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Because an unexamined life is not worth living, here is my progress report for this year’s resolutions.

Financial

* Rebuild year’s worth of emergency fund.
* Transfer over my 401K from my previous job to my Roth IRA.
* Do my own taxes.
* Keep outings with my little from Big Brothers & Big Sisters of America on a budget. (So far so good!)

Leisure/Cultural

* Continue doing 1 new thing a week. (So far so good!)
* Visit a new state from my list. (Hmm, it’s not looking good.)
* Read 40 books. (The count is at 24)
* Organize a book club. (If you’re in Austin, Texas and are interested email me. First meeting is scheduled for 1/31/2010.
* Be more or less abreast with updates on 202 things in 1001 days. FAIL.
* Leave the country. (Not looking good.)
* Write 15 letters.
* Try out 20 new recipes (15/20)

1. sausage and rice
2. beef stroganoff (fail)
3. honey and garlic drumsticks
4. lasagna
5. Apple Dews
6. new recipe for meatloaf
7. marinara sauce
8. spinach quiche
9. bacon and cheese quiche
10. coffee jello
11. mango pork potstickers
12. shrimp fried rice (new recipe)
13. garlic noodles
14. meringue cookies
15. smashed avocados and potatoes

* Update movie, gratitude, quotations, and collage, and reading journal at least twice a month. (So far so good.)

Community

* Run a 5k for a charity. (November?)
* See my little from Big Brothers & Sisters 2-3 times a month. (Mostly good)
* Donate to every sponsorship for charity my friends take part in. (So far so good!)

Personal

* Try at least 3 times to mend a relationship with a family member.
* Not leave drawers and cabinet doors open. (I don’t know how this bad habit started!)
* Go to Houston ten times this year to visit friends and family. (4/10)
* Be more organized. (Blog post to come on how I’ve become more organized)

1. You should turn off your cell phone and video chat when video blogging.
2. Video blogging regularly (try everyday in one month) helps you be more comfortable with the way you look and sound.
3. Music pulls together montages.
4. The shorter the video blog the better. The duration of the video is almost like your first impression. I learned this because as I went through VEDA vlogs of others, I noticed I put off watching the longer videos as long as I could.
5. When video blogging often (try everyday in a month), changing settings keeps things fresh.
6. Practicing vlogging is very much like practicing public speaking. Public speaking is a good skill in life. Therefore, vlogging is a good skill in life.
7. Watching myself on video routinely makes me aware of my physical ticks. I rock forwards and backwards, stutter and mumble, and say “um” a lot.
8. Windows Movie Maker is a good and free video editing starter software, however it is also very limiting.

Thank you for riding it out with me this month :).

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*** What is Monday Writing Prompt? A brief explanation.

Mine was having Cindy visit Austin, eating good food, and shooting a how to not miss a high five video.

Speaking of skeletal social calendars and good people in my life, my friend Cindy is coming for a visit from Houston this weekend. I think I can afford a cupcake. I told her other than that I plan on staring at her pretty face for free. I’m going to introduce her to Polkadot Cupcakes after work today.

Yesterday’s VEDA topic was “somewhere you want to travel.”

I’m astounded that we’re already flirting with September. Wha?!?!? There’s so much to do still! I don’t think I’ll be getting out of the country as hoped in light of my pocketbook taking dips lately (other personal dips). I’m bummed about that.

I still don’t know what I want to do with my life but I feel optimistic and ready.

In this morning’s VEDA recording I talk movies and TV shows.

This week’s writing prompt is:

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*** What is Monday Writing Prompt? A brief explanation.