hello.

So, last month I turned 33. I like lists, so I decided to make a list of 33 things to do in my 33rd year.

1. Redesign Being Wicked. It’s long overdue.
2. Launch new Being Wicked idea. (More to come soon!)
3. Launch my art idea.
4. Lose 20lbs.
5. Run 10k
6. Run a 5K in 30mins or under. (Done! Just did this on Saturday for the Race for the Cure 5k).
7. Finish the interior remodeling of the house.
8. Sort out the front yard (the back yard will have to wait).
9. Make roster. (roller derby). April 27
10. Start horseback riding again.
11. Write letters on a regular basis. Real letters.
12. Cook more.
13. Volunteer with an animal organization.
14. Redesign my own blog/personal space (perhaps consolidate a few things).
15. Visit the Grand Canyon.
16. Pet a Llama.
17. Have a massage (and don’t feel guilty about it).
18. Stay in bed for a day reading and relaxing, and not feeling guilty about it.
19. Know my camera inside and out.
20. Go for a long hike in the mountains in Fall.
21. Relearn how to draw.
22. Get a new sofa.
23. Get my hair professionally coloured.
24. Join AIGA.
25. Resubscribe to .net Mag.
26. Finally go to the dentist and get this root canal taken care of (I hate being responsible). – It was only some filling work. Thank goodness.
27. Prune my Twitter, FB and Google Reader.
28. Visit the ocean again. Somehow. Somewhere.(April 27)
29. Create freebie stuff for folks: wallpapers, textures, patterns, icons.
30. Fly a kite.
31. Organise and backup all my photos (have some semblance of a system).
32. Create a wardrobe I really love.
33. Reconnect with my mentor from college.

As I dust off things here, I thought it might be good to play a little catch-up as to what I’ve been doing over the past few months, with the aim of actually keeping this blog active. We’ll see how that goes.

• Bought a house which needed some major updating inside, so we spent a few months working on redoing the walls, ceilings and flooring. We did a lot in that time, but there is still a lot to do, including entirely revamping the kitchen and bathrooms. It’s an ongoing project
• Just yesterday, we bought a new car! I’ve never owned a new car before, let alone such a lovely one. A 2012 Rav4 Sport.
• Picked up my camera again. It’s been awhile. I’m eager to get back into photography.
• Tore my ACL and PCL in my right knee during a derby practice so I was out of things for awhile. It was a good learning experience for me, and a challenge for my patience. Had my first MRI because of it. Fun times.
• Started hitting the gym regularly, including getting back in the pool and doing some laps. Feels great! Slowly losing the weight I’ve wanted to get rid of for some time.
• Ran my first 5K in just over 30mins
• Signed up for a number of other 5Ks, and my first 10K for next year
• Got to see one of my favourite bands, The Black Keys, live.

is a soul-saver.

is a time-sucker.

is worth it.

So, although I’m not really one for setting resolutions with the new year, I do like this idea of setting a word, or just a sentence/mantra for the year.  That just makes more sense to me. After thinking about the things I want to do and achieve this year, I realised that no excuses works well for me. There will be no excuses for not being healthy. No excuses for not enjoying more of life. No excuses for not doing the best work I can do. Even no excuses for saying “No” when that’s what should be said. I’m looking forward to a year of no excuses.

A new year with new things to look forward to.

• A new design for Apparently Nothing to encourage me to get back into my photography. It’s been awhile.
• I’m officially a roller girl. I joined the Charlotte Roller Girls in May and passed my assessments in December. I shall now respond to my derby name: Hell Vetica Bold. This next year will be all about becoming an effective player for my team.
• Plans to build a house. Literally.