Indulging

For those paying attention, ooops. I wrote my last post on Christmas Eve but for some reason it didn't post, so I posted it last night but in my post turkey fest stupour, forgot to change the title. Hope you all had a fabulous celebration of whatever holiday you were celebrating.

So anyway, this time last year (though I swear it feels like maybe a few months ago), I did a Jenny Crusie inspired list of indulgences for 2007. I thought it would be a good idea to see how I did before working out a 2008 list.

Indulgence number 1:

Things that smell good. Aromatherapy, perfume, flowers, lotions and potions. I find scent can really lift my mood so daily applications of yummy aromas.

I'm giving myself a tick on this one. I've been using my burner a lot, bought new perfumes and yummy smelling soaps (helped by the fact that no more construction at work means my mould allergy is back to the odd itch when I garden).

Indulgence number 2:

Relaxation. More massages (I think I managed a whole 1 in 2006 so topping that shouldn't be hard lol). More meditation. More naps or couching with my story fix in whatever form when I need it.

Half a tick. I upped my massage quota to a massive 2 (which is double the previous year) but more would've been better. Meditation was patchy at best. Napping, however, was high on the agenda. One day I will learn to remember that when I'm most stressed, I'm most resistant to things that will undo the stress and just do them anyway. I did kick back into the exercise but that's not really an indulgence.

Indulgence number 3:

Girly stuff. More facials, manicures, pedicures, spa days, makeovers and pampering whether at home or elsewhere. If it includes hanging out with the gals, even better. If we can also add pink champagne, perfection!

A tick. I had facials and manicures, a couple of makeovers, even a wardrobe makeover with Mum. I did masks and manicures/pedicures at home too. More would be better, of course, but I did them.

Indulgence number 4:

More music, particularly live music. Every time I go to a concert I remember how much I love the sensation of loud live music, basses vibrating through your chest, singers pouring their hearts into songs and the energy of the crowd. And it doesn't have to be the ginormous stadium variety. More musical adventures in general but some more live stuff in particular. If there's dancing involved even better. Singing along goes without saying.

Hmmm, I'll pass this too. I definitely bought a decent amount of new music on iTunes this year. I went to see Pink, the Indigo Girls (in a smaller venue so that counts), Rent at the movies (not live but my fave musical anyway), the War of the Worlds, the Producers and I'm sure there must've been some other stuff in there too. Music is good. Next month is Bon Jovi (hawt rock dudes! yay!).

Indulgence number 5

Do some fun short courses or whatever that have nothing to do with writing. Something weird and wonderful just because it sounds cool. Rope some of the gals into trying them too!

No tick for me : ( I did a few writing courses but nothing else that falls into this category. I did start pilates reformer classes which was a change from mat but that's not quite the same. One for next year. Oh, wait a minute. I did do a quilting class (only a half day but still) and did some quilting stuff. Maybe a quarter of a tick?

Indulgence number 6

Cook more. Try new recipes, both healthy and indulgent. 3 or 4 a month. Traipse around some markets and experiment.

Half a tick. Cooking in general was very up and down this year, depending on how busy I was. I did try some new things out but not as much cooking for fun as I'd like.

Indulgence number 7

A real vacation even if it's a long weekend or something. Most of my leave tends to be writing related these days...so a trip somewhere that isn't.

Another nope. The lulu weekend away was writing related, so that doesn't count. And going to Dallas ate my annual leave. But in 2008 there will be trips to Tassie for weddings, some non-writing related travel around Nationals and, hopefully, a trip to see the brother and sil at some point.

Hmmm, I'm thinking that's about a 50% success rate. Not terrible but not great. More indulging needed in 2008. So I need to think about what that should be. More later!