Friday 5: A-M-Z

And happy 2021. Although I know it’s merely the tick of an arbitrary number, it’s nice to be at the beginning of the year and know that overall, it will improve month by month.*

Today I am PLANNING. I have a planner (from Cloth & Paper), I have a system (bullet journaling), and most of all I have the desire to do things this year instead of spending it like I spent most of 2020: crying and covered in Cool Ranch Dorito dust.

Things I want to DO in 2021:
> I want to sit for the exam to earn my CAE certification. I love working for an association. I am good at what I do, but I both want to be better at what I do AND have the professional world know it. Designations mean things.
> I want to grow this blog’s readership. It’s not an ego thing, it’s not a money thing. I want blogs in general to have a comeback. I want people to be comfortable with owning and sharing their own content again. To that end, instead of sharing things only on Instagram, I’m trying to turn those things into blog posts. I’m down to checking Facebook only once a week at this point and I’m a calmer person because of it.
> I want an amazing vegetable garden. Last year was a mess of aphids and hungry squirrels that ate all of my corn and weird tomatoes that never turned red. This is something that also requires planning, and at this moment I have some seed catalogs waiting for my attention.
> And there are various personal financial goals I want to meet: paying off some credit cards; rolling extra money toward our mortgage, increasing my charitable donations, etc.

The thing I am NOT focusing on in 2021:
> Weight. I’ll be making some changes regarding exercise, but basically because I want to have a healthy heart, strong bones, and flexible muscles. I’m currently plump and for the first time in a while, I’m fine with it.

I found my old Feedly login and all of the blogs I used to follow. So many of are defunct now, but I found the Friday 5 which is still going and which I used to love participating in. Why did I stop?

In any case, this week’s theme is A-M-Z. First letter of the alphabet, the middle letter, and the final letter.

1. What’s better in its middle than in its edges, beginnings, or ends?
   “Cake,” she answers plumply. One of the funny things about aging is that you become the old people who complain about how some frosting is too sweet that you use to make fun of. My favorite part of a layer cake is the middle, with the frosting sandwiched between two spongy layers. *chef’s kiss*
   
2. Why is a sunrise better than a sunset?
   I suspect some people will disagree with this question. But as a sunrise fan, it’s because a new day brings HOPE. I’m a huge fan of hope.
   
3. What’s better in retrospect than when you experienced it?
   The 80s. Being an nonathletic, unmusical, smart-but-not-top-10-smart, not poor but the poorest of my peers kid/teen lead to a lot of awkward moments. But the music, the fashion, and the optimism (other than the constant fear of global thermonuclear war) were fun and over the top. And the sky-high, crunchy hairstyles were to die for.
   
4. What songs have wonderful endings?
   (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing. Quite a few songs on the Hamilton soundtrack (Helpless, Right Hand Man). Most Christmas songs. A few renditions of Hallelujah. New York, New York. And Then He Kissed Me.
   
5. What was the first thing you unwrapped in 2021?
   A new box of coffee pods this morning. Not exciting, but comforting.

*unless of course we experience death in my family, which is always possible but as we all age…well…you know. I also have a 13.5 year old dog. But this year I’m not going to waste time worrying about gloom.