Another Random, Past Due, UPDATE

Ok, so I planned to write a few times, and never did. I have been writing more, though. I have been going back and forth between a few of my different vehicles of writing. I have always had an actual hand-written journal, then I have a more private online account that is not open to the public that I use from time to time, and then I have just recently revisited for the first time in a full year. But I feel like I am making progress with it, so I feel happy, surprisingly. Looking back at my entry where I stated my goals for the month of February , I am happy and sad about my progress on them. So, I thought that I would share my progress thus far with the fine ppl here on the internet.

1. Go and check out the 15 Thrift Stores in the DC area on yellowpages.com

OK, so turns out that DC is a ShitShow when it comes to options for thrift stores. Now, when I say thrift stores, I am using the term in association with the concept of something being used, cheap, and some sort of bargain. In DC, this is not the meaning of the term thrift store. Thrift stores are a combination of Consignment shop (meaning old hags bring their shitty stuff to a second party's store to sell their crap for them at an inflated price), antique shop (meaning someone takes their heirlooms left to them by their dead grandparents and try to hock it off on some unsuspecting yuppie for more money than they would try and sell their actual grandparents for), and then, there are the notorious VINTAGE CLOTHING SHOPS. The vintage clothing shop is a place where down on their luck boutique owners try and sell garments that were found in a dirty piss-covered box in the back of their store when they rented it like it's the everyday man's equivalent to haute couture. These places are the worst. I am going to need you to either have clothing that was (a)made by a designer that I actually know, (b) not mostly $70 t shirts, or (c) washed in the past 30 years. That's just nasty.

Other than that, the yellowpages is very misguiding. Who knew that when you see a listing for the Salvation Army that you would actually be sent to Major So-and-So's answering machine? Apparently there actually is an army sent out for my salvation. Who knew.


2. Visit the Rober Frank exhibit at the National Gallery of Art

I have no excuse for not doing this one, I have just been too lazy to get on the Metro down to the Smithsonian to look at it. However, I did recommend it to my sister and her family, and although they wished that it was more focused on the black civil rights movement, they were intrigued nonetheless.

3. Print and frame some of my photographs to hang in my apartment

There was a couple of pictures of me and some of my best friends that I had been meaning to frame just for fun, not necessarily in terms of art, but I actually did it, so it counts, neh! *sticks tongue out*

4. Read and finish 1-2 books

Ok, so this one was not achieved, but great progress was made. Partially, because I was reading about 4 different books, I got through large chunks of two of them, and am almost done with both (should be finished with 2 by the end of this week), but a co-worker introduced me to Dan Savage's books, and I started reading one of his. But now I have stopped reading that one until i finish the other 2, so still pumping along, although behind schedule.

5. Go to the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring

OK, well this one is again my fault. I was planning on going to see both Rachel Getting Married and Slumdog Millionaire at this theater, but then I wound up seeing Slumdog one night after work, and I would not have made it to Silver Spring in time to catch it, so I went to a theater in DC. And Rachel Getting Married left right before I was going to go and see it. But once they have another movie there that I want to see, I plan to be there.

6. Cook a really nice complete meal for myself (and possibly a few friends)

Well, I did cook a meal for myself last night (just missed it!), and it was good, but it wasn't from scratch. I also cooked a few good breakfast's for myself, does that count?

7. Find a book club and go to a meeting

Ok, found some book clubs through thenewgay.net , but none of them were reading books that I thought were interesting.

8. Go and actually use my apt building's workout gym

Yeah, I just didn't do that. Thought about it, and even told myself that I was going to go yesterday (only because I knew that that was the one time that it would be unavailable). Rats.

9. Find out exactly how my company's health insurance policy works and make plans to USE IT

This one I did! I found out what out vision insuranc plan is, and I have an appointment next Thursday! Yay me, I can finally stop wearing thise bi-weekly contact lenses that I have been sporting for 4 months.....yeah, just let that marinate for a minute......it's like having spoiled milk resting on my eyes.......

10. Go out on photography excursions at least 5 times

Made plans, but never did it. I went out with my camera once, but was too embarrased to take it out in groups of people. Gotta get over that....

11. Write more in general (blogging, journaling, creative writing)

Did this one! *see beginning of entry

12. Start keeping in touch with my friends and family more regularly

Did this one too!! Talked to alot of my friends that I hadn't in a while, and found out that one of them moved back to the United States! who knew! So that was very beneficial.


So, there you have it. 5 out of twelve completed, and four others attempted. I could go on about how I am not surprised, since I seem to never set and also achieve goals, but instead I am going to flip it. Wohoo!!!! I did 5 more things this month that I set out to do than I have in a LOOONG time!!! WOHOO!!! Suck on that teachers who always said that I am lazy and lack willpower! Hah!

Wait.

Since I have one month out of 22 years of accomplishment to show, maybe I can't really say that I beat them on that......Shit......

Oh well, I still didn't do as bad as I could.