It has been forever!

Oh dear, I haven't posted in ages! This is very, very bad of me. I got very lazy in September---really, I just kind of spent a lot of time reading stories on the internet. I didn't do much work, or really much of anything. However, school has started, and I'm energized again. this is further helped by the fact that I'll be visiting family and N. starting next week, and that I'll be going to a conference in Spain (!) in November, after which I will spend a few days visiting a friend who just moved to Manchester, UK. Very very exciting!

So, I suppose I'll run through a bunch of goals, so that I can update what I have (and have not done). Mostly it's a lot of have-not, but ah well!

1. I've been trying to rest my hands, after the nasty RSI spat I had; I therefore haven't really crocheted in over a month. It's sad, but it's how it is.

3. I have figured out that things look less good on me when I gain five pounds. Sigh. ;.; One of the things I have decided to do is get on my exercise bandwagon again---I just need to move more!

4. Revamp wardrobe: Got a few skirts and a new pair of pants, which are sleek and have rich warm colors and which are just pleasant to wear. Huz-zah!

13. In September, I tried a cornmeal bread out of James Beard. It was pretty satisfying, and made a lot of bread! Really good toasted. For October, I've made both pumpkin cinnamon rolls and banana millet bread. The first was decent; the second was divine (I am now addicted to millet in bread, oh my!).

15. Key interest keeps going down, though still not under $2000.

19. My emergency fund is slightly expanded; I've decided that every time I deposit coins/get interest, it's just going into the emergency fund. This doesn't grow it very quickly, but an extra hundred a year from those sources is better than nothing!

21/22. I've been eating like shit lately, and so I'm trying to both eat better and get some more exercise. I've decided to try to bike up to campus as much as possible. I'm now down to almost 40 minutes from door to door, which is quite good, given that it's four miles with a nice little grade.

23. Just did a breast exam because oh yeah, I should do that!

24. Dentist: I went in September.

25. I'm doing better still with the skin on my face! It's responding to having moisturizer, which is good. :)

26. Doing better with teeth still too.

28. I'm okay with my hands. Not perfect. I went to the hand therapist again, and I'm trying to make sure I take breaks and just let them be a bit.

29. I've called Mum and Dad a lot more recently. I decided to work this into my decision to walk/exercise more. If I go for a half hour walk, of course I should call them!

30. Reading another CMV right now!

37. Total suck at language practice since August.

38. I've been neglecting the bed the last week, but I'm still doing this more than I was when I started this whole project.

39. Fixed/got rid of a few pieces in the to-fix pile, so it's at least smaller!

74. I went to Oswalds yesterday with several friends for the local restaurant week---$25 for a three-course prix fixe. The appetizers were fantastic; I got a little gem salad with (perfect) beets and pecans and grana padano, while my friends had a very good mushroom soup. The entrees were a little enh; strip steak that was cooked too rare (I asked for medium rare, and several of the pieces were just rare---not good for a fatty steak), and the fries were way too dry. I make better at home. The dessert, a vanilla creme brulee, was perfectly nommy and happy, although my friend's apple crisp was rather disappointing---mostly toppings, and a bit dry. I would go back, but not on such a busy night, and I would be very careful with my orders.

84. I will go to the UK in November omg.

89. I'm working on some journal submissions! Yesss!

92. And I'm working on the dissertation, too.

95. I've added some fic writing into my rotation, too. Nothing like, but it's good to get some fandom into my life!

96. I've been donating $10 a month to Wuqu' Kawoq, which I mentioned before but which I think is a fantastic organization. As I mentioned, they provide medical care in Guatemala; one of the important things they do, however, is provide medical care in indigenous languages (currently I believe in Kaqchikel and Kich'ee, two of the highland Mayan languages). The majority of Guatemalans do not speak Spanish natively, and the poorest Guatemalans (the ones with the least infrastructure, most likely to be murdered by their government) often speak no Spanish at all. If you can imagine being in a foreign country and unable to tell the doctor how and why and where your stomach hurts, you can imagine why it's so important to provide medical care in the language of the people. They also do a lot of real improvements (especially in water quality and malnutrition work), and they help train midwives. So, awesome! Go support them!