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Happy New Year 2012!
Well here we are……it’s January 2012 and time to look at what I accomplished from my New Year’s Resolutions in 2011.
TAKE CHARGE OF MY HEALTH ~ I wish I could say that I took charge of my health on my own as part of my 2011 resolution, but that would be a lie. I was forced to take charge of my health because of issues that led me to my primary care physician in October. As a result of tests taken for other issues I was having, he found that my blood work showed signs of pre-diabetes. That news jolted me into the reality that eating poorly and carrying extra weight could cause some serious problems down the road. As a result I have made the necessary changes in my diet and so far I have lost 11 pounds. I am paying attention to my stress levels and taking whatever action is needed to reduce that stress rather than eating when I’m stressed. At the present moment I am feeling healthy, happy, and high energy. My goal by the end of the year is to lose another 35 pounds.
LIMIT SOCIAL NETWORKING ~ I would like to say I hit this one out of the park, but I did not. I’m still online at least once a day no matter what. Even with a full-time job, a part-time job, and carrying a 3-course load at college I still managed to log on every day and read everyone’s posts on Facebook and selected friends’ posts on Twitter. What I did do differently for a good majority of the year was limit my comments on other pages to reduce the amount of comments I received back. I feel I have learned to balance social networking with everything else in my life and I no longer put it first before the things I need to get done. In addition I am committed to finishing my book early in 2012 and if I see social networking infringing on that goal, I know I have the willpower to shut it down completely until I get the job done.
GIVE UP COFFEE ~ Done! Not only did I give up Coffee and switched to Chai Tea in the morning, I took it one step further. I gave up the tea during the week and when I get up in the morning I have a cold glass of water instead and save the tea for weekends only. It hasn’t affected my “waking up” at all and it’s helping me to feel less dehydrated because I have never been good at drinking ample amounts of water.
ANGER MANAGEMENT ~ This was primarily geared at dealing with my teen daughter and there has been some improvement. I am spending less energy screaming and yelling and more energy in coming up with specific ways in which I can get her to behave the way I prefer or to show her I am angry with her. I’m still not where I want to be. My daughter has ADHD and ODD. For those of you who do not know what ODD is, it is Oppositional Defiant Disorder. I won’t go into details of this psychological disorder but you are free to Google it. My daughter tests my patience every single day. It is a continual challenge to not get angry at her when she acts defiantly with teachers as well as with me. I will add this one back on the list for 2012.
MAKE A CAREEER CHANGE ~ In last year’s resolution blog I stated that by the time I turned 55 I wanted to have shifted into a new career and resign once and for all from my current employer. I actually thought this was going to happen as there was an 80% chance I would relocate to southern California in December of 2011. But the opportunity that I was waiting for fell by the wayside so I am back at square one. I turned 55 this week and I am still working full-time with The Hartford. However, I have made a personal commitment to myself that if the opportunity that I’ve been waiting for does not pan out by July 2012, and I have not been able to secure a position in Southern California in the entertainment industry by that date, I am going to submit my resignation and retire, cash in my 401K, and head to Los Angeles where my heart is. I truly will not be leaving my heart in San Francisco.
What do I have to add to the above for 2012?
FINISH MY BOOK ~ I know I know…I’ve been talking about this for some time. I did finish the first draft of all 23 chapters in 2011. But in 2012 I want to complete the final draft and send it out to a hand-selected group of individuals who have agreed to read it and provide feedback for the final version going to print. My goal is to finish writing the final draft by the end of the first quarter and to spend the rest of the time working on getting it published and out into the world.
BLOG MORE FREQUENTLY ~ Blogging fell by the wayside because of the heavy academic workload I committed to in 2011. I plan to blog at minimum once a month until I relocate to Southern California. Once I am there and entering a whole new world with regard to work and people, I plan to blog weekly.
Until 2013……Namaste.
My Uncle’s Wedding
One of my Twitter friends, Eric Ross, asked me to share the publication of his new book. As an advocate for the gay community as well as a supporter of same-sex marriage, I was more than willing to do so. BRAVO ERIC ROSS!!!!
In less than a week of it’s release date, the newly published children’s book about marriage equality titled, ‘My Uncle’s Wedding’ climbed to #2 on Amazon’s Bestseller’s list in the Gay & Lesbian Parenting & Families section. The 34 page children’s book, aimed at readers aged 4-8, tells the story of a young boy named Andy who goes on an enjoyable journey of planning his uncle’s wedding. The story unfolds as the reader sees how the process affects Andy, and the things he gets to do in preparation for the ceremony.
The book is getting a lot of attention, so much that even CA State Senator Mark presented a proclamation for it’s vital rule in educating the community. The proclamation reads:
“Congratulations as we celebrate the launching of ‘My Uncle’s Wedding!’ As one of the few children’s books that address LGBT issues, it serves as a conduit by which to bolster understanding in our community. The book plays a vital role in creating a brighter future for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and their parents. Congratulations and thank you for all you do!”
Other LGBT leaders have praised the book as well. “It’s never too early to teach our nation’s children about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality,” explained Kate Kendell, Executive Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, “and ‘My Uncle’s Wedding’ does just that, showing children that marriage is about love and family. Eric Ross perfectly demonstrates that LGBT families share the same values as any other family, and his book will undoubtedly educate and inform generations to come about the freedom to marry. Bravo!”
“This children’s book is the perfect gift for any child who loves a good story and especially children with gay people in their family,” added Molly McKay, the National Media Director for Marriage Equality USA. “The author approaches the subject of same-sex marriage with a child’s sensitivity and sensibility, and the beautiful illustrations are sure to be enjoyed by kids and parents alike.”
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) also took the time out of their busy schedules to post about My Uncle’s Wedding on their blog. Commenters on the blog blamed the book for everything from giving children STDs to being a cover for communism. When asked about the hateful comments on NOM’s blog, author Eric Ross said, “Well, if I’m on NOM’s radar, I must be doing something right.”
To learn more about the book, ‘My Uncle’s Wedding’, visit the website at
www.myuncleswedding.com.
