So get up. Get out. What are you down about?

Welcome to my first post of 2011!

I have to say that I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed at the prospect of real life right now. I've got laundry to do, Christmas presents to put away, a tree to take down (well, not until Jan. 6th; I believe in leaving it up until Epiphany), and loads of schoolwork to do. I believe that I need to teach some kids some stuff tomorrow, and I'm not entirely sure what that's going to be.

I'm sure I'll adjust to the pace of real life again soon enough. I have to say that it's been an absolutely wonderful holiday break for me. I've been able to spend time with so many of my wonderful friends, spend some time with the 'rents, and even go to three concerts. I have to say that I feel much better coming out of these holidays than I felt going in. I was getting pretty burned out by the end of the working part of December. I'm feeling much more refreshed now as a result of a fun holiday break.

Elliott Brood at Lee's Palace for New Year's Eve was totally fun. The openers were a band called CATL. They were very entertaining to watch; in fact, the crowd on the dance floor was maybe even more entertaining. Elliott Brood were very fun to watch; apparently this was their fourth year playing new year's eve and they've got it all figured out, right down to their flip chart countdown 'til midnight. It was a really fun way to spend NYE, and I totally think I should attempt to do a concert for NYE more often.

New Year's Day was a complete write-off for me. I don't think I made it out of my PJs until after 2:30 pm, and at that point I fell asleep again. In the evening, I went for a walk in my fall jacket since the weather was so nice. At least I got out before it got cold again today.

I met up with my friend Flora for lunch today, and then picked up my marking and met up with my pal Fea at our usual marking spot. I got through three sets of quizzes and one set of lab reports. That's just scratching the surface of the marking pile. I am going to have to buckle down in the coming week with regards to school: I must get this marking done, plan lessons for the rest of the semester, and write exams. Ugh. I meant to do more over the break, but having fun is more important for my mental health, right?

I'll also have to buckle down on my resolutions for 2011. I have been able to keep resolutions in the past (2007 was a banner year for resolution keeping), and I can do it again, I swear. As Fea pointed out while we were marking today, the new year for us doesn't really start until tomorrow. This weekend is a little bit traumatic since we have to face the inevitable, so who could expect us to start good habits?

Anyway, starting tomorrow I'm going to focus on the following as my resolutions for the upcoming year.

1) Go to the gym at least 3 times a week. Oh, that reminds me, I need to renew my gym membership before the end of the month. Oh good, I get to spend more money!

2) Eat healthy at home, and at work. Splurging is only for when I go out with friends (once per week). I will keep a food journal to keep myself accountable.

3) Drink more water.

4) Drink more green tea.

5) Take a daily multi-vitamin.

Seriously, I used to do all of this stuff in the past, except for the green tea thing. So I can easily do it again. And I always feel so much better when I'm not eating crap and when I'm exercising. Doesn't it supposedly take 21 days to form a habit? I'll be there in no time, right?

If you are making resolutions for 2011, I wish you luck with them. And, if you have tomorrow off of work, I envy you. Enjoy it.