27 Things Before 28

Official goals for year 27!  Some of these are spill overs from what I didn't get done last year, some of them are brand new!  I wasn't able to come up with something super specific for every single thing, but I hope to make them more S.M.A.R.T as I go along.  I've also found at the end of the year last year that have a deadline made it a lot easier to remember to get things done and stay motivated.  I am going to see if I can plan a little better this year to maybe set some benchmarks earlier in the year, making it easier to work through things in the winter and avoid piling things up for the summer.

1. Get passport & travel to Canada
2. Take a dance class (not ballet)
3. Find a new doctor
4. Make a short film
5. Make an anthology of my Grandma's poems & writings
6. Read 5 of these intellectual/feminist books: The Second Sex, Lean In, To the Light House, The Beauty Myth, Reverence to Rape, Sister Outsider, How to Be a Woman, Americanah
7. Learn to do a Tarot reading
8. Read 4 of these unfinished reads --- Story of B, Ode Less Traveled, Anna Karenina, Jim Henson: The Biography, Snobs by Julian Fellows, Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx, Savage Beauty (biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay)
9. Watch these 15 movies:  Noah, Rush, The Apartment, Maleficent, Sweetie by Jane Campion, Hateship Loveship, Easy Rider, Dirty Dancing, Maidentrip, Laggies, Dear White People, Frida, Saving Mr. Banks, Carousel, Across the Universe
10. Watch these 10 British movies/miniseries: The Riot Club, God Help the Girl, Pride, Calvary, Nowhere Boy, Birdsong, Parade's End, Archipelago, The Selfish Giant, Orlando
11. Plan speaker series on digital activism for work
12. Put together a collection of poetry & get one poem published
13. Finish writing a film script
14. Pay off another of my student loans
15. Create postcards with art or photos from family members or friends
16. Make scrapbook for 2015
17. Keep blogging & Write a post for a professional blog
18. Go to 3 film festivals
19. Learn more about car maintenance
20. Do more music stuff
21. Learn to use a sewing machine
22. Minor financial task I've been putting off
23. Do a freelance/volunteer video project
24. Write an essay on Snow White & the Huntsman
25. Make decent New Year's Eve plans (while still mainly avoiding drunk people)
26. Get my elbow sorted out (it hurts frequently)
27. TBD

Bonus Goals

• Make postcards from my photos
• Get something tailored
• Buy a new laptop 
• Take PR classes

Final Report: Week 48 of Year 26

Overall, I feel like I didn't accomplish as much as I should have.  It seems like (as with the year before) I ignored my goals during about half the year (late winter & spring).  Looking back it's incredible that I didn't do some of these things.  It is amazing how much I let fear and avoidance of hard work or difficulty get in my way.  I don't want to live like that.  I will fight on to overcome these things, as I'm sure all of us do and will continue to do. 

But as much as I see the distances I didn't travel,  I definitely wouldn't have traveled as far if I hadn't set these goals!  And this new year is another year to try to do better and do more!

Here is one final tally of what I think accomplished:

1.  Get a new job and move. - NOT ACCOMPLISHED
Still need to do: Application to PR program - I got approval to take these courses.  All I have to do is set aside an hour or two to do the application.

2.  Make my own postcards. - NOT ACCOMPLISHED

3.  Write a script - NOT ACCOMPLISHED

4. Publish a poem - NOT ACCOMPLISHED

5. Track my spending/budget - COMPLETED
I was able to set up a budget (with some help and advice) and with this information I now know more about my spending habits and can make more conscious choices of how to spend and save my money!

6. Apply for a passport - NOT ACCOMPLISHED

7.  Get new glasses **COMPLETED WEEK 8**

8.  Visit Canada - NOT ACCOMPLISHED
While not accomplishing #6 definitely got in the way of traveling, so did other things.  Sometimes the timing does not work out for some travel plans.

Progress Report: Week 47

Trying to see how much I can get in under the wire!  One more week to go!

1.  Get a new job and move. No progress.
STEP 4 Do application to PR program

2.  Make my own postcards. No progress
STEP 1: identify 5 photos I would like to use on the cards
STEP 3: decide on the size of the card
STEP 4: design the template for the back of the card
STEP 5: choose a printer or buy paper to print on my own

3.  Write a script No progress.

4. Publish a poem No progress
STEP 3: identify some places where I would like to submit a poem and qualify
STEP 4: select some poems for submission and fine tune them

5. Track my spending/budget **PROGRESS**
I finished tracking my expenses for April - July.  I should definitely not let them stack up that much!  It made getting through it all take a long time. 
STEP 9: Track my April expenses

STEP 10: Track my May expenses
STEP 11: Track my June expenses
STEP 12:  Track my July expenses

6. Apply for a passport No progress
STEP 3:  Figure out how much it will cost.
STEP 4:  Gather the forms and documents
STEP 5: Submit the paperwork.

7.  Get new glasses **COMPLETED WEEK 8**

Progress Report: Week 43-46

I am pretty close to being done with my year (only two weeks left pretty much).  It has been pretty tempting to just give up and call it a day with these.  BUT I'm trying really hard not to do that because there are still things that I can definitely do in two weeks!

1.  Get a new job and move. No progress.
STEP 4 Do application to PR program

2.  Make my own postcards. No progress
STEP 1: identify 5 photos I would like to use on the cards
STEP 3: decide on the size of the card
STEP 4: design the template for the back of the card
STEP 5: choose a printer or buy paper to print on my own

3.  Write a script No progress.

4. Publish a poem No progress
STEP 3: identify some places where I would like to submit a poem and qualify
STEP 4: select some poems for submission and fine tune them

5. Track my spending/budget **TINY PROGRESS**
I haven't finished tracking my expenses from the past 4 months.  BUT I did got through this massive hoard to receipts I've been holding onto for some crazy reason and got rid of 99% of them all!  This will make organizing my incoming receipts much easier.

And this weekend I will finished tracking my expenses!!!