2010 revolutions

I suspect that because it's the beginning of a decade and because it's a nice round number, a lot of people have Grand Plans, not to mention a dire need to shake off the dust of the drudge and depression that marked a lot of last year and large parts of the last decade. I kind of have that urge too, moreso because I will be 35 this year, which is looking alarmingly close to 40 and makes me want to get more accomplished before then.

Still, I know myself well enough not to set overwhelming goals that would easily lead to failure, and thinking too far ahead makes me itch anyway.

So. I've got a few carryover revolutions from last year. Namely, getting the doll house in order, finishing Angel's babette blanket, losing some more of the lexapro-induced weight, and saving money for my trip to Paris in May.

Otherwise, my list of revolutions for this year is short, but perhaps a bit more broad:

• de-stash the yarn collection: I've got enough yarn for at least five sweaters and several scarves, shawls, and pairs of socks. I've only ever made one pair of socks in my knitting career, and they didn't turn out too well (wrong size and those damn ladders), so I may as well learn to make them better, especially now that I know the magic loop method, which is easier to deal with than double-pointed needles. I also need to make room for yarn from this year's sheep and wool festival at the beginning of May.

• re-commit to the morning writing, reading, exercise, and cello practice routine: I used to think that the day job came first and anything else I wanted to do came after that, and I couldn't understand why I felt so creatively stunted. Giving all my energy and effort to the day job just made me irritable. Lately, I've found that doing what I want to do before I go to the day job is more satisfying and puts me in a better mood, not to mention the page and skill accumulation. I just need to be more consistent with it. I'm a morning person anyway, so I should make better use of the early hours. Some of my fellow cellists are going to do weekly practice check-ins on cellobloggers.com, so I think I'll use that as a means to keep myself accountable.

• post a blog entry once a week: I place the blame for my lack of blog posts last year squarely on twitter. Quick bites are fine and almost too easy to do, especially for me because of the type of writing I do for the day job, which is all about extreme succinctness. However, that needs to be balanced with more thorough and lengthy writing, I think. Feel free to suggest blog topics.

• finish short story/novella/novel: Last week, I came up with a new story idea - the most complete one I've ever had. I thought it would be a short story, but the more I outline it, the longer it gets. I think it's going to be a more involved writing project than I had originally thought it would be.

• make a cello commitment: This June, I will have been playing for a year. I promised myself last summer that if I was still playing in a year, I'd buy a cello - either the one I'm renting now, or another one. I'm leaning toward upgrading from the one I'm renting. It's a big commitment, and I want a good cello to keep learning on, so I plan on taking my time (and pestering my cello teacher with "what should I be looking for" questions) to find the right one.

What do you think? Is that enough to keep me out of trouble this year? Do you have Big Plans for the year?