"The" List.

If you have ever been in a relationship, you know what list I'm talking about.  The list.  The list of people that, if given the chance, your spouse has to allow you to "have your chance" with.  Like, if my husband had a shot with Jessica Alba, I would have to allow it.  And I say that with full confidence that he will never ever be presented with that chance.  But, if he were given the chance, I couldn't say no.  Because it is so improbable, I would have to let him take his chance.  What kind of wife would I be to crush his dreams like that?  Maybe I'm a nice wife... or maybe I just know who's on my list, too.  Wink, wink.  These lists are obviously completely meaningless because how often do my husband or I meet celebrities?  Gary Sinise was on our flight once, as was Miss-ter Muscle Beach.  Other than that, I'd say neither of us is in any danger of getting the chance to test the list.

Regardless, I am always working on my list in my head... all of these celebrities jockeying for position. One week they're up, the next they're down.  The list is ever-changing.  Sometimes we talk about our lists, but whether or not we talk about them... we know they're there.  And, right now, this is my list, in no particular order.  I really had to give this a lot of thought to narrow it down, but here goes.

1.  Armie Hammer.

Ok, I looked through about 200 pictures to find the perfect representation of the attractiveness of Armie Hammer.  Seriously, he is almost too attractive, like he's not a real person.  He is that perfect balance of pretty and masculine.  The fact that he's 6'5 doesn't hurt... nor does the fact that he comes from "old money."  He wears his hair kind of goofy, but he basically has everything else going for him.  The eyes, the jawline, the teeth, the height... he's pretty dreamy.  If you haven't heard, he is playing the Prince in one of the new Snow White films... which has to be the most perfect casting decision in history.  Right up there with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, and that's saying something.  Plus, his name is Armie Hammer.  That's his real name.  He was totally meant to be an object of lust for women everywhere.  Ok, I must stop staring at his overwhelming beauty and move on...

2.  Joe Manganiello

Can you see this picture?  Enough said.  As ridiculous as the show True Blood is, what I think is the most unrealistic part of the show is that Sookie hasn't chosen to be with Alcide (Joe Manganiello).  No one would pass up this hunk of a man.  Like my lover Armie, he is also 6'5... only buffer.  There is no "pretty" about him... he is all man.  I don't usually go for the beefy, brooding male, but I make an exception for Joe.  He still has an attractive face to go with the body, but the body is obviously the main event here.  I didn't post a gratuitous shot of his abs (believe me, they're great... google him).  Instead I chose a pose that relayed his raw sex appeal.  He just oozes masculinity.  Move over, Sookie... I will gladly take your cast-offs...

3.  Dan Stevens

Chances are you have no idea who this is... unless you watch the most recent period TV drama hit Downton Abbey.  I have a weakness for period dramas, and a bigger weakness for the British men in them.  Put a decent looking British man in period clothes and throw him into the fictional lap of luxury and propriety, and I can't help but swoon.  Now, admittedly, Dan Stevens is more cute than "hot," but he is so darn cute.  And, he has a British accent.  And ridiculously blue eyes.  For now, he has jockeyed into the spot on the list that used to be occupied by my other British period drama love... Colin Firth.  Yes, I am sad to admit that Colin has perhaps gotten a little too old for me.  If I could magically transform him back into Mr. Darcy of 15 years ago, now, that would be another story.  But, sorry Colin... Dan has you beat.  And, he looks pretty dashing in all his little outfits on the show... tuxes, suits, military dress.  Early 1900s apparel is much kinder to men than is 1800s.  No frilly shirts.  I predict a bright future for this one.  Powers-that-be:  please keep casting him in things that I can watch.  Thank you.

4.  The entire male cast of Vampire Diaries

It may not be the entire male cast, but it's pretty close.  Pictured above are my 8 top choices from the show. We have a mix of good guys, bad guys, vampires, werewolves, humans, the teacher, the little brother... you name it, he's hot.  I had too much trouble narrowing down my choices here, so I erred on the side of caution and threw everyone in.  Even the one I don't find particularly that attractive (Zach Roerig, upper right corner)... just for good measure.  Had to even out the rows.  Ok, I will name them all in clockwise order, starting at top left:  Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Michael Trevino, Zach Roerig, Daniel Gillies, Steven R. McQueen, Matt Davis, Joseph Morgan.  And, no I didn't have to look any of those names up, and yes, I am a teenage girl.  My husband even bought me a Vampire Diaries poster with Ian Somerhalder on it.  And, it may or may not be sitting right by my vanity where I get ready every morning.  They don't call him Ian "Smolder"halder for nothing.  That CW knows how to treat a girl to some major eye candy.  Thank you, CW and Vampire Diaries casting director.  And may I suggest more shirtless scenes for all male characters...?

5.  Chris Hemsworth

I was going to just put "the Hemsworth brothers" but decided I couldn't do another multi-man choice after my Vampire Diaries mega-pick.  So, I picked the hotter Hemsworth (and the one not dating Miley Cyrus... ew).  It is a major travesty that he was only shirtless like ONCE in the entire Thor movie.  Seriously?  Why have him buff up if you aren't going to give the women gratuitous abs?!  Oh well.  I still hold out hope for Thor 2 or the Avengers movies.  More abs, please.  I couldn't even tell you if he's been in anything besides Thor (except that short Star Trek appearance).  But, I can tell you that he looked good in Thor.  I watched it twice.  Now I kind of want to watch it again remembering how good he looked.  The movie wasn't even that good, but it held my attention, that's for sure.  I find that as I get older, I appreciate a manly man more and more (though, granted, Chris Hemsworth has a good looking mug, too).  In high school, it was the girly pretty boys... but, no more.  Must be an evolutionary progression of some kind.  I should research this... with more pictures of men.

You know how much I like round numbers... so 5 sounds like a good place to cut it off.  Though, technically speaking, it's more like 12 with all of those Vampire Diaries men.  But, really, only 11 because I just included the 8th one to balance the rows of pictures.  So, he barely counts.  Now that I think about it, however, 12 is a good round number, too.  Maybe he does count.  A dozen sounds good.  A baker's dozen sounds good, too, so perhaps I should have included that other Hemsworth brother...

Technologically Impaired.

So, I got an iPad from my boss for Christmas.  Don't get all jealous thinking about how awesome the present from my boss was compared to the present from your boss.  I'm sure you are enjoying your new paperweight immensely.  He got all of the attorneys iPads to use for "work," so it's not like I got a special gift or anything... it's a "work" gadget.  We did also get gift cards.  I got Old Navy and Sports Authority.  Score!  Seriously, though, I may have been more excited about my new gym shorts than about the iPad... which had everything nothing to do with the fact that I had no idea how to use an iPad.

At first, I was all excited for my iPad, thinking what an awesome gift it was.  I am mesmerized by anything with a touchscreen.  I had to replace my normal Nook with one with a touchscreen once it came out.  I didn't even care that it had less features than my normal Nook.  And, when my iPod got stolen last Christmas, I was happy to replace it with an iPod touch.  Incidentally, this also made me feel like I had an iPhone and was much more hip and technologically advanced than I really was.  FYI:  iPhone and iPod Touch = not the same thing.

Once I got over my initial excitement at the touchscreeny goodness, reality set in.  What was I going to do with an iPad?  I remember the phone salesman tried to sell me an iPhone, but I could not for the life of me figure out what you do with a phone besides call or text people... or sometimes check your email.  Phone = communication.  The idea of "apps" was completely foreign to me.  I have an irrational fear of new things, and learning about apps was something that seemed traumatizing to me.  No thanks.  Thus, why I never purchased the iPhone or any kind of tablet.  What would I do with it?  Well, now I was confronted with that frightening proposition.

First, I synced up my Outlook email and calendar.

Then, I got some games to play in the airport since I was going on a trip.

I looked for "productive" apps that might be useful for work.  I read all of these marvelous reviews about how people didn't know how they ever lived without said app, or how useful said app was.  So, I got the "best" productive/organizational apps I could find.  I still haven't figured out what people are using these apps for that is so great... but I keep combing through reviews looking for ideas.  Seriously, I don't know what to use technology for.  A notetaking program - sounds great!  Wait, when do I take notes?  A task organizer program - awesome!  Wait, I don't even own a day planner.  Isn't that what my Outlook calendar is for?

I tried really hard to find uses for these programs.  Part of getting the iPad was to find uses to make my job easier somehow.  I tried making a task list.  I tried using the note program.  I even got a dictation program that makes me feel like a total tool when I'm using it.  I still have no idea what people use iPads for... other than to play games and surf the internet.  What are all these apps for?!!?

TEMPLE RUN.  Now, that's what I call an app!  Who doesn't like this game?
It provides endless entertainment.  Unlike PDF annotation apps.

Maybe I'm not sufficiently immersed in technology to "get it".  I still don't know how to utilize Twitter.  What are hashtags for anyway?  It seems like people just randomly assign hashtags to things.  "My stomach hurts. #toomuchpizza #Dominos #antacidoverdose #mydogfarted."  "I am a bit tired.  #massiveunderstatement #worksucks #totallymonday #vino."  "Did you see that youtube video?  #fail #hotgirls #hanggliding #toenailsaregross."  I understand that there are certain trending topics that you can assign hashtags to... but otherwise, when you create your own hashtags, what is the point?  Is it just a clever way to reference things?  Is there a massive hashtag collective of some kind that you are contributing to?  Is someone really looking up "toomuchpizza", hoping to find your post?  Is there even more than one post with #toomuchpizza?  And, I don't understand re-tweeting or tweeting @ people.  I see something that says "@person RT @person2: RT @person 3: @person 4 hey that's cool. #cool #sandwiches #videos #salmon #obama #alaska #goldmine #hashtagoverload"  ?!?!?!?  This is what I see:

Ok, I know I'm supposed to be a part of the hi-tech generation and all, but I still kind of feel like iPads and other such devices are only popular because they are gadgets.  They make you think you need something that you really don't need... then brainwash you into thinking you can now never be without it.  And, it needs to be faster.  More apps!  More data!  More clouds!  More hashtags!  #########!  Every time I see an app and think, "when would you ever use this?"... I know that someone is using it.  I can't tell if that's sad or funny.  I know that, somewhere, there are people for whom iPads are a lifesaver... they make their lives so much simpler, and they actually need the apps for some real purpose.  As for me, this is what I've discovered:  touchscreen games are more fun than normal games, I like watching videos on my iPad vs. my laptop, and my iPad allows me to draw pictures with a stylus that I can put on my blog.

Oh, and my iPad makes me look totally cool and people ask me about it like I know things.

If they only knew...

Short End of the Stick

I'm short.  There's no denying it.  In fact, I'm learning to embrace it and not feel disadvantaged by it... or trying to, at least.  I'm not ridiculously short or anything... but I'm noticeably smaller than most people I encounter.  I'm 5'1... and I think the average height for a woman in the US is around 5'5.  So, I'm more-than-slightly at a height disadvantage.  Let me tell you, things are not made for short people.  Things are made for average people.  Granted, some things are probably inconvenient for tall people, too.  But, I feel like short people really do get the short end of the stick.  And, it's called the short end of the stick for a reason... because short = you lose.  Of course, there are a lot of good things about being short too, but I'd like to complain first.  The "good" things are at the bottom.  As a disclaimer, these mostly relate to short women.  I'd imagine being a short man doesn't have near the advantages.

Things I hate about being short:

1.  You walk slower.  Your stride is undoubtedly shorter than your companions, and you must huff and puff to keep up with them on your tiny legs.  And, do they care?  No.  They aren't huffing and puffing to keep up.  You have to keep up with them.  No way are they going to walk abnormally slow just to convenience you.  No way.  They're average, and they don't have to cater to the variants.  Plus, there is one of you and more than one of them, probably... or at least they're bigger... so they win.

2.  You can't reach anything.  I'm not exaggerating.  Anything.  I couldn't even reach the stupid little air vent on the plane the other day.  I had to unbuckle my seat belt and basically stand up to adjust it.  Ridiculous.  I'm at home, I can't reach the top two shelves of the dang cabinets.  I can't reach the pull on the ceiling fan.  I'm at work, I can't reach the top shelves.  I'm at the grocery store... I definitely can't reach the top few shelves.  And, undoubtedly, a lot of the things that I want are on the top shelves!  And, it's not even the shelves... it's also things that are too far "back" to reach.  I couldn't reach across one of the freezer things at the store the other day and had to ask someone to reach across it and grab something for me.  I'm sure they had a laugh later about how short my arms must be.  Luckily, I look really helpless since I'm so little and childlike in appearance, so people generally react kindly to my requests for assistance.  

3.  Your clothing options are severely limited.  Especially as a teenager.  You know how hard it was to find clothes that fit my stumpy arms and legs when I was younger?  Really hard.  All of the "petite" clothing was for old ladies.  I would have to buy really expensive jeans so I could get them in "length" sizes, unless I wanted to wear mom jeans... or get them hemmed... but hemmed jeans are majorly dorky (just FYI, in the boonies, "really expensive jeans" = more than $50).  And, all of my sweater sleeves had to be rolled up.  Because all of the "cool" junior clothing was made for giants.  And, don't even think about finding a prom dress off the rack.  No sirree.  Clothing manufacturers finally caught on and have slowly started offering more petites, but I'm still basically limited to a few stores.  Unless I want to pay for tailoring.  But, that will have to wait until I am rich.  Also, things like workout pants do not often come in short sizes.  Who wants to get a pair of stretchy cotton pants "taken up"?  That's obnoxious.  Short people exercise too!

4.  You have to eat less.  This really sucks, let me tell you.  I love to eat, and unfortunately, if I eat as much as the "average" person, um... well... you can tell.  It's the double whammy of suck when it comes to your food intake.  First, you gain weight easier because you can't eat as much.  Second, you can see the gained weight easier because there is less of you to begin with.  Five pounds on a short person is like twenty on a normal sized one.  You expand at unprecedented rates.  This leads to needing to exercise more, which leads to the problem of freakishly long workout pants.  You'd think they would make more short pants, then.

5.  You can't sit on barstools.  Ok, this might sound counter-intuitive, but hear me out.  Yes, barstools make a short person "taller", so you would think they would be good things.  Wrong.  My short legs can't reach the little footrest rung of the barstool, so my legs just dangle there.  Do you know how uncomfortable it is to sit in a chair with nowhere to put your feet?  If you're tall, probably not.  And, because your feet can't touch anywhere, it's almost impossible to move the stool once you are on it.  Forget scooting close to the table; you are immobile.  For a short person, sitting on a barstool kind of feels more like sitting in a highchair... or like you are a dwarf in a giant's world... sitting in chairs that were not designed for someone of your stature.  Like Nordic giants created all furniture.  Actually, most of my life feels like I am a dwarf in a giant's world... how's that for melodramatic?

6.  Nothing is made for you.  This often results in having to get "children's" things.  You want to play golf and you are 5'1?  Sorry, you have to get "special" clubs.  I don't even think women's clubs are short enough for short women.  Youth clubs, perhaps.  You want a football jersey?  Youth sizes.  Looking for a sofa?  Good luck finding one where you don't encounter the "dwarf in a giant's world" problem.  Most of the sofas I looked at for our house, if I sat back on the sofa, my feet alone dangled off.  Seriously, the sofa edge hit at about my ankles.  Have furniture makers never heard of proportion?  And, I hope you didn't have your sights set on a particular wedding dress... because unless you get it custom-made, a lot of them either cannot be shortened or at least not shortened enough.  I found a few dresses I really liked, but one had a scalloped bottom, and they said they couldn't take it up without the dress looking ridiculous.  The dress I ended up picking had detailing toward the bottom, so they could only take off 6 inches (that wasn't enough), so I had to wear at least 3 inch heels for me not to step on it.  No ballet slipper comfort for me!

7.  You get called names.  Yes, usually in good fun, but almost any "nickname" you get will have to do with your height.  Shorty, shrimp, pygmy, midget, half-pint, fun-size, short stuff.  If you can think of it, someone will call you it.  Oh, and you get "cute" a lot.  When you're short, you're not "pretty," you're "cute."  Like a baby... or a puppy.  Small things are cute, apparently.

8.  You have to swim in the 4 foot section of the pool.  Your friends all want to be in the 5 foot section.  Guess what?  You're 5 feet tall.  You are treading water at that point.  So, you either have to be in better shape than your friends so you can tread while they stand, or they have to be willing to stay in the waist-deep section of the pool that comes up to your chin.

9.  You will never be able to see.  This is the worst and one of the most frustrating... sitting in any kind of theater/stadium... you will absolutely not be able to see over the person's head who is in front of you.  I never have the good fortune of sitting behind someone short... they are always tall, never fails.  And, forget "standing" events.  Your head will be lost in a sea of shoulders.  Why pay for good seats?  They are wasted unless you are front row.  I have experienced front row... it is a mecca for the shorties.


Things I like about being short:

1.  You have leg room.  Tons of it.  And, you take up half a seat.  I never had to worry about touching the person next to me on the train because I was small enough to take up less than a seat.  And, on a plane, I don't mind being in the middle.  Also, my legs dangle from a seat, so I can stretch out, and my knees are in no danger of being knocked against the seat in front of me.  Someone reclines their seat?  No effect on my comfort.  Basically, short people always ride first class.

2.  People always think you're younger than you are.  This can cut both ways, but as I get older, I am starting to appreciate it more.  When I was 21 and people thought I was 16, not so much.  But, as I get closer to 30, I realize that people will think I'm still in my 20s for quite a while.  When dressed casually, I still easily pass for a college student.  I mean, I'm only 27 right now, but that's at least a 5 year difference!

3.  People trust you.  I'm not kidding.  I swear people think I'm nicer simply because I'm small.  Especially kids.  Kids love me.  Probably because I'm their size.  You aren't intimidating or imposing, and people warm up to you easily.  You pose no threat, and I think people want to believe that smaller people are just more timid, honest, and pleasant.  Perhaps that's a munchkin stereotype...

4.  You can stand up on a plane.  Like, when you are waiting to deplane, you can fit under the overhead compartments without crouching.  I always feel special because I can do that.  Like, finally, a benefit of being short!  Also, think of anywhere normal people might have to duck, odds are, you don't have to.  Basements seem like vaulted ceilings.  We have a "tight" staircase in our house, and I never have to worry about hitting my head.

5.  You get people to do things for you.  I figure if my shortness provides so many limitations, I'm going to exploit it.  So, I do.  I ask people to do things for me all the time, and they don't hesitate because they figure I'm too small to do it.  Sometimes I am, but sometimes I just don't want to expend the energy it takes to do it.  Like, I *can* carry our laundry basket down the two flights of stairs to our laundry room... it is heavy and awkward with short arms, but I can do it if I really need to.  Usually, I just ask Steve to do it.  It's much easier for him, so it makes sense.  It also happens to get me out of doing it.  People also offer to help a lot.  If they see you reaching for something, they will swoop in and get it for you.  After all, you are small, cute, and trust-worthy... people just want to help you.

6.  It's easy to touch your toes.  Hey, don't discount this.  Your legs are shorter, it's easier.  When I'm 70, I will still be putting on my shoes with ease.  Heck, I'll be even shorter when I'm 70.  It will probably be even easier then!

7.  You can wear children's clothing.  This is great because children's clothes are cheaper.  Of course, you're not going to find many age-appropriate things.  But, for t-shirts, athletic apparel, etc... it's great.  I mentioned before, youth sizes for football jerseys.  I got a youth football jersey, and it was almost half the price of a normal one.  And, it looked cooler.  In high school, I would buy clothes from the kids Abercrombie store... because then you were cool because you had the Abercrombie on your shirt, but you paid half the price, and no one was the wiser.  I am really thinking about trying this with Brooks Brothers now that I'm older... though they might frown on that sort of thing.

8.  Bathtubs feel like hot tubs.  Even normal sized bathtubs... pretty roomy.  This is not lost on me at the end of a long day when I can disappear into our normal sized bathtub and stretch my legs completely.  It's pretty nice.

9.  You cost less money.  This is generally true.  You eat less food, you drink less alcohol... basically, you're a cheap date.  But, it's more than that.  You will save money on groceries because you eat 2/3 as much as a normal person.  You can eat a side salad and a cup of soup as a meal and be full.  You can "split" things with people and be satisfied.  Also, this is very negligible, but you use less gas.  Seriously, you weigh less, so your car is more efficient!  And, same thing with shoes.  I swear my shoes last longer because there is less stress on them.  These are all true for "thin" average-sized or tall people, as well... but more likely to be true for short people than the general population, so I count this as an advantage for us shorties.

10.  You can date short guys.  You will almost never be taller than a guy, if you are a short girl.  Short guys have it rougher, but short girls have it made.  Your dating pool is wide open.  5'4?  No problem, that's 3 inches taller than me... and I feel taller because he's shorter.  6'?  Great!  He can reach things.


Guess today, the good outweighs the bad.  Some days it's like that... other days... you're just short.

Also, this is an awesome post from another blog that I found about being short.

Resolutions? Goals? Decisions? What?

Ok... so... it's 2012.  As of right now, it's pretty 2012.  As in... we are almost two weeks into 2012.  And, I am still having trouble figuring out my New Year's resolutions.  I used to abhor the idea of resolutions... until I made myself stick to one last year, and now it's like I'm on some power trip.  I feel invincible!  I made a resolution last January, and I kept it.  I'm sorry, 2011, but I totally win.  And, since I enjoy winning things, as do all normal human beings who aren't satisfied with the proliferation of participation ribbons, I have decided I should similarly conquer 2012 posthaste.

But, like I said... I'm not quite decided on what to make my resolutions.  I'm running low on resolve.  I hate calling them resolutions in the first place.  It makes me feel like a member of the UN or something.  "I propose a resolution for world peace."  I like to call them "goals."  I feel like you can make progress toward a goal, even if you don't "meet" it.  It's like striving toward something.  A resolution sounds so final... like you have to do this thing 100% or you lose.  I don't like ultimatums.  As I said, I like winning... and I consider making progress toward a goal "winning," and thus winning is made easier by having goals instead of resolutions.  So, goals, it is.

The problem is... I'm indecisive.  I like other people to make decisions, so then I can blame them when they turn out to be crappy ones.  Decisions entail so much responsibility.  I always vote for third-party candidates, because then I can complain about the candidate who wins because, hey, I didn't vote for them.  Ok, it's not the only reason I vote third-party, but it's a nice perk... or the only perk... besides the self-satisfaction obtained by voting with my ideals.  The idea of deciding one thing I want to change about my life this year sounds daunting.  Like, you have to pick something really good.  If you tell someone that you've decided to start wearing more orange, that sounds ridiculous.  If you tell someone that you've decided to give up a life of violent crime, that sounds pretty awesome.  This is why I was always glad that I wasn't a denomination that observed Lent... because I could never figure out what I'd "give up."  My friends gave up things like chocolate, or TV, or Facebook... but those all sound awful.  I always figured I would have given up something easy... like mayonnaise, which I hate.  But I could have tricked people into thinking I really liked it and it was a struggle for me to go without it.  Say things like "Oh man, this sandwich would be so much better with mayo."  Or "I have such a hankering for some tuna salad!"  Actually, I don't like tuna, and I don't use the word hankering.  But, that would have been part of the ruse!  And, like 85% of people love mayo, so everyone would feel like it was a huge sacrifice.  But, that would have been dishonest... and then the next year, I could have given up tricking people into thinking I liked mayo!  Wow, I am coming up with ideas left and right!

Anyway.  Back to the problem at hand.  Goals for 2012.  Since I am so indecisive, I decided to make a checklist of multiple goals in multiple areas of my life.  A "holistic" approach to 2012.  Usually, the term holistic sounds kind of "limp" to me, but I guess I have finally found a real application for it in my life.  Therefore, behold my Holistic Goals for 2012.  (See how I have cleverly bolded the word "list" in Ho"list"ic.  I didn't even plan that.  It's like it was meant to be for me to use the word holistic for my list.)

Holistic Goals for 2012:

1.  Finish my "creative nonfiction" novella.  This is my most successful attempt at a longer-form piece thus far, and now I just need to muster the motivation to finish it.  I'm at like 60 pages right now.

2.  Publish something.  This is very vague because I have no idea what I want to do.  This might be print, online... fiction, nonfiction... don't know.  I'd just like to get something published this year.  Even if it's for free.  Don't care.

3.  Lose 10 pounds.  Ok, so last year's goal was to lead a healthier lifestyle.  Basically, I wanted to lose some weight and join a gym (and actually go).  I got to my "goal" and stuck with healthier eating and exercise.  But, now it's just that last little bit.  I don't know if I will actually lose 10 pounds, but it seems like a good round number to strive for.

4.  Run a race.  5k, 10k, half marathon.  Who knows?  Right now, I run 0k, so anything would be an improvement.

5.  Finish decorating the house.  We have been living in our house for 14 months now... and still have some bare walls.  It's getting kind of inexcusable at this point...

6.  Organize the house.  Now that we've been here for over a year, it's time to declutter, go through those boxes in the basement, and organize cabinets/rooms into workable configurations instead of just "hey, let's put this here."  Plus, our office is not quite usable at the moment... and neither are our file cabinets... which have no files and are instead stuffed full with random papers.

7.  Volunteer.  I hope to volunteer at different places all year and then pick an organization I want to stick with.  We'll see what that ends up being!

8.  Read 25 books.  For this goal, I'm totally counting my guilty pleasure books.

9.  Learn a new skill.  I would really love to learn to knit.  But, I don't know anyone who knits to teach me.  Ha.  I guess I could teach myself... or take a class... which sounds really lame.  Or, I could just pick something else.  Like the violin.  I could totally teach myself the violin much more easily than I could knitting.

10.  Cook more.  I don't want to set a number on this because my schedule is not very constant.  I feel like we are gone a lot of weekends and have a lot of evening commitments.  And, some evenings, I get home from work and I just don't feel like doing anything.  Cooking qualifies as "anything."  Why cook a healthy meal when there are perfectly good burritos in the freezer?  I wish I was joking... kind of.  I really like those frozen burritos.

11.  Watch educational television more than I watch mindless television.  Ok, I really just added this one on because I didn't want you to think that I only put ten goals for the sake of having ten, though that's obviously what I did because I like round numbers.  This is one I've already been trying to fulfill and succeeding at.  As long as you count Pawn Stars, Barefoot Contessa, and Downton Abbey as "educational."

12.  Improve my piano skill.  So, I may have added this one because, after adding the last one, I realized how cool it would be to have "12 in '12".  I'm not adding that to my title, but I will be thinking it.  My 12 in '12.  Yes.  But, I do want to get better at playing piano.  I've been playing for 20 years, but am not that great... perhaps average.  Don't judge.  I bet most of you can't even play piano at all, so there.