1. Start a blog.
Um, done. Yeah for me! One thing down. Now, I can happily go through the rest of the year knowing that I completed at least one of my resolutions.
2. Learn to cook.
Yeah, I know what you're saying. You have a sister who is a professional chef and has worked at some of the country's--the world's even--best restaurants like Babbo and Per Se and you don't know how to cook? Look, I can do stuff like boil water and scramble eggs, but making spaghetti from a jar of Prego doesn't count. Plus I already know how to do that. I want to understand the chemistry behind it. I want to know which flavors work together. I want to be able to open the refrigerator and say, 'I have celery, radishes and chicken therefore I can make X' and have it be some fabulous New York restaurant, no better, Paris restaurant-style dish. My good friend Amber has recommended a book called The Flavor Bible and I plan to use it.
3. Do yoga at least once a week.
A few months ago I did my first head stand. Honestly, I swear. My aunt can verify for you if you don't believe me. After years of barely being able to touch my toes, I am slowly becoming a certified yogi! Not only is yoga good for your body, but it's good for your soul and this is coming from a long-time skeptic. I grew up playing sports. Soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, softball in the spring and swim team in the summer. Then volleyball year round on not one, but two teams. Frankly, I prefer to sweat during my workouts. The sweat makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something. It's like a calling card for hard work. Enter yoga, which I only started doing because my dad started doing it to help his ailing back, and I'm hooked. There is a great studio in Houston called Joy Yoga and I plan to become a regular.
4. Read more.
I love to read, but I'm one of those addict-readers. You know, the kind that stays up until 4am because they're "addicted" to a book and can't bear to put it down. I'm also a cheater-reader. I've been known to skip to the last page and read the ending before I've finished the first chapter. Blasphemy you say? Sue me. Anyway, I've read my favorite book Pride and Prejudice seven times. In fact, I'm such a fan my boss Mary even gave me a Pride and Prejudice beach towel as a Christmas gift. Not that I would EVER take it to the beach though. Hello nerd alert. But, I'm plagued with a disease inherited from my father that prevents me from reading as much as I would like; when I read at night, which is usually the only time I can read, I cannot under any circumstances--no coffee does not help--ever make it more than 2 pages before falling asleep. Ugh. This is extremely frustrating. However, equipped with my new Kindle, I plan to read as much as possible. First book on the list is Water for Elephants. Don't you see how far behind I am? This book was on the NY Times Bestsellers list like 3 years ago!
5. Take art classes.
This is my favorite "action item" to use a little business lingo I've picked up from my good friend Danielle. My mom's father, Grandpa John, was an artist. He created renderings of airplanes for Boeing back in the day when you had to draw everything by hand. He also did a lot of charcoal drawings and watercolor paintings many of which were done near Forks, WA--hello Twilight! I think my creativity comes from him. I've seen my dad's stick figures from Pictionary games and they aren't pretty, so I'm fairly certain my talent doesn't come from him. I've always loved to draw and paint. I was even an Interior Design major for a brief period in time. I keep waiting for the moment I get to use something I learned in History of Interior Furnishings. Don't laugh. It was a real class and of course I made an A and no, I didn't have to study very hard. But then life sort of got in the way and I didn't have time or money--I lived in New York after all--to be able to pursue my passion for art. I've already taken one drawing class at Rice and I plan to keep on going. If you're nice, I'll give you a painting when I'm a rich and famous artist.
6. Learn more about wine.
This is my favorite resolution. I have a book called Wines of the World. It's an encyclopedia of wine. I plan to start with a single grape varietal, read about it and then taste as many wines from as many wineries as possible. I have two goals here; the first, is to be able to go to a restaurant and know what I'm selecting from the wine list and the second is to be able to taste the wine I've selected and give an accurate description.
6. Learn more about wine.
This is my favorite resolution. I have a book called Wines of the World. It's an encyclopedia of wine. I plan to start with a single grape varietal, read about it and then taste as many wines from as many wineries as possible. I have two goals here; the first, is to be able to go to a restaurant and know what I'm selecting from the wine list and the second is to be able to taste the wine I've selected and give an accurate description.
So there you have it. Keeping this blog and updating it frequently is resolution #1. What I will discuss on this blog is driven by resolutions #2-6. I hope you stick around to see how it goes.
