The holidays have melted away...

and so here I sit at my little shabby chic desk (more shabby than chic, trust me) in my cozy apartment on a bitter cold New York City day, thinking about the fact that it's actually 2010. January has arrived, even if I was secretly hoping it wouldn't. New Years Eve was a wonderful anniversary celebration, fun and memorable! Dinner was a decadent, delicious trip to a steakhouse, proceeded by Dan and I ringing in 2010 with a icy cold glass of bubbly champagne. However, since Friday, with the festivities behind us, I have attempted to prolong the New Year's arrival by being horribly lazy and putting off my To Do list. But the Irish guilt is starting to settle in. The countdown clock which I added to my blog over Christmas is starting to unnerve me. Hell, the damn countdown clock actually counts! When I see those minutes slipping away, never to return, I get a little anxious. Now that it's already Sunday, January 3rd, I am getting a little panicky. So I prolong no more. I have an official short list to get me started. I kept changing my To Do list...which isn't a good sign for my future success at all. I must be committed! One really can't procrastinate about procrastinating, can they? Therefore, here it goes, the list. By writing something down and sharing it with you, I am hoping that as Anderson Cooper and my know-it-all sister Kathy just kindly reminded me, I'll be "keeping it honest".

My TO DO list - 2010

1. Blog - it's something you should do every day, which will help me with my lack of discipline.
2. Exercise - in some fashion, at least 5 times a week so it becomes habit (Yikes!)
3. Lose weight - which hopefully, once #2 comes into play, won't be so difficult.
4. Keep in much better touch with my family and friends, learn to love the phone!
5. Volunteer with an organization that I believe in, knowing that one person can truly make a difference.
6. Learn conversational French. For once I'd like to get past "I'll have a glass of wine, merci beaucoup!".
7. Graduate from the French Culinary Institute (sorry, I know, a cheater, sure thing "to do")
8. Find a new job so that when Sunday night rolls around, I am not sitting on the couch thinking I need to find a new job.
9. Travel - to learn, explore and walk those delicious steps.
10. Visit a museum once a month. Please I live in NYC - that can't be hard.
11.Adopt a pet - wherever I might be living. (I am sorry, I am no Angelina Jolie - Sparky is going to have to do)

That's the start of my list. I'll add to it as I see fit, I promise. One addition is I do want to finally read all the books that are tucked away in numerous locations in my apartment. Until then, to "keep me honest", I will not allow myself to buy my beloved treasured Kindle. That seems like the wise thing a 49 year old woman would do. So, at last count, I have roughly 47 unread books lounging about, feeling ignored. Conservatively speaking, by reading one a week, I'll be buying that Kindle just in time for my 50th Birthday...how funny and apropos is that?