dreaming big part II

Now where were we. I left off on Resolution #13...

13) Get a tattoo.
-This was one of my resolutions from 2007 that never came to fruition. I planned on getting a tattoo when I turned 30. I am 31, going on 32 and I NEED one. I have a couple ideas for what I want and where, but the big issue is that I'm a huge chicken when it comes to pain. I've probably mentioned this before. Isn't it ironic that the sexiest places to get a tattoo are also the most sensitive? Anyhoo, I've got a couple recommendations for artists and one day when I'm feeling brave I'll go for it.

14) Get finances in order.
-One problem with finding yourself by going to a variety of expensive schools is the extensive debt you accumulate from loans. These loans, if paid according to their schedule, will haunt me until 2027. I really don't want that. I want to pay off my credit card debt and tackle these loans with a more aggressive payment. To do this, I need to set up a budget and maximize what comes in and where it goes. I also need to start putting aside some money for the move to New England in the spring, which is a goal further down the list.

15) Take more photographs.
-I hate pictures of myself for the most part. But time is a passing, and I always think back to that Baz Luhrmann song, Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen, "in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked…" So just in case, I want to take more pictures - of me, of my friends, of my adventures - and if I could scrapbook them, even better.

16) Move to New England in the spring.
-Some of you probably know of my intention to move to Rhode Island. I visited my best friend, Ariana, who lives in Newport, last summer and realized how much I like it there and how much I miss her. I'm sick of Las Vegas and need someplace new to call home, if at least for a while. Newport's beautiful coast and small town feel really made me think how much I'd like to live there. The hard part is saving up some money for the move, and the hardest part will be finding a new job in this recession. I'm currently exploring my options. If I want it bad enough, I can make it happen. :-)

17) Travel
-This probably won't be happening this year with the move and all, but once settled back East, my mission is to get to Europe. Hopefully, I'll come back once I get there.

So those are my resolutions.

As for the updates on my writing: I'm reading two writing books and taking notes, while summarizing my novel chapter by chapter, to analyze my plot for holes and such. Once that's done, I may show the plot to a few people to get their opinion about the flow and intensity level, then I'll dig in to the specific revisions.

Oh and I made an appointment with Shae's dentist! Thank you, Shae, for recommending her. I have my initial exam and x-rays on January 22. Wish me luck! Now, to conquer the doctor.

Quote of the Day: For me, a page of good prose is where one hears the rain [and] the noise of battle. ~John Cheever