Another year, another round of resolutions

Until last year, I was never one for resolutions. But when I sent out a bunch of goals for myself last year - mostly ones that would be fun to complete - it was kind of cool to have something to work for all year outside of work stuff.

So this year, I wanted to set out to complete another batch of resolutions. Some of them are the ones I didn't get to last year, such as learning to make gnocchi or cleaning out the garage. Others are ones that I completed successfully last year, but that I'd like to try again such as cooking with new ingredients and eating out at new restaurants. It was a nice touch to get me to try new things, since I tend to be a creature of habit. The first part of the list are new things I'd like to do this year, and I am sure I will continue to add to it in the next few weeks. But for now here is the list as I start out with 2011.

1.) Take pilates.

This one should be easy enough to complete since my company's Christmas bonus to us is a membership to a yoga/pilates studio where I can take one class a week for a year. Plus, the instructor of a boot camp class I take at my gym, who happens to work at the pilates studio, is offering me a free session of pilates. I'm hoping to add pilates in as a regular part of my workout routine.

2.) Work up to a five-mile run.

I successfully completed a 5K run last year and went on to run in two more throughout the year. I love the challenge of trying to beat my time each time and I would eventually like to work up to a 10K. But for now, I will try to get past the 4-mile mark, which is the furthest distance I've ever run at one time.

3.) Plant a new type of vegetable in my garden.

I don't really have the greenest thumb, but I'd like to try growing something in addition to tomatoes and basil. I'm not sure what I'll put in, but when spring comes around I will check out what kind of transplants are available at local stores.

4.) Take a day trip to San Francisco.
I've lived in the Bay Area all my life, but I rarely make it up to San Francisco. There are things I've never done there, such as visiting Alcatraz Island or seeing the museums in Golden Gate Park so this year I'll make a point to get up to the city more often.


5.) Learn to make gnocchi from scratch.

This is a resolution left over from last year and hopefully I will complete it this year - as soon as my aunt is free to teach me how to make the potato gnocchi that is the family recipe. I'd also like to learn to make a basil potato gnocchi my cousin made for the holidays.

6.) Watch all the Academy Award best picture winners.

I didn't make any progress on this one because I was too busy watch old TV shows on DVD and Netflix instant play. I vow to start watching some of the best pictures this year - before another one is added to the list with the 2010 Academy Awards.

7.) Clean out the garage.
I didn't work on this because, well, cleaning out the garage is just not an attractive chore. But I would still like to make some progress on getting rid of some of the things in my parent's garage this year and de-clutter the house a little bit.

8.) Write a short story.
I wrote a few things that could count as short stories, but nothing really felt complete to me. I'd like to continue to write some fiction stories since it's something I really enjoyed when I was younger.

9.) Scan old photos of family and friends.
We have storage bins full of photos in my house and I'd like to scan them - not necessarily to post on Facebook. It just seems like a good idea to scan some of the old photos before the quality degrades anymore and it would make it easier to share them with people.

10.) Read 10 new books.
I finished off this resolution easily last year, but I did enjoy reading a lot of different things in 2010. I actually read two more books after completing the resolution. This year, I'd like to make a point to read some lighter fare since a lot of what I read last year seemed to be pretty serious and dark. Perhaps I'll try out some New York Times bestsellers.

11.) Take a class.
Last year I took a cupcake decorating class. This year I'd like to take something else, though I am not sure what. I might check out other cooking classes offered through the local community college or Sur La Table, which offers classes on the weekends.

12.) Cook with five new ingredients.
This resolution last year helped me discover a few things I really like, such as roasted root vegetables, and some things I really disliked, such as quinoa. But all in all, it was a great chance to try some new things and I'd like to do it again. I haven't identified what new ingredients I want to use, but I am sure I'll be able to find five things I haven't used before since I am such a picky eater.

13.) Eat at five new restaurants.
I really liked trying out new places last year and found some restaurants I really liked - though some are far-flung in Indiana or San Diego. I did find some new places nearby that I liked and I am hoping to visit a few new places in 2011.

14.) Keep up the gym routines.
I did really well with keeping up my gym routine -which included running, weight training and other exercise machines five or six days a week, yoga three times a week and walking the dog in the morning every day of the week. I even signed up for a boot camp class at my gym that meets twice a week and pretty much kicks my butt. For the last two months, I know I've gotten a little lax with my workouts because of the holidays, a prolonged cold and spending time with someone, so now that the holidays and the cold are gone, I'd like to refocus on the routine.