Resolutions

I spent New Year's Day walking the Brooklyn Bridge with hundreds of other tourists from around the globe. I lost count of how many different languages I heard being spoken. It was a beautiful day, crisp but not frigid, and by the end of the day we must have walked 10 miles exploring Brooklyn, NYU, Soho, Chinatown...Thank God for my new boots. They were warm and didn't kill my feet and slid nicely under my jeans.

I didn't come up with any resolutions by New Year's Eve. And only now, when I have spent the past couple days sick on the couch, have I given it much thought. So far, I have come up with the following:

1. Be More Healthy

General, I know, but I have been more sick in the past year than any other I can remember. I am not sure if it is the air in Philadelphia versus Portland, or if the stress of law school is just getting to me, but my immune system seems to be shot. In my quest for better health I will try to be less of a night owl, especially given the fact that I have to be in class at 8:30 every morning. I will try to tone down my caffeine addiction, switching from coffee to green tea. I need to eat more fruits and vegetables, not processed foods. Lastly, I need to start running again. Maybe more regular exercise will help as well. Hopefully those changes will keep me more healthy and energized in 2010.

2. Fine-Tune my Wardrobe

It has taken me years to figure out what works for my shape (short, tending towards muscular). I think I have been in denial about my height :) Now that I have finally accepted what actually looks good, I need to go through what I own and clear out lots of items that do me no favors. Once that is accomplished, I have to make another list of pieces that I need to add to my wardrobe. I have been filling my closet with work pieces, but I also need to focus on weekend wear. My shoe selection also needs some help. This will all be more easily accomplished once I have a job and a paycheck. Which leads me too...

3. Be Diligent About Job-Searching

I do not graduate until late May, but given the legal market I need to get a head-start. My goal is a mid-sized to large firm that has departments that specialize in either entertainment, intellectual property or employment law. That being said, I will take whatever job I can get! However, to obtain any kind of job I need to put myself out in the market and take advantage of any connections I have and to continue networking.

4. Finish Writing a Book

I have bits and pieces of books that I have been writing saved on my laptop and in notebooks strewn about our place. I want to finish writing at least one of them. Starting is easy, but the middle is hard, even if I already have an ending in mind. I think the key at this point is just to write daily and hopefully the writer's block will fade.

5. Blog More Often

When life gets hectic, this blog is the first thing to go, but it's an outlet I appreciate. I would put a specific goal number on it, like 7 times a week, but that is not realistic and, honestly, if I make at least one entry a month that will be better than my previous record!

Any resolutions on your minds?

To-Do List for Life: Language Edition

I have a running list of things that pop in my head that I want to accomplish at some point in my life. Most recently I have been on a language kick. I speak English, obviously, quite a bit of Spanish because I studied it in high school and majored in it in college, and I understand bits and pieces of Korean because of my husband and having spent 6 months abroad in Seoul. Still, I wish I knew more languages so that I could travel and be confident in my ability to communicate. I hate to be the stereotypical American who goes abroad and expects everyone to speak English. I think it's so elegant when you can converse in a person's native tongue and really understand the nuances of the exchange - it's something to which I aspire.

In my lifetime I would love to become passably fluent in a language from each region of the world. For example, I have the romance languages of Europe covered with Spanish, though I would actually love to learn French. For the Scandinavian languages, I would probably choose Swedish even though I am part Danish, mostly so I could converse with Alexander Skarsgard in his native tongue if we ever met! (Sorry honey). I keep trying to get better at Korean, but it's tricky for me. I would also want to learn Arabic, Swahili and Russian. Obviously that wouldn't get me everywhere, but between all of them I could probably make some conversation in most places I want to go.

Any goals on your minds lately?

Photo Credit: Fanpop.com

J'adore

I am currently in love with the idea of moving to Paris upon graduation. I have this daydream that I become an attorney either directly for, or with a firm that represents, any number of brilliant French designers, whether the 'big' names or young start-ups. I could work with people whose work I admire and have a reason to wear fancy clothes (to show my respect for their style, bien sur) instead of boring, conservative suits.

Things to know about this fantasy:
1. I do not speak French (well, unless you count the words 'croissant' and 'pain au chocolat').
2. I have no connections to any legal people in France...actually I have no connections to anyone in France. Period.
3. My day dreams do not involve me having to do any work; I merely prance around the streets of Paris in pretty dresses, eating croissants and attending fashion shows.

I obviously have an active imagination. But, I do love having a goal, no matter how inconceivable it seems in the moment I dream it up. My lovely husband is even on board with this plan. I believe that part of our tax refund will be spend on Rosetta Stone so we can at least cross off number 1 above. 2 and 3 still need to be worked out, so if anyone has a brilliant idea that will help me never to have to actually work, or will put me in touch with legal/fashion bigwigs in Paris, I would adore you forever. Merci!