Adventures of a Tofu Slut

I like making resolutions - I like the idea that I will have goals, and maybe along the way I will become an AWESOME PERSON - but I really feel like I haven't had time to think about them, and any list I put together becomes a to-do list ("I resolve to do the dishes tonight!" Really? Okay then!)

So I thought, why should I do all the work of making my own resolutions when I have the whole internet in front of me? Why not get the internet to make resolutions for me?

Make a New Year's Resolution for me! Or more than one, if you like. Anonymous commenting is ON, so use this as your opportunity to mold me into the person you'd like me to be. :)

New Year's resolutions have a deservedly bad rep - how many of them ever get kept? - but I always find myself making goals and resolutions at this time of year anyway. Not because it's the new year, but because it's post-December work craziness, post-Christmas preparations, post-visit home to family. Basically that's two months of me saying, "okay, when I get back from Victoria, I'm going to start..."

I didn't write anything down this year, but I am attempting to not eat lunch at my desk every day. So far so good! I never used to eat at my desk, but the kitchenettes are pretty small, and then they turned one into a meeting room, so space was precious and my desk seemed like a better option. It makes work long, though, if I'm in front of the computer all day.

I've also, shockingly, brought lunch every day this week (at least, every day that I've been working, which is only three, but still). It's amazing how quickly you can eat lunch when you don't have to stand in line in the food court first.

We got sent home early today because of the massive snowstorm. Except that because I started far before everyone else who was there today, "early" meant "5 minutes before I get off", and in fact I ended up not leaving for half an hour because the people I like ended up in a really silly conversation. So I was totally denied early leaving!

Not like I needed it anyway; the subways were actually less crowded than usual and totally running fine. I guess everyone left super early?

Yesterday I had a bit of an epiphany that I was living my life in a way that made me feel out of control (letting things (physical and mental) pile up, not getting enough sleep, eating terribly, obsessing), so I got up today (on time! another thing that has been slipping completely) with a renewed sense of being a responsible person (in at least some areas of my life). Every time I thought about chocolate, I recited cheesy motivational slogans to myself ("Today is the first day of the rest of your life!"). So far so good, although I am sitting here on the computer instead of making dinner. But I'm just entertaining myself while drinking motivational tea (Granville Island Cream Earl Grey, yum). And I did put the dishes in to soak first.

And now I have VERY IMPORTANT footwear-related questions. The tendonitis is fine these days -- at least, it doesn't hurt at all as long as I don't wear shoes or boots that press on that specific part of my tendon (up the back of my foot right where it dips in before going on to be the leg*). The problem, of course, is that most of my shoes hit right at that spot, which is why the problem exists in the first place. And the tendonitis is never actually going away -- that will always be a weak spot for me, and if I wear something that rubs there it flares up again. The biggest offenders are my Doc boots, which has thrown me into somewhat of a tizzy.**

Because here's the thing: I've been wearing this same style of Doc boot as my everyday footwear since I was 15.*** They're just so convenient. I can wear them in all sorts of weather, with pants or skirts or dresses, they're good for walking long distances, I can wear them to work, they last longer than any other kind of shoe I've owned****, I like they way they look, and I feel somehow strong and powerful when I wear them.***** They are, for me, all purpose. It's only in the past couple of years that I've really owned shoes other than Docs and sandals. But now it looks like my Doc days are over, and I have no idea what to replace them with. What do people wear? They have to be comfortable, and I have to be able to walk in them, but they need to be versatile style-wise, and I really don't want to become one of those people who change their shoes at work every day. Also, I'd like to avoid having a gazillion pairs of shoes, because I have a small closet (and a not-massive income).

So, share! What kind of footwear do you wear? Do you have go-to footwear, fallback footwear, something that goes with everything? What do you wear with skirts (if you wear skirts as non-fancy wear)? Links or specific brands/styles would be great, too. HELP ME INTERBETS!

*According to my doctor, this is a very bizarre place to have this problem. It's because for years I've worn boots instead of shoes.
**The other problem, of course, is that it's WINTER, and all my boots are uncomfortable to a degree. The only shoes I own that are avoid the sore spot completely are little flats, which I totally can't wear outside. Also, they're not that great for wearing every day, and I think my knees are starting to get annoyed at the lack of support.
***I'm sure you're thinking that it's about time I moved on anyway. I know, I know.
****Although I've gone through a few pairs since I moved out east. I think the salt is not so good for them.
*****Every pair of shoes I own makes me feel like a slightly different person. I walk differently, I stand differently, I act differently. I think that's why it's so hard for me to find shoes I like - they're not just shoes, they're personalities.

February!

I don't know why I'm excited, though. It's not like February is the most exciting of months. In fact, around here February is pretty much the least favourite of months, what with the cold and the snow and the lack of holidays. Still, for some reason I'm rather fond of February this year, at least for the moment.

I did really well on my January resolution. Gold star for me! I mean, I actually went to bed earlier, and got more sleep, for the majority of days. I'm still tired all the time, but I think that's more a function of when I have to get up and the fact that my body refuses to accept that 6am is morning. I'll take what I can get, though.

My February resolution is to write more of my silly NaNovel. Because I was doing so not particularly well, and then I just gave up! That's not on. I mean, the giraffes had just shown up. So, yeah.

I tried my humidifier last night (See? I can buy things in less than a year. Sometimes). I don't know if it made any difference, but that was just the first night. It was pretty loud at first, but I think I got used to it -- it's hard to tell, because I wake up so often these days. It could have been the noise, or it could have just been me. I have high hopes, though.

Finally: Hypothetically, if I were to take a trip to, say, London* and environs, what would be the nicest time of year to visit?

And I'm done.

*England, that is, not Ontario.

I have only one New Year's Resolution this year, and that is to become a deipnosophist, a person who excels at dinner table conversation.

A worthy goal, don't you think?

(The word came from this fabulous book my parents got for Christmas called Cupboard love: a dictionary of culinary curiosities by Mark Morton, which looks at the etymological background (among other things) of interesting food-, drink- and cooking-related words. I'm thoroughly enjoying it, and trying to read it fast so that I finish it by the time I have to leave.)

ps. Happy birthday circe_tigana! I hope you're having a fabulous time off with your girls.

Pardon me while I channel my mother for a moment, but how the hell* did it get to be October already? Where is the time going? I swear it goes faster the older I get. Sigh.

All of this being a lead-in to tell you that I failed miserably at my September resolution of brushing up my German, due to unexpected expenses and, well, laziness. And now it's October, and for October I told myself I'd learn how to flirt.


How YOU doin'?

*wink*

No, you're right, my mother would not say "the hell". Now bugger off and leave me to my mild expletives.

I have more Fringe reviews (for the two of you that are interested), and an ever-growing list of books, but I also have actual work to do before I go on vacation, so that'll have to wait.

Because, yes, I'm going on a mini-holiday starting Tuesday. All of four days. I'm at work today (after being off yesterday) and coming to work on Monday, much to the disbelief of my co-workers. I only had four days vacation time, ok? Anyway, my parents are coming out from the coast and we're going to the Stratford Festival, and then they're very briefly coming here, to my apartment which I've been diligently cleaning. It should be fun. God knows I haven't been to the theatre in ages. Heh.

But I thought, since I'm going on holiday, I should do the vacation tradition of sending out postcards that arrive home after I do. Or in this case, probably even get sent after I arrive home. But hey, it's tradition! And everyone loves mail.

So who wants a postcard?

[Poll #315694]

Also, since it's July, it's time for a quick resolution update. June's resolution was to take more initiative at work. I don't know, I was so freakishly busy with my regular work that I didn't have time to move on any of the projects that I wanted to get going on. Although today I took initiative and completely changed the intranet site without running it past anyone. Sadly, it's already July.

As for this month, I so solemnly swear to only watch TV if there's something specific that I want to watch. No random surfing! Which basically means very little TV watching and more time for DVDs. Which is good, because I have a list of TV shows on DVD that I want to see.

Happy May, everyone! Now if only it would start to feel like May outside. My hands were freezing this morning, and I have no hopes that I'll be able to find replacement gloves for the ones I lost a couple of weeks ago. Not when the stores are all about flip-flops and sunglasses.

So, new month, new resolution. Last month's resolution was to practice bellydance for at least 15 minutes a day, which so did not happen. I practiced, but only to learn the specific choreography, and when that was over I stopped. No good habits formed there.

For May, I said that I would perfect 2-3 dishes that are useful for potlucks or instant entertaining. It's a good resolution, no? I cook for myself all the time, but it's not exactly either portable or good for entertaining. I'd love to be someone that always has the makings of a quick dish lying around, so that if people are over I can whip something up. So I think I'll look through my cookbooks this weekend and see what looks promising.

Meanwhile, I'm going to sit here at my computer, with my sweater, in my highly air conditioned office, and pretend that there really is a pressing need for me to buy sandals and a bathing suit.

Hmm, apparently I jumped ahead of myself for February, so February's resolution will now be March's resolution. Which is (was) to find two new activities that I enjoy doing, preferably ones that do not involve sitting at the computer.

March's resolution, which I thought was February's resolution, was to start regular email contact with people that I don't see often. If we extrapolate this to mean, see people more often, then I did ok. I even managed to see some people who don't live in Toronto. The email thing, though, that didn't really happen. I'm blaming it on too much work, keeping me away from my desk.

I think I'm set - I've got Readolutions, and fitness/health resolutions, and a new set of monthly resolutions for 2004, starting with January's vow: to clean out the last few pockets of randomness in my apartment, namely the linen closet, the top of my desk, and underneath the desk. Finding anything in those piles is completely maddening.

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Plus I want to try to knock at least a couple of things off my 100 things list, although hopefully that'll happen through some of the other resolutions. Because I don't know, some of those might not be that easy. Of course, if I'd stuck to only things that I know I could do, I would have resolved to buy more DVDs and eat out more often.