To-do list
I don't make New Years resolutions anymore. I am definitely the sort to take new years, new beginnings to heart, but my years typically start in September, not January. I do like to reflect on the past year on January 1, to put it behind me if it was not so good (e.g. 2007) and to recall and reinforce the positives (e.g. last year). But empty vows to improve myself... if I really want to make the effort, I don't wait until January to do it. And I don't tell anyone that I'm trying, either. It's personal. I'm resolving stuff all the time.

However! All that being said, I do like to set goals for myself, things to do in the next 12 months. My end-of-the-century resolutions worked out very well so I hereby resolve (!) to set annual goals, publish them so the two people who read this can keep me honest, and then achieve them. Here we go!

1) Read On the Origin of Species. It's the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth, 150th of the publication of Origin, and I'm an evolutionary biologist who has not read the book that started it all. In my defense, the science has come an awfully long way since then, and Darwin didn't know a thing about genetics, so I haven't missed anything scientifically. But still.

2) Do a scientific talk at a meeting. Scary! Should happen in July at the Botany meeting if all goes as planned. Don't want to think about that right now. *shudder*

3) Bring my weight down to N-8, where N is what I weighed this morning. Yeah, a weight-loss thing, but it's really more about getting healthier. I eat fine but I could stand to exercise once in a while.

4) Edge the gardens, do more planting, and essentially bring the existing gardens into neat and healthy condition. Also, plant containers and hanging pots. I've totally let the garden go over the last two years because I wasn't around much. I have a craving to reacquaint myself with the babies. Also, the Garden of Live Flowers blog keeps me motivated to plant, photograph, and fuss with the babies.

5) Get a little brother for Foley. Or a sister, but I really want a boy.

Easy-peasy!
- posted by Diane @ 9:35 AM