2024 Goals Mid-Year Check-in

We've made it through the first half of the year, friends! Which means, time to check in about the goals set for the year (beyond surviving, which is always the main priority). 

WRITING GOALS

While I would still classify myself as being in a writing slump (especially since poetry updates have taken a nosedive in recent months), I did FINALLY add a chapter to one of my ongoing writing projects in late April, so I have made a tiny bit of progress! My yearly goal is to update at least 3 of these projects, so I'm sitting at 1/3 of the way there--not amazing, but it's a start! 

READING GOALS 

My goal was to match or exceed my 2023 numbers: 33 books, 2 poetry collections, and one play. Specifically, I said I wanted to focus on reading more poetry collections and plays, to maintain more of a balance between nonfiction and fiction, and to return to at least one of the two books I started and didn't finish. 

I feel like I'm doing okay at this one--as of June 30, 2024, I've read 19 books, although none of those were poetry or plays. I just downloaded a bunch of chapbooks from Ghost City Press' 2024 Summer Series to hopefully rectify this, as well as a stack of scripts. My sister and I have been taking advantage of not one, not two, but three local libraries in addition to an e-reader, which has been incredibly helpful in pursuing our reading goals. I haven't quite succeeded in balancing nonfiction and fiction (only 3 of the 19 so far have been nonfiction) but I'm not bothered about that. 

ACTING GOALS (if COVID safety measures allow)

I said would like to audition at least 2-4 times this year and hopefully perform at least once--and I have already auditioned once and performed twice! After a fun general audition in February, I was cast in two staged readings for the Live Arts Waterworks Festival, playing The Receptionist in Cambriolage and Eurydice in Shades and Shadows. The two roles and their respective scripts were extremely different from one another and had totally different casts and directors, making the experience an enjoyable, challenging, and inspiring one.

PERSONAL GOALS

I'm just going to list these here:

• Initiate more contact with friends, especially ones who live far away -- working on this! Thank God for social media, to be honest. I have several friends who are easiest to contact through Instagram, a group that primarily uses Facebook Messenger, and one sweet friend who is exclusively available through text. As far as friends in closer proximity go, we've enjoyed several dinners, sleepovers, and game nights this year, with hopefully more to come. 
• Be a better employee - also working on this; I've grown a lot since my role change in February but I know there is still a lot of room for improvement!
• Walk 4+ miles a day, 6-7 days a week - February was almost there; March was an absolute disaster due to getting sick, and April, May, and June have reached the optimal target. We'll see how the rest of the year goes, but March's numbers were so abysmal I am certain my yearly average will suffer. 
• Continue to post a blog post once or more a month - so far, so good!
• Create more; make time to do things like crafts, puzzles, art, collages, etc. - We have completed three 1000-piece puzzles so far this year! Working on incorporating more artistic hobbies as well; maybe scrapbooking or journaling. We also want to build a dollhouse, but we'll see whether we can make that happen or not. 
• Try new foods -  some movement here; could be better though (I wish everything wasn't so expensive)
• Research and implement new ways to live more sustainably - gotta get back on this
• Try dating again (if COVID safety measures allow) - lol, zero romance in my life so far and there appear to be no hope for the foreseeable future 
• Watch at least 20 Asian dramas--this was our goal last year, and we ended up exceeding it at the last minute for an overall total of 21! So far, we have completed twelve dramas from seven countries, and we are 15 episodes (out of 24 total) into our thirteenth. We are right on track to meet this goal, unless something crazy happens.   
• Cook more - I've been cooking 3 or more times a week since January started, so we can actually already check this one off the list. I don't enjoy cooking, but my sister/roommate likes it even less, so I'm willing to take the L for her, haha. 
• Keep a more frequent cleaning schedule - a continuous work in progress, lol.