January 04, 2010
My Dear Acquaintance
It is 2010, and I feel obligated to record my resolutions in a public forum. This may increase accountability, you see. So here are the things I would like to accomplish:
- Remain working toward my goal of Strong, Black Womanhood.
- Face my fears (mostly heights, not being able to touch the bottom of the ocean, all things outdoorsy). Though my mother, citing survival of the fittest and natural selection, tried tirelessly to convince me that people are scared of things for a reason, I still see this as beneficial. Bravery is something I've never had.
- Reinstate a physical fitness regime. I went to the gym all the time over summer, but with Fall and the increased traffic of sorority girls, I decided it would be best to stay away from it. However, I've used that as an excuse to cut exercise out completely, which is no good. So, maybe I'll hike, maybe I'll jog, maybe I'll walk on the treadmill and watch old episodes of 30 Rock. I just need to get back in shape because I like feeling healthy.
- Get a passport. One small step in stopping any out of country travel is the lack of a passport and I fear it may become an easy excuse to rely upon as time goes by. So if I get one now, I won't have any reason to not go to Mexico or Canada or one day Europe and the rest of the world.
- Have a poem published. John told me this should be on my list of resolutions and I agreed. I've always said I wanted to and so I'm just going to put myself out there and try. This one kills two birds with one stone, really. I face the fear of rejection by exposing my work to the judgment of others.
- I haven't formulated an exact resolution for this yet, but something to do with singing. It's like number 5--I should put myself out there and see how people react. I think I have a decent voice and singing makes me happy, so I should so something about it.
- Start eating healthy again. This one can be taken in the vague form of eating more vegetables, cutting out sugars, etc. but I think I may take it a step farther and really just cut meat out of my diet again. Recently I watched Food Inc. and have been reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (my favorite author ever) and it's gotten me thinking not just about the impact on the animal, but the impact on the environment and society. Here are some of my favorite facts, all taken as direct quotes from Foer's book:
- modern industrial fishing lines can be as long as 75 miles--the same distance as from sea level to space.
- the average shrimp trawling operation throws 80 to 90 percent of the sea animals it captures overboard, dead or dying, as bycatch.
- animal agriculture makes a 40% greater contribution to global warming than all transportation in the world combined; it is the number one cause of climate change.
- Common Farming Exemptions make legal any method of raising farmed animals so long as it is commonly practiced within the industry. In other words, farmers--corporations is the right word--have the power to define cruelty.
- on average, Americans eat the equivalent of 21,000 entire animals in a lifetime.
- nearly one-third of the land surface of the planet is dedicated to livestock.
It's crazy when you think about it. I'm pretty sure I would still eat turkey on Thanksgiving and bacon when I crave it, but in order to be socially responsible, I really need to think about what I eat.
As for fun things I want to do this year, here's another list:
- Coachella
- Plan a badass bachelorette party for Stephanie
- Visit Santa Cruz/SF/Berkeley
- Disneyland
- Mexico cruise
- Visit Jhah and Annie if they both move up to SF
- Visit my cousin Jennifer in North Carolina
So it's looking like 2010 is going to be extremely busy and eventful if nothing else. Katy really wants to switch what coast she calls home, so who knows? Maybe by Fall I'll be seeing her in DC.
I'm also hoping to graduate this year (hopefully after this semester...let's keep our collective fingers crossed) and I am packing a pretty full schedule (five lit classes, yet again) so I'm going to be stressed and tired. It appears that I will just have to remember to keep the important things in sight and power through.
gina
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Active Discussion
Jeff Micklos • January 5th 2010 • Reply
But Gina, before you commit to vegetarianism, you must remember one thing... pulled pork.
You know it loves you as much, if not more, as you love it.
Other than that, though, you have a pretty good looking list of resolutions (especially compared to mine, which you so perfectly called a to-do list) so I wish you luck with it all!
Annie Szafranski • January 5th 2010 • Reply
Just don't label yourself as a vegetarian so you won't have to jump back and forth, and you can still have your bacon, or pulled pork when desired.
Watching part of food inc. has stopped my meat craving, unless its from that mans farm. But I'm glad you're at least thinking about it again.
Annie Szafranski • January 5th 2010 • Reply
oh and
Disneyland + Coachella > Mexico cruise
gina • January 5th 2010 • Reply
Aaaah, how could I forget about pulled pork?! If we open up our barbecue I guess I'll have to bypass being a vegetarian and an omnivore and just go full carnivore.
And Annie, you're right--I think I'll eat just the meats I love, steer away from those I'm just semi-in-love with and keep away from any sorts of titles.
Jeff Micklos • January 6th 2010 • Reply
I cannot tell you how amazing pulled pork sounds.
All day, every day.