nearly hit when a cherry picker ran into the light pole. something fell down but i didn't stick around to see what it was!

things that make me smile

singing harmony with arlene
pulling out of dead man's curve, leaving everyone in my dust
the sound of someone contacting me on IM
Back in Black
coming home to a clean and made bed
cookouts at sherri and pat's
hugs from my parents
hearing one of shandra's theories
phone calls from brian
the wind
getting advice from amy
watching pat rock-out to a song I wrote
when unexpected guests drop by
chai latte
dressy bessy songs
handmade birthday cards from kathy

Things to do before I die

In no particular order:
own a house
dip my toes in the pacific
fall in love
kiss the blarney stone
have flowers sent to me at work
visit Victoria, Australia
take a hot air balloon ride
go skinny dipping
fly first class
sex on a hillside or in a field
see the grand canyon
play a solo gig
get a professional massage
be kissed in a rainfall or snowfall
have an argument in public
have a pie thrown in my face
throw a pie in someone's face
be a contestant on a game show
stay in the honeymoon suite

back in town

was out in pittsburgh last week. fancy expensive dinners. chatting with the governor. receptions at the warhol museum with the museum director. oh life is so hard!

i still have not done any work towards my resume. what am i waiting for????

i did nail down a date for lunch with mike novatny and with shandra. good for me. :)

and while in pittsburgh I got an afternoon off and sat by the fountain and wrote some song lyrics. they suck, but it's better than nothing.

Heed's B day

i've fallen behind on my resume schedule. was supposed to have finished writing it, but i haven't started.

on a brighter note, brian gave me a check for $200, so now I can pay off my Italy trip. Yippie!

to do tonight: make 3 cards, find one for Joann, and work on resume content.

ooh we saw three MINI's at lunch today. I saw one this morning on the way in. It must be get in your MINI and drive day! Too bad I have choir tonight.

tomorrow is National Poetry day.

last night i did something i've never done before...
I bought clothes at old navy. yes. and then i bought a pair of tennis shoes. What is the world coming to? Next thing you know I'll buy a computer and get a boyfriend. ;)

Goal:Write more songs

Short-term goal: Write two songs by the end of September

AHHHHHHHH! Why am i having such a hard time doing this????

Step 1: Choose two topics for songs

Song one:
Step 2: Write lyrics
Step 3: Sing a melody without instruments
Step 4: Take the melody and put some piano chords to it


Song two:
Step 2: Pick a riff/lick from the cassette tape
Step 3: Sing a melody, making up words
Step 4: Take the melody and write the words

Financial Goals: Part 1

GOAL: Aggressively save $3600 for an emergency savings fund.

Start: $639.45

December 2004: +543.21 Total: $1,182.66
January 2005: +543.21 Total: $1,726.20
February 2005: +343.21 Total: $2,069.41 - but this will go down when i pay Uncle Sam and car insurance. (yay, emergency fund is living up to its name!)
March 2005: -($1,056.17) Total: $1,013.24
April 2005: +383.56 Total: $1,396.80
May 2005: +275.59 Total: $1,672.39
June 2005: +424.93 Total: $2,097.32
July 2005: (-$276.63) Down this month cause I had to pay deposit on the rent. Total: $1,820.69
August 2005 (-$98.72) Down again for the first month's rent and buying a computer Total $1,721.97
Sept. 2005 + $425.74 Total: $2,147.71
Oct. 2005 +$146.55 Total: $2,294.29
Nov 2005 +$186.18 Total: $2,480.47
Dec 2005 +$411.03 Total: $2,891.50
Jan 2006 +$259.73 Total: $3,151.23

Goal: Watch the sunset once a month through the summer

Places to watch the sun set
Edgewater Park
Lakeview cemetery
Park at the edge of MLK
E 9th st pier

To Do:

May: watch the sun set
- 5/4 birthday - went to edgewater, it was cold and the sunset wasn't pretty. but i will return.
- 5/28 - pretty sunset at edgewater. only caught the last 15 minutes. the lake was wonderfully choppy. was worried some guy was going to throw me into the lake, but he just asked me out.

June: watch the sun set
- i failed to watch a complete sunset this month. i did watch parts of it from my bedroom though. oh well, start again in july.

July: watch the sun set
- ugh. no sunsets this month either. was i so put off by that guy that i won't watch the sun set again?

August: watch the sun set
- no sunsets

September: watch the sun set
- Sept 2 - I've decided to remove this as a goal. I think my initial reasons for setting this goal were to get to Edgewater and explore it. I did that. And I do look at the sky nearly every night when the sun sets.

Goal: Initiate lunch/dinner/dessert with friends I've been out of touch with

To Do:

Liz and Christian: i will see them at their wedding in VEGAS!
Joe Carino/Sarah: emailed Joe 9/8. He and Sarah are engaged! He's in school.

Goal: Update resume by May 17

Maybe I should make it clear that I am not looking for a new job, just updating the resume. :)

Tasks
Research resumes online: - Done
Write content: - Done
Lay it out on paper: - Done
Type it on the computer: - Done
Have someone proofread/critique: - who??
Print hard copies and post to monster/hotjobs:Done

See my resume

why

why can't i walk down to the other end of the hall without stopping to talk to someone for 10 minutes?

first day, 2:30

Ok. I've got the manifesto, strengths, and oops pages up.
Now to work on putting my goals up.

My Oops

These are embarassing moments, mistakes, shoulda/couldas to remind me to laugh at myself.

- The security guard in my building has started calling me "Amy." When he first asked me out, he got it right. I couldn't tell at first because he mumbles, but now he's been calling me Amy for so long, I can't correct him!

- I'm sitting at my desk eating chunks of pineapple when some juice dribbles down my shirt, through my bra to the bottom of my chest! Looked kind of funny shoving a napkin down there. :)

- Trying to cross the "Dugway Brook," and being very careful of the slippery rocks, I slipped and fell into the water. Only my feet and hands got wet, but I felt goofy cause I was trying not to slip, and then I slipped.

- I'm on an elevator to the 3rd floor. I notice the remains of a gross smell, someone must have farted. Just then, the elevator stops at 4. Guy gets on. I debate whether to say, "smells like someone farted, but it wasn't me!" Instead, I slink off the elevator letting this guy think I farted.

- Alcohol makes for some lovely moments...i sort of stumbled/ sat in my chair and everyone noticed but were all too drunk to cluck cluck at me!

- Answered the phone, a male voice says, "hey how's it goin?"
I say, "Hi John, how are you?"
"Actually, it's Chris, but I'm fine..."

- Walked more than half way to the Muni lot before I realized I didn't park in the Muni lot, I parked many blocks the opposite way. Great. What would have been a 15 minute walk took almost half an hour.

- Decided to "rest my eyes" before choir practice and woke up 5 minutes after I was supposed to be there.

- My life is a kate hudson movie: as i enter the revolving doors, the security guard yells Bye to me. So i turn to say bye and bam, the door stops and i run into it. Sexy.

- When introduced to Greg from new york, i proceeded to say, "oh yes, we've met before" but he had no recollection of who i was. He eventually remembered and talked to me whenever he saw me. Was he maybe flirting, too? I am no good at this.

- Wore white socks with blue shoes and Pete caught me and pointed it out.

- Completely missed the fact that I woke Chris up (his fault, not mine) and then proceeded to ramble on like a moron.

My strengths and weaknesses

My strengths
wickedly cool
smart
funny
caring
attention to detail
good singer
good at following through
creative
crafty
optimist
responsible
punctual

My weaknesses
not good at spontaneously brainstorming
snobbish
not forthcoming
gossip-y
invisible in a crowd
roll my eyes too much
according to Anthony, not owning a computer is a weakness

Feel free to suggest my strengths and weaknesses but be nice.

Vicki's Manifesto

Plan
Plan on an extraordinary life.
Plan on not settling for less.
Plan to keep going when I mess up.
Plan to make a fool of myself every so often.
Plan to stay off the beaten path.
Plan to be great. Often.

Know
Know Karma counts.
Know I can make a difference daily.
Know I will always get there early.
Know I still think too small.
Know I will win in the end, as long as I play to the best of my ability.
Know a kiss can do amazing things.

Trust
Trust everything happens for a reason.
Trust in being brave.
Trust that "coincidences" & "synchronicities" are hints of some sort.
Trust that positive actions will always create positive results, seen or unseen.
Trust that life is going to get better and better.

Refuse
Refuse to compare my progress to the progress of others.
Refuse to wait for other's permission, approval, or go ahead.
Refuse to let the past determine my future.

Ideas for the manifesto borrowed from Patrick Combs.

Day 10 of Project Vicki. First day online.