I'm Watching....me

Maybe it's because this is the last year that I can say I'm in my fifties. Maybe it's because I spun my wheels most of last year in a giant pothole called divorce. Maybe it's because the day frequently gets away from me, and then I'm yawning and regretting that I neglected to do what I had intended. So now I am goal obsessed.

I've applied to grad school for a second MFA. Probably a losing proposition given the crazy competitiveness of the programs I've chosen, but I've done it.
I've ordered a fancy pedometer with which I can rack up points to save the world while exercising.
I've signed up with Joe's Goals to track whether or not I've exercised, meditated, practiced French, written, and submitted any writing, and abstained from alcohol. Mind you, I'm not exactly giving up all drink, but I am interested in tracking how many nights a week I do drink.
I'm saving all $5.00 bills that find their way into my wallet. Who knows how much that will be in the course of a year? If I can't personally save Obama, at least I can save some Lincolns.
I've signed up for a writing class while I await my grad school fate.
I've submitted a proposal to teach a writing workshop. And I'm thinking about submitting a second one.
I'm planning some travels.
I'm hoping not to become insufferable. I promise not to make my Joe's Goals page viewable on my blog.
How's your New Year so far? Have you heard of http://lifehacker.com/ or http://quantifiedself.com/? I stumbled onto these sites after reading an article in the New York Times.  Both sites have tools for tracking behaviors, managing money, and reaching goals as well as other cool stuff.

10 Reasons to Adopt a Small Dog

1. Small dogs are like hybrid cars. They consume less--so they're good for your budget.

2. Also like hybrids, their output will cause less pollution to your atmosphere, be it your yard or your patio.

3. They're easy to park. Sharing a couch or a bed with a couple of large dogs can be like flying economy. Go first class with a small dog and stretch out.

4. Small dogs can fly in a carryon under your seat on some airlines. No more dog boarding bills and lots of companionship.

5. If you do have to board your dog, it will cost less. You might even have a better chance of getting a friend to dog-sit.

6. Small dogs make people say, "Awwww...."

7. Busy? Your day scheduled from dawn until dusk? A small dog is less likely to tip over your dining room chairs while waiting for a walk.

8. Resolving to exercise more in the new year? An energetic small dog can give you just as much exercise as a big one.

9. Speaking of exercise, a small dog can fit in a bicycle basket. There's probably a cool spandex bicycle outfit for your small dog out there in the bizarre world of dog clothes. Maybe a helmet and some goggles. Go ahead, be a topic of conversation in your neighborhood.

10. Smaller breeds tend to have longer life spans. Chihuahua might be Spanish for "20 years of love."

After walking dogs at the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society today, I learned that one of my favorite little dogs, Ian, got adopted. Ian is a chubby ten-year-old chihuahua mix with a condition that has caused the hair on his tail to fall out in a weirdly interesting spiral pattern. He has a couple of thin patches elsewhere on his coat, too. He is sweet and cuddly, and not all that excited about serious exercise. I've spent most of my time with Ian sitting on the grass in the park rubbing his belly. I would tell him that he needed a couch and a remote, not a walk. He always agreed. Now he's got that.

With my travel back and forth to the east coast, and a possible relocation in the fall, I still don't feel the time is right to adopt a dog, myself. But every time I walk Humane Society dogs, I play a little game of what if.

Hi There, 2012...is that fluffy towel for me?

I'm considering a change of scene in 2012. 
Here's the first real estate description on my list of places to consider:


"Spacious live and work loft in the historic...downtown Los Angeles' fashion district...Shared amenities include swimming pool rooftop and spa patio, Jim and more... large bathtubs, large walk-in closet, and lots of charm."


My prediction for 2012? It's going to be a good year.


'Photo credit: www.pinkheartsociety.blogspot.com

2011 Wrap-up

I posted to this blog 170 times in 2011. By court order both the name of the blog and its URL changed last year. Further prohibitions were put in place, too, and I am now legally restrained from mentioning certain people here in Margaritaville. I can't say that I miss them very much. There was plenty else to blog about in 2011: a monthlong residency at the VCCA, a modest writng success or two, several big family events--weddings, a graduation, birthdays, a fine Thanksgiving, a pampered Christmas. There were less happy goings-on, too. My dog Layla suffered a gradual delcine and left her world of love and couches in May; staggeringly large attorney bills drove me to the brink. But my divorce reached its final resolution in 2011, too. In the year's final days the last two documents were signed, and the results of those signatures are soon to be implemented. There was great joy in 2011. There was seemingly insurmountable distraction and frustration. There was good cheap wine, a lobster marathon, everyday beauty, love, travel, friendship, Mother Nature bent on destruction, mothers tending to reconstruction. There were rogue appliances in 2011. There were just plain rogues. There were roads, roses, robes made of flannel, rocky beaches, rhododendrons, rodents, and a robust appreciation for the potential of another year.

Thank you for reading, for your comments, for signing on as a "follower," and thank you for writing your own blogs so that I can reap your wisdom. Thanks for the love, the friendship, the hospitality, the phone call, the email, the hugs, the kisses, the advice, and for carrying the heavy stuff that I can't lift. Thank you for you.