happy new year, friends!!!  i hope yours is off to a good start.

i’ve been thinking about a bunch of things i want to work on/improve in the new year, and here are a few that i wanted to share:

• compassionate living :: continue to educate myself on ways to lead a compassionate lifestyle.  from there, make choices accordingly to support products and companies that i can feel good about :: food, clothes, shoes, purses, makeup, cleaning products, etc.  for more information on making compassionate choices, check out erik marcus’ book, the ultimate vegan guide: compassionate living without sacrifice, that he’s graciously made available online for free.
• eat local and in season :: i read barbara kingsolver’s, animal, vegetable, miracle, last year, and while i haven’t publicized the book much because i don’t agree with her views on the animal part of the equation, i did find the information on the cycle of the seasons/vegetables, and eating locally somewhat mind blowing.  while this stuff should be common sense, ours is a culture where it’s normal to go to the grocery store and buy a watermelon that’s traveled thousands of miles from the other side of the country (or another country all together) so that we can enjoy . . . . water (a watermelon is 92% water, after all).  don’t get me wrong, i love watermelon!  but, this year i’ll buy it in season, from a local farmer who grew it a few miles from my home.   after reading the book i tried to eat locally and in season more often, but when things get busy i often fall back on the convenience of whatever price chopper has to offer (tasteless tomatoes right about now).  this year i’m going to make an effort to start planning ahead and taking the time so that in season and local products are on our table more often than not.
• stop using plastic/disposable water bottles!! :: i made an effort to stop the madness of disposable water bottles in 2010, but i want to get more serious about it in the new year.  from healthy bitch daily – Quit Buying Bottled Water. We’ve gone over this. It requires about 1.5 million barrels of oil to make plastic water bottles every year. When you wean yourself off, the planet wins and so do you.
• pictures, pictures, pictures :: take LOTS more (i think i took less than ever in 2010 (for no other reason than i wasn’t being conscious of it) and that bummed me out), do a 365-day photo project, work on my ideas, perspectives and skills.
• personal correspondence :: send more letters/packages/greetings to my friends and family everywhere.  this is something i’ve always enjoyed doing, but for some reason, similarly to taking pictures, i wasn’t as conscious of in the past year.
• hoop! :: i started hooping after last year’s mountain jam festival, and can’t wait to go back this year with my own hoop!  i’m not the fastest at learning tricks and can’t do much yet but the basics (if that!), but i have so much fun when i’m hooping and want to make time to practice more often.  if you haven’t had the pleasure to be entranced by a bunch of girls/guys hooping to live music at a festival, check out this video of  brecken rivara at symbiosis 2009.  if you have had the pleasure, sit back, relax, and envision bare feet, sunshine, and great live music!:
• giving :: find a locally based organization that i can really get involved with to use my talents and resources on a regular basis.  i’ve got a few things in mind — any suggestions?  if you’re looking for organizations in the 518 to get involved with, some of my favorites are the animal protective foundation, out of the pits, regional food bank of northeastern new york, and ronald mcdonald house charities of the capital region.
• culture :: more movies, music, books, museums, foods, ideas and languages (maybe a little french?)!  i finished patti smith’s, just kids this morning, and foresee digging into the culture of late 60′s/early 70′s new york city — andy warhol’s superstars, allen ginsberg, the velvet underground — how i wish i were part of that generation!
• blog more!

so!  those are a few of the things that i’m going to be working on in the new year (there are several more that i won’t bore you with such as personal budgeting!).  what are your goals?  (commenting seems to be broken on my blog — i can see what you comment, but even if i approve it, it doesn’t show up publicly — please know that if you do comment, i’m reading it!  :))

here’s to 2011!