The thing I love about the end of the semester is that its a chance for new beginnings. I always make a list of goals that never get accomplished, but hey it feels good while putting it together. This time I decided that this summer I'm going to pick one BIG goal and work my butt off to get it done. That way I don't have a billion little goals that I can't keep track of. Unfortunately I have a few options that I've been thinking about of late. So I'm going to list them off, and its up to you, dear readers (aka all 6 of my followers), to vote on which one you like best.
Option 1: Teach myself basic Spanish.
Ok ok, this one may be born out of a burning desire to know what the workers at the HC are talking about when they start going off about something in Spanish while I'm standing right there waiting for my cheeseburger. (Are they discussing the weather, or are they plotting global domination by giving everyone fatal heart disease with their greasy food?) I mean, obviously I'm not going to become fluent in the four months of summer, but I feel pretty confident that with determination and some interactive software I could at least be able to understand some basic sentences like, "Look at all these people eating our greasy food, bwa ha ha ha!" which would at best give me some time to prepare for the takeover. No in all seriousness, Spanish is rapidly becoming the second language of America and I shouldn't miss that particular boat. Plus, I'm probably headed to Costa Rica next summer, and I don't want to be the poor white girl lost in an airport of people jabbering in a foreign language.
Pros: potential new life skill, new eavesdropping ability
Cons: expensive software requirement
Option 2: FINALLY write that novel.
This is ALWAYS a summer goal of mine. There's this great story rattling around my brain that I would love to get out on paper, but so far I haven't gotten past the pre-write. Which is sort of like starting to put on your pants, but then quitting half-way: embarrassing, and potentially harmful....no big deal. Plus writing a novel is just one of those things that has been on my bucket list practically since the age of 5. Finally accomplishing it would be the greatest feeling ever.
Pros: bucket list cross-off, huge self-esteem boost
Cons: what to do after?
Option 3: Become a health freak.
Now that you've stopped laughing, please continue reading----> I'm getting tired of almost passing out every time I play football/soccer/racquetball/anything active. Plus there are just so many benefits to eating right and exercising regularly. Granted, this is one of those things that could go waaaaaaay too far (no I'm not going to give up on doughnuts entirely or wear a sweat band everywhere I go or ever ever EVER wear spandex pants to go running in) but if there is one thing that seems to be the trick to living a long, healthy life its (big shocker here) being healthy.
Pros: smaller dress size, energy boost
Cons: healthy food is generally disgusting
Option 4: Learn to cook.
Lets face it, my version of a fancy meal is mac and cheese on decorative plates. Probably the most complicated thing I've ever made was hamburger helper, no lie. Basically once I move off campus and don't have some form of meal plan, I'm going to explode from the sheer amount of my pasta intake. So this summer would be my crash course in cooking. I'd buy a cookbook and pretty much start from the beginning working my way through, hopefully by the end actually creating something vaguely edible. (Edible, out of necessity, being a very VERY broad term for not toxic.)
Pros: not starving to death
Cons: seems a lot like conforming...
Option 5: Plant a garden.
So I got this email from the Residence Halls about how they have this community garden in which you can rent out plots for 25$. They provide water and equipment, so it seems like a decent deal. There is NOTHING like fresh veggies from the garden. The only potential problem is that I tend to get very competitive, and with my luck I'd be right next to the gardening champion of the Intermountain West. Since I have no actual gardening experience, I'd probably become known as that crazy girl in the north-west corner covered in dirt, yelling at her plants to grow faster, and setting gophers loose in the plot next door. Hey, if you can't win fairly, sabotage becomes a good option right?
Pros: delicious veggies, possibility of getting a tan
Cons: rather daunting
So that's it. Please tell me which one is your favorite....you know you want to!
