Happy New Year

I am starting the year by preparing a traditional New Year's meal: roasted pork loin, hoppin' john, collards, and corn bread. The tradition has it that the hoppin' john (black eyed peas & rice) brings luck, the collards bring money, and the pork brings health. I've been hearing people say that pork is for "progress," but considering the large amount of pork eaten in SC compared to anything that can be called progressive, and I have to say, no. Health is ironic enough.

I don't make the collards like most people around here do. I don't throw in a slab of fat back and cook it until it looks like the lizard the cat puked up. If that's how you like collards, go for it. I cook some bacon, then saute the chopped collards in the grease. I add nutmeg and ginger and the crumbled bacon. (I put some of the bacon in the hoppin' john, though.) When it's wilted, I add some water, put on a lid and cook it until it's ready. For the family members who like the puked up lizard thing, I put some in another pot and boil the heck out of it. Collards are tougher than spinach, so you do have to cook them longer. Just not too long.

Hoppin' John is black eyed peas and rice, which can be pretty bland. I spice that up too, with onions, cumin, red pepper, & chili powder. If I had celery and green peppers, I'd add them too. However, the trip to the Food Lion last night after work was enough for now.

I make pork loin roast about twice a year, and it's pretty good, if I do say so myself. (Someone has to.) I marinate it in Paul Newman's oil and vinegar dressing (whatever I like at the time.) I cook it until it is NOT pink but not dry. It's hard to hit the exact time on that. I know that some chefs are saying a little pink is OK, trichinosis is not a threat anymore, but I don't buy that. Pork is the other WHITE meat, not the pink meat that makes you sick.

Other than eating, we'll sit around and watch the Gamecocks get their butts kicked, I mean win a bowl game. We'll play Risk, and take over the world by force, or maybe World Monopoly and just buy the world with debit cards.

And then with luck, health, and money in our future, we'll face the new year.

Evaluation Time

At the beginning of this year, I set three goals --- not resolutions. GOALS. SMART goals. They were supposed to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. My goals were:

Number one: I will be healthy as defined:
1) BMI <25
2) Cholesterol range good
3) Thyroid good
4) BP good with medication

Number two:I will organize & clean my house.

Number three:I will become an enrolled agent.

Although I have taken steps in all areas, especially relating to my health & my house, I haven't achieved any of the goals completely. In these hard times, it is unwise to continue to carry employees who do not perform to the level of expectation. I'm afraid I'm going to have to let myself go.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), I can't do that. So I need to evaluate the situation and see what I need to do for next year.

First, the goals were pretty clear. I've had that first goal in some way shape or form for 35 years. The second one was added about 24 years ago. Number three... I'll hold off on that one.

Let's look at the good things:
Goal #1: my cholesterol, blood pressure, and thyroid levels are all within the normal ranges. I have lost a little weight. I am now merely "fat" rather than "really fat."

Goal #2: although I wouldn't want anyone to drop in without calling, I can have my house presentable in a few hours. I have my important papers filed (mostly.) I still need to clean out the workshop that's become a storage room. I need to get rid of clothes and other stuff. My friend Margaret suggested that I take pictures of things that are meaningful so that I can let them go more easily. I am going to try that. Oh.. wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Goal #3: after I bought the Gleim computerized study guide and went through a few lessons, I stopped. I don't really know why. I think I can still just take the business part, but even if I have to start from the beginning, I'm just going to roll this goal over. I need and want the validation that passing the test will give me.

I think that more than anything, I am terrible at making goals. I think I may make "ought to do" goals instead of goals based on what I WANT or NEED to do.

I think that even though I WANT and NEED to lose weight I'm going to let that one rest this year.

I think maybe I should make monthly goals instead of yearly goals.

I think maybe I should just DO stuff, then write retroactive goals and cross them off.

I think maybe I should read up on strategic planning.

I think I'll think on this awhile.

The Secret is in the Sauce: Win a Keurig Platinum Brewing System and $50 worth of K

The Secret is in the Sauce: Win a Keurig Platinum Brewing System and $50 worth of K
This blog is a gateway to other blogs. It's amazing how many interesting things are being said and done in BlogLand. I have a list of some of my favorite blogs on the right, but your taste & interests are probably different. Check it out.
If I win the Keurig Platinum Brewing System, y'all won't have to drink my muscle coffee any more. That will be sad.

Stuffness

My life is full of stuffness right now. Stuff I have to do, stuff I have to buy, stuff I have to sort... In a manner completely unlike me, I get up every morning and start doing. I shower, dress, go to one job, where I plow through my things to do, drive to my other job, where I plow through an even larger list of things to do. I haven't stopped to think about THE BIG PICTURE recently, I have just done stuff.

This weekend, I will have some quality big picture time. I will clean and sort the files in the office to get ready for TAX SEASON. I will make lists of supplies, lists of procedures, lists of things to remember to tell people. I will also (I promise) clean my house, and maybe, just maybe, get a Christmas tree. Then I can think about what I need to do for Christmas.

For the rest of the week, I get up, I work, I sleep. And I guess that will have to do.