#10: learn how to knit

Rumor has it that needle-work keeps your mind sharp and your hands nimble. Or so all the little old grandmas say. I love the look of homemade scarves and having conquered (and I use that term VERY loosely) crocheting, I set my sights on knitting. The click of the knitting needles called to me.

Luckily, I have a knitting queen as a friend. My darling co-worker Cindy is the goddess of the yarn. She knits all the time and is even so into the craft that she spins her own yarn. She's knitted key pieces of her wardrobe. I just wanted to learn to make a scarf.

One cold January evening, we curled up on a couch. Cindy taught. I tried. She taught again. I fumbled. She showed me her techniques. I muttered under my breath. And then? I got it. And knitted a six inch square by the end of the night.

Glee!

#16: buy a new digital camera

Pop quiz: You know it's time for a new camera when....

a.) you put fresh batteries in and after taking not a dozen pictures later, it dies.
b.) it's lag time is close to a half a minute, leaving you helpless, frustrated and pissed as you try to capture drunken moments of hilarity and priceless karaoke moments of entertainment, but can't because it takes SO long for each picture to process and store.
c.) you go to turn it off and the lens doesn't retract, leaving the camera frozen and unable to take pictures because of a "focus error", where the only way to fix it is to smack it repeatedly against the heel of your hand...or the wall if you're extra frustrated.
d.) all of the above.

I loved my first digital camera. The little fujifilm that could, though, suddenly...couldn't. It still snapped pictures, but I wasn't impressed. It's at least a three-year-old model, so whenever I saw any new camera, I grew envious.

The green meanie left, on January 20th, when after two weeks of online research, countless trips to American and endless houndings of the salesmen, I purchased a Nikon Coolpix 7900. With lithium battery! And huge memory card! And the possibilities--they are endless! Portraits! Nightscape! Fireworks and party modes!Quick action! Eeee!

Now, I just owe American credit card companies my uterus or first-born child. But at least I have this sa-weet camera in exchange.

I'm not dead...and neither are the goals.

Quite the contrary, really. A lot of goals have been crossed out since I last regaled you with my tale of, uh, my last accomplished goal. I'm just lazy. I really have no excuse. But stay tuned! More goal-telling tales to come!