Mid-Year Review
Jun. 20th, 2026 03:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matcheslitWe're about half way through 2026, so I want to review check-in on my goals that I created at the beginning of the year. Taking time to stop and reflect should help me get back on track and/or reassess goals I'm no longer vibing with.
Before I jump into that, though, I just got back from the eye doctor. I've gone 31 years of my life without needing glasses, but apparently I have astigmatism. It's not severe enough to NEED glasses according to the doc, but I will notice a difference in clarity, especially in long distance viewing and dimmer environments. I rarely drive at night, but I think getting glasses as an option will at least be good for me. But speaking of driving, I cannot believe they let me drive home by myself after putting something in my eyes that made everything blurry for hours!! I could not read at all after the exam--the person helping me pick out glasses had to read prices and notes about lenses and frames to me. Then they let me drive home!!! Crazy to me. Next year, I'll bring someone with me so I don't have to drive blind.
A little after I got home, I could finally see again. So I went out for a walk--the city is hosting a flea market at the park. I couldn't resist, and I got some work appropriate summer shirts, candles, and $50 in music CDs. I'm listening to Avril Lavigne's acoustic CD--it's really good! The weather was perfect this morning, but it's starting to get too hot to be comfortable for me. I'll spend the rest of the day indoors. My plan is to catch up on Chiina's and America's VNL games. I hope they keep winning!!
Anyway, on to that mid-year review:
Fitness: Run a marathon. Last year, my goal was to improve my 5K time, and I didn't achieve that one either!! My fastest 5K ended up being about 31 minutes when I was trying to get sub-30. This year, the furthest I've done in one run has been 10K. Really no excuse here, but it's not that I've abandoned fitness altogether. It's just I use most of working out time on short runs (like 25 minutes/3K) or on strength workouts in the house. With the summer heat coming, too, it's harder for me to WANT to run. I won't completely abandon this goal, though!! I will try for a half marathon by the end of the year. That's only about double my longest distance.
Books: Read 25 books. This is a big jump from my goal last year (15) since I crushed it (24), but I think I'm behind. The Art of Joy--while one of my favorite reads this year--was a really dense, long book. I'm a little worried I won't hit my goal, but I'm almost half way there and currently reading my 11th book of the year: The Dragon Republic. If I continue to read daily and go to bed early, I should be able to hit 25! My favorite books so far:
Finance: Get a new (used) car. My old car forced my hand when it crapped out on me. It would have cost nearly ten grand to repair, so I used that money for a down payment on a new (used) car instead. So while I have car payments now, I'm not afraid of it breaking down on me on my way to work or home.
Overall, I'm happy with my progress, but know I still need to lock in with fitness and reading!! The best way to maintain a good reading pace is to keep going to bed early and using an hour or more to just read before falling asleep. For fitness, I'm going to have start forcing myself to run even if it's really hot outside. Wish me luck ^_^
Before I jump into that, though, I just got back from the eye doctor. I've gone 31 years of my life without needing glasses, but apparently I have astigmatism. It's not severe enough to NEED glasses according to the doc, but I will notice a difference in clarity, especially in long distance viewing and dimmer environments. I rarely drive at night, but I think getting glasses as an option will at least be good for me. But speaking of driving, I cannot believe they let me drive home by myself after putting something in my eyes that made everything blurry for hours!! I could not read at all after the exam--the person helping me pick out glasses had to read prices and notes about lenses and frames to me. Then they let me drive home!!! Crazy to me. Next year, I'll bring someone with me so I don't have to drive blind.
A little after I got home, I could finally see again. So I went out for a walk--the city is hosting a flea market at the park. I couldn't resist, and I got some work appropriate summer shirts, candles, and $50 in music CDs. I'm listening to Avril Lavigne's acoustic CD--it's really good! The weather was perfect this morning, but it's starting to get too hot to be comfortable for me. I'll spend the rest of the day indoors. My plan is to catch up on Chiina's and America's VNL games. I hope they keep winning!!
Anyway, on to that mid-year review:
Fitness: Run a marathon. Last year, my goal was to improve my 5K time, and I didn't achieve that one either!! My fastest 5K ended up being about 31 minutes when I was trying to get sub-30. This year, the furthest I've done in one run has been 10K. Really no excuse here, but it's not that I've abandoned fitness altogether. It's just I use most of working out time on short runs (like 25 minutes/3K) or on strength workouts in the house. With the summer heat coming, too, it's harder for me to WANT to run. I won't completely abandon this goal, though!! I will try for a half marathon by the end of the year. That's only about double my longest distance.
Books: Read 25 books. This is a big jump from my goal last year (15) since I crushed it (24), but I think I'm behind. The Art of Joy--while one of my favorite reads this year--was a really dense, long book. I'm a little worried I won't hit my goal, but I'm almost half way there and currently reading my 11th book of the year: The Dragon Republic. If I continue to read daily and go to bed early, I should be able to hit 25! My favorite books so far:
The Art of Joy: I picked it up for the sexy nuns, stayed for the anti-facism and feminism and sexual freedom. It follows a woman, Modesta, through her life in 1900s Italy. It's one I plan to re-read already because, as I mentioned, it's really dense and one of the harder reads.
Half His Age: Jeanette McCurdy's debut novel was so good!! It was shocking and raw, much like The Art of Joy, and fast paced and impossible to put down. While Joy took me two months to finish, this one took me two days.
The Scholomance Trilogy: Loved this trilogy from beginning to end. The characters are dramatic teenagers, but it sets up a fascinating world and then completely changes it.
Work: Find a job I like. I did it!! It's a boring 9-5 desk job, but it's exactly what I was looking for--with the benefits I need to cover that eye appointment this morning, too. Half His Age: Jeanette McCurdy's debut novel was so good!! It was shocking and raw, much like The Art of Joy, and fast paced and impossible to put down. While Joy took me two months to finish, this one took me two days.
The Scholomance Trilogy: Loved this trilogy from beginning to end. The characters are dramatic teenagers, but it sets up a fascinating world and then completely changes it.
Finance: Get a new (used) car. My old car forced my hand when it crapped out on me. It would have cost nearly ten grand to repair, so I used that money for a down payment on a new (used) car instead. So while I have car payments now, I'm not afraid of it breaking down on me on my way to work or home.
Overall, I'm happy with my progress, but know I still need to lock in with fitness and reading!! The best way to maintain a good reading pace is to keep going to bed early and using an hour or more to just read before falling asleep. For fitness, I'm going to have start forcing myself to run even if it's really hot outside. Wish me luck ^_^
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