Happy New Decade! January 2020 Update

Hello from 2020! I'm feeling real good about this decade.

Completed:
Nothing! :)

Updates:
Many!

4. read 100 books in a year (14/100)

• Starting strong! My favorites so far have been The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Stargzing by Jen Wang. 

23. see 30 new animated films (14/30)

• We saw Makoto Shinkai's new film Weathering With You and it was so cute and also made me soul-search a little. A+!

29. join a choir

• We found a community choir in town! We went to our first rehearsal last night. I might have to duck out because I also found out I was accepted to be in the local theater's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, so we'll see how things shake out. I'm hoping it goes all year round because I would love to be able to be a full member!

30. see 30 new international films (2/30)

• I watched The Farewell, which was amazing. It's not technically a international film, but it felt so much like one that I'm counting it. 

31. a year of (silly) holiday celebration

• Holiday celebration is off to a great start, as we observed Shortbread Day, Marzipan Day (with the best cookies ever), Clean Off Your Desk Day, Benjamin Franklin Day, Penguin Awareness Day and Cheese Day combined (with penguin-shaped mac and cheese, of course), and National Handwriting Day. I've decided I just need to celebrate 4 holidays a month to count this goal done, but I got some extra credit this month because the days were just too fun not to celebrate. 

53. get all the Stardew Valley achievements 

• I'm back to weekly playing on Super Cool Farm with Best Farmer Ever Emily, so I am focusing in on getting the achievements. There are a few I just know I'm never going to get (like beating the in-game video game), but I'm going to get as many as I can! I'm currently working on getting all the recipes cooked. The new update is making it really exciting, too!

60. r/52weeksofcooking - year-long cooking challenge

• I'm 4 weeks in and this is already so great. This subreddit posts a weekly theme and you make a recipe and post a picture. This is just the kickstart I needed to get really cooking again! So far we've had:
  

Hindsight is 2020: Grated Beet and Carrot Salad

Miso: Tonjiru

Russian: Kotletki and Olivier Salad

24 Hours: Brined and slow-roasted pulled pork

91. play 20 games from Board Game Geek's top 100 (6/20)

• We made some new board game friends!  With them, we've played Wingspan and Yokohama and I have to say I loved both of them. Super great games. Wingspan is beautiful and such great birb facts. Yokohama is like Istanbul Deluxe and I love Istanbul. So great. Looking forward to many more game nights with them (they still have quite a few of the top 100 we can play)!

99. complete a reading challenge ((4/50 books)

• I decided on the popsugar reading challenge and I've got 4 categories done so far: A book I meant to read in 2019 (The Bell Jar), a Western (These Is My Words), a book with a bird on the cover (Jonathan Livingston Seagull), and a book with gold, silver, or bronze in the title (The Golden Compass). I'm clearing out my TBR pile, squeezing in some books I'm already reading for book clubs and such, and finding some new books to fit the sometimes oddly specific categories. I'm loving it. 

I gave up on starting the Wilkes Weekly because the beginning of our January was so hectic, and now it feels weird starting it another time. I need to just do it, though, or slate it for 2021, I guess. I can only push so many things over, though! I already have a few yearly projects I'll have to do. 

I have been so terrible about cleaning, too. I think it's time to rethink and make it more manageable for myself. There's no use trying to force myself if it's not working. 

I'm working up the courage to pursue the calligraphy business related items, as well. I spend too much time thinking about things and not doing them. Making things in Procreate has been super fun and also pretty dang confidence building, so hopefully I won't chicken out!

It's been a really great month, and things are shaping up to be good all around! Here's to a great year!