Hm. In all the traveling, I completely forgot about New Year's resolutions. Looking back over last year's, I think I still need work on a few...

2003's and comments:
1. Get out and about more often. Quit being a hermit. Experience life firsthand instead of living vicariously.
Between the Bishop Fellowship, Germany trip, and Hawaii, I'd say I did a lot of experiencing life firsthand through travel. Also began a steady relationship with Sam - experiencing love firsthand - and it's still working. Although I still enjoy the confines of my room, I'm more open than I was.

2. Start *everything* earlier. Papers, reading, sets, you name it. Since I should be in classes that I like, there's no reason to procrastinate.
Er... I tried? It worked with some things, not so well with others. Ah well.

3. Go to yoga and bike around town more often.
0 for two here. But the yoga instructor here now is terrible, which halfway excuses the first one.

4. Relax more. Worry less. Let go.
Worked to some degree. Being with Sam helps a lot. So does having great friends. Hopefully it'll continue to do the trick.

5. Practice more flute. Do justice to the Mozart Concerto in G. Try out for concerto competition again next November.
Definitely didn't live up to this one. After the two weeks of flu and a term of playing catchup, I had neither time nor energy for the concerto competition. I also find it harder to practice flute - I like it when I do, but it's just lower on the priority list. -sigh- Not sure what's happening there. I don't want to lose my skills, but there are other things I want to do. And more and more I realize that I won't be seeing many of my friends after this year, which makes me want to spend much more time around them and enjoy their company while I still can.

6. Learn more in riding, and begin jumping and/or dressage work.
Well, I did in the first six months! Then I left for Ireland and Germany. In the meantime, my instructor Davee left 3D Farms, on account of difficulties with her partners and lack of funds. She's now in bartending school, and really enjoying it. More power to her, but I'll miss her a lot when I start riding sometime soon (this week or the next).

2004's:
1. Worry less about things out of my control. Grad school apps and the uncertainty of many things in the future (love, grad school or job, friends, family, etc) are really beginning to get to me. But I can't live with fear for the next bad thing that might happen. -sigh-

2. Exercise more. Student-designed fitness this term should help - I'll be DDR-ing with Sarah H and biking with Sam, as well as riding at 3D Farms. Should help with the worries and stress, too.

3. Enjoy life to the fullest possible. I'm already succeeding at that, but need to keep in mind that I'll never have these days again. Carpe diem.

4. Be a better correspondent. I'm terrible at keeping in touch with friends... meaning to send letters, but forgetting. I should fix this.

5. Face disappointment with grace, not grief. I seem to have this difficulty with letting go when I make mistakes of any kind. -sigh- I'm afraid I'm going to be experiencing at least a few letdowns in coming months, and I can't afford to lay down and die when any one of them hit me.

5b. Be less foolish and idealistic about imagining the future, whether in academia, the job market, or in love. More to the point, don't be stupid and blind and assume everything will turn out the way I wish it would. That'd save a lot of troubles, and would have helped a lot waaaay back in frosh year...

6. Try to be optimistic. "It could be worse! You could be on fire." -Sam

I think that's a pretty good list right there. I know I don't have any academic goals up there; I think that's the way I want it for now. I'm not going to set goals I don't think I can achieve. Besides, planning to be accepted somewhere just intensifies the blow if I don't get in... though I admit, I sure would like to see acceptances from Princeton and UCLA in my mailbox. ;)

Happy New Year to all, and I'm out. Love to Mom, Dad, Kat, Red, and my friends at home.