• Change 1. Yarn Diet. No more frivolous yarn buying. I will only buy yarn if it is going to be used for a pre determined project and ONLY if I am ready to knit that project. No more buying for the sake of buying. I have a decent sized stash, if I want an impromptu project I can shop from my stash. I’m hoping this will also cut down on the number of WIPs I have lying around. I have literally dozens of things cast on at this point. Today and tomorrow I will be going through all of my various projects and either frogging them or queuing them up to finish. I bought $50 of yarn from the Eat. Sleep. Knit. website last night during their sale, which was my last purchase for 2007, and should hopefully be my last purchase of random yarn for the entirety of 2008. If at the end of 2008, my stash is once again to a reasonable level and I have completed projects that I may allow myself a little hurrah! spending spree at Wooly Wonders to reward myself. But that will ONLY be once I prove to myself that I am capable of sticking to this for the entire year.

• Change 2. Weight loss. I would like to go down at least two dresses sizes this year. I am currently a size 16 (or XL/L) pant and a XL/L shirt. I would like to be a size 10/12 pant and medium/large shirt. I currently have a 41″ waist, and a 49″(!!) inch hip. I think I can get down to a reasonable 36″ inch waist. I’d like to be down at least 1 inch by the first of March. We’ll re-evaluate then. My plan of attack here is as follows: no diets! I will eat healthy and well balanced meals regularly, I will cut out fast food entirely (which I’ve already pretty much done.) and I will limit myself to one soda every two days if I simply must have one. I will drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, PLAIN water no Propel, or powdery stuff. If I need a drink from the coffee house it must be made with skim milk and sugar free syrup. I will limit my sugar, sodium and salt intake. I will eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. I will do at least 20 minutes of exercise a day, that is at least. I’d like to shoot for at least an hour, once I work up to it. I am starting with the Yoga for Indie Rockers DVD in the mornings and hopefully my oh so embarrassing “Strip Your Way to Fit” Carmen Electra DVD in the afternoon/evening. I do have a gym membership, but I’m embarrassed to go right now because I feel like a giant water buffalo and I’ve got the coordination of one too. When I gain a little more confidence in my ability than I will begin a cardio/weight training work out at the gym at least three days a week.

• Change 3. Less t.v. more books. I have a huge list of books I’ve been meaning to read. I’m going to try to read a book a month this year and work through my list. If necessary I will download audio books and listen to them while I knit instead of the mindless television I usually watch while knitting.

• Change 4. Take classes seriously and work towards degree completion. It’s been great being in school for the last four years. I love college. But it’s time I start working towards getting the piece of paper. I’m  nearly there anyway, so I just need to focus for a semester or two more and get it done. It’s time. I’m starting this goal by taking only once class in the spring semester: Math. I’ve put it off for so long, I’ve given every possible excuse. This spring it’s the only class I’m taking, there is no excuse to blow it off or get a bad grade it’s the ONLY thing I have to worry about. In the summer I will take the next math class, which is the one I need to graduate. In the fall I will finish up my Lit credits and Spring of 09 I can take my last few random classes (PoliSci, another science and probably the last of my Lit credits.) and then I can graduate. No more pottery, no more random Soc classes (I already have ALL the Soc credits I need to get my degree in Sociology.), no more psych classes, NO MORE WRITING classes. We’re done. It’s time to be a grown up.

So there we have it. Changes for 2008. I’m currently downloading the audio book for Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs and I’m going to go pop in my yoga DVD and get started on Day 2 of Change 2. Wish me luck!