Here we go again. A new year, new resolutions and perhaps a hint of excitement and new possibilities in the air.
Seems that 2009 was a pretty bad year for some many people I know. Relationships ending, loss of jobs, sickness, loss of a loved ones, unhappyness and much pain. Times are hard. Try to remember that there is only one way to go and that is forward.
I did not make many of my 2009 resolutions, but I was pretty happy and 2009 was okay, except for loosing T-Bone. And pretty happy is really what it is all about.
So which 2009 resolutions did I make. Let’s review.
Be happy – YES. I was happy…for the most part.
Be healthy – NO. Not really. There was reactivated mono, vitamin d deficiency, and I am still tired. But it is getting better.
Find a new job - NO, but got a promotion.
Go on a few trips to new an interesting places- YES. I did I go to Rome, Italy, Denmark, Charleston, SC, Austin, TX, and Philadelphia, PA.
Ride my horses more – Big fat NO.
Be a better blogger – NO.
Be nicer – Yes
Learn something new- NO, Well YES I did learn the new Convio CMS, but that was not at all what I had in mind. LOL.
Take more photos – NO.
I did pretty bad, but “whatever” live goes on. And 2009 was a pretty good year. My favorite things of 2009: Skink, Zilla, Rome, and Emma.
2010 Resolutions
Be happy – I think it is a choice, a state of mind and I am making it.
Be healthy – Not completely in my control, but I am going to eat health, and exercises body and mind.
Find a new job – The right job for me.
Go on a few trips to new an interesting places – Possible places: Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Spain, Southwestern USA.
Ride my horses more – Move the horses closer and ride at least three times per week.
Learn something new, something fun – I am thinking archery would be fun and I am definitely buying a kayak!
Here is what I have had for dinner for the last three days. 1 can of beans in red sauce, 1 cup of rice (cooked turned into several cups), corn, a small salad, and 1/4 of melon.
This meal is in theory not that different from what I normally eat, except I would by more expensive ingredients such as organic beans, organic lettuce, organic fruit, specialty rice, and of course add cheese. And I would not eat the same thing for three days in a row.
The lack of variety and choice is driving me nuts already. The fact that I cannot buy a muffin or pastry on the way to work is very annoying. The funny thing is that I NEVER buy muffins or pastries so why does it annoy me that I can’t? It must be the loss of freedom that come with have no extra money.
I am doing okay on not being hungry, but I also know what to eat and where to get bargains. I am not sure the majority of people know about nutrition and might not have the option to go to three stores after the spend hours researching where to get the best deals.
Growing up in Denmark to parents who were super healthy and who did not have a huge food budget, we eat healthy filling food. We ate a lot of oats (oatmeal and muesli), rice, whole wheat bread and pasta, and not a lot of meat. I still eat like that so eating can be done cheaply and healthy.
Don’t get me wrong it is awful that in San Francisco, 150,000 people are unsure where their next meal is coming from, that 1 in 5 San Francisco adults can’t count on daily meals they need to lead healthy, productive lives and that 5.3 million Californians are living below the federal poverty line ($21,834 for a family of 4), but it seems to that part of the solution is also education about how to plan health meals, how to shop and what to eat.
Does not seems right that there are people who can barley afford to eat and at the same time a large number of people are trying to eat themselves to death.
Education might be solution for everyone. And maybe even consider a different social system…No I am not a communist, just a concerned “citizen”, I mean legal alien.
It was very hard to walk though both Fire Hook and Starbucks without stopping for my daily skim latte or skim misto. On $4 a day I simply cannot afford coffee from a coffee shop.
I did make it to work where I had my oatmeal with a banana, which is actually what I normally eat for breakfast! In stead of my normal coffee I had instant Vietnamese coffee.
It was a busy day and I did not have the time to feel blue about my lack of choice for where to go for lunch. I often go out and grab a $7 sandwich for lunch, or $5 soup from Au Bon Pain. Not today. I had a peanut butter sandwich, cucumber salad and an apple for lunch. I have to say I do not love peanut butter, but it is a good source of protein when you are on a budget and it is really not that bad. Now the bread I bought from Shopper does not live up to $10 bread from Le Quotidian I normally eat.
I ate my apple for lunch so no snack today. A nice cup of hot water will do the trick. Wait I did splurge and bought instant coffee. A nice cup of instant coffee will make a nice afternoon snack. Well worth the $1.89 I paid for a bag with 24 servings. Fantastic!
Time for dinner. I had beans in red sauce, rice, and ear of corn, a salad made of 1/4 of the cucumber, 1/2 a red bell pepper and ¼ of a melon for dessert.
I am happy to say that I survived the second day without any major pitfalls.
Here we go again. A new year, new resolutions and perhaps a hint of excitement and new possibilities in the air.
It was very hard to walk though both Fire Hook and Starbucks without stopping for my daily skim latte or skim misto. On $4 a day I simply cannot afford coffee from a coffee shop.
