Catching Up -- Great Thrift, the Mayflower/New Park Collection, Museum Doings, and Pride in SLC

From June 2010

Great thrift
To prepare for working with the very dirty (real dirt, not naughty dirt) collection below, I visited a number of thrift stores in the Salt Lake City area. The best ones were the DIs (Deseret Industries). Nope, that's not a typo. These very clean, organized, and super-cheap thrift stores run by the LDS folks. Speaking of clean, I cleaned up with $5 and $3 jeans and a couple of $5 shirts. Can't beat it with a stick!

The Mayflower/New Park Mining Company Collection

From June 2010

Here's where it started for me, well, a portion of it started here. Some of it started below:

From June 2010

What you're not seeing is the 1/4 in. of dirt and dust covering all of it.

From June 2010

It's also hard to see how very interesting this collection of mining company records is. It's full of canceled checks (with corresponding duplicates and some triplicates), vouchers, union news, stockholder information, personnel records, and more from between 1927-1963.

From June 2010

Some of the records were not in any boxes, stacked loosely (and dustily) on shelves. But we (the History Chicks and I) lightly brushed loose as much dirt and dust as we could outside the storage facility and packed up a truck full of boxes.

From June 2010

We moved the truckload of records from a suburb of Salt Lake City to another (new, very clean, and climate controlled) storage facility down the highway from Park City.

From June 2010

Since the move, we've been sorting through the records -- some packed into small file drawers in very haphazard ways, and some very tidily filed in alphabetical (mostly) order.

From June 2010

We have a lot of work to do, arranging this collection and re-ordering the records that were seemingly shoved in a box or drawer without logic. Describing it all should be fun, I think, because there's just so much meaty stuff -- from the records on the military men who were sent to work in the mines to the mine surveys.

From June 2010

Some of the adventure will take place in the storage facility, and some will happen in a processing area within the archives of the museum. At the moment, though, we're waiting for some much-needed supplies to arrive. In the meantime, I'll be working my way through Past Perfect, creating the framework for the digital descriptions. Frankly, I think there's no better way to learn a new program than by putting it to practical use while keeping the manual open in front of me.

From June 2010

That's the view as I drive back to the museum from the storage facility. I had just taken the photo right as the light turned -- no, I wasn't driving and taking pictures at the same time.

Museum Doings

From June 2010

In preparation for next Saturday's Park City Historic Home Tours, the museum folks (volunteers and staff) tie ceremonial ribbons around historical homes around town. I walked with a fellow History Chick up one of the streets with quite a few historical homes (some even in the booklet I helped prepare for this year's tour), tying the purple and gold ribbons around posts so that the folks taking the tour could find the homes easily.

From June 2010

I'm pretty excited to see some of the homes (and businesses) that will be open to tour-takers on the 26th. While some of the houses are in rough shape, the open ones have been updated and/or restored since they were originally built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

From June 2010

Tonight, the Castillos came to sing Mexican ballads and folk songs (as well as some classic American songs) and talk to museum visitors about their lives. Visitors asked them questions, and the Castillos graciously answered all the questions.

Pride in SLC

From June 2010

I wish I had taken more and better photos of Pride weekend in Salt Lake City. But, it was good just to be a part of the experience. It was bittersweet, though, because being there alone really made me miss Thom, Rosie, and Bo -- all of whom would have had a good time at the festival. SLC makes quite a big deal of the thing with a weekend-long celebration -- loads of live music, a big parade, marches, rallies, and more.

So, that's my update for the first half of June. Hopefully, I'll have another one before the end of the month.

Waking Up in Utah

From May 2010 photos

That photo was taken the day after we arrived at my in-laws' in Utah. Snow, on May 24. Quite a change from the 90 degree F weather we'd left back in Jersey. But it's warming up a bit, day by day.

From May 2010 photos

This was the sunrise two days ago. I'm really looking forward to enjoying that every day on my commute to Park City.

From May 2010 photos

The view out the front door. Snow-capped peaks. What could be better?

More next week on the work at the Park City Museum. Stay tuned!

The Shakespeare Garden in Plainfield, NJ

From May 2010 photos

One of the great things about local libraries is that they collect marvelous local treasures. Recently, I wrapped up a re-processing project on just one of those treasures. The collection I refoldered, rearranged, and documented was the Plainfield Garden Club's records. Along with the well-used files I processed, the collection includes photos, slides, and scrapbooks detailing the activities of these talented and dedicated home and civic gardeners dating back to 1915. If you're interested in more details of the club, here's the finding aid.

Within the records researchers can find the history of the famed Shakespeare Garden in Cedar Brook Park. I had the great fortune of spending Mondays with these documents, sifting through the meeting minutes and treasurer's reports until I almost felt that one of these garden ladies (who all referred to each other as Mrs. Husband's-Name-Here) would walk through the Local History doorway and invite me to tea.

It seemed only right that I should pay my respects to at least one of their civic works.

From May 2010 photos

It's a lovely little garden, still well tended, at one end of a sprawling local park. My fellow library volunteer, historic Plainfield resident, and schoolmate, Michelle was kind enough to accompany me on a visit last week. It was a bit early in the garden's season, but we saw the beginnings of what promises to be some lovely blooms.

From May 2010 photos

The garden features all the flowers, herbs, and plants referred to in the famed Bard's works. Alas, we were a bit early for the roses, but we did see these bluebells.

From May 2010 photos

Like many English gardens, the shapes of the beds were maintained impeccably.

From May 2010 photos

I knew a few of the plants and flowers, but not these. Anyone know? They were growing under a tree, so I assume they tend to be found in part shade.

From May 2010 photos

Some very fragrant purple sage.

From May 2010 photos

If you decide to visit the Shakespeare Garden in Plainfield, do continue walking through the park. You will happen upon a lovely little pond, here and there sprinkled with irises at the edges.

From May 2010 photos

Directions.

Book Review: Viva Vegan!

Viva Vegan, the newest book by Terry Hope Romero (of Veganomicon, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World fame) is an excellent resource for newbies to Latin cooking (like me!). One of the aspects of Romero's books that I find particularly useful is all the tips and other helpful information in the front of the book as well as throughout the recipes. Reading through the cookbook, I felt like I could easily try the recipes and achieve good results.

I'm really looking forward to making my own vegan seitan (I don't know of any non-vegan seitan), especially the Chorizo Seitan Sausages Romero describes in Viva Vegan! I suspect that they will become our new favorites. She also details how to make authentic vegan refried beans from dried beans -- a technique I've not yet tried, but can't wait to do.

I would have liked more photos (always seem to want more photos in cookbooks, so there it is), but overall, I find the book to be very accessible and appealing. The recipes read well and are organized effectively, and the ingredients aren't tough to find (at least here in New Jersey). The menus and cooking techniques in the appendices are very helpful, as are the notes in the front and the tips throughout. As per all her previous books, I'd say it's going to be a big hit with vegans and the folks who love them.

SOURCE Book Conservation Workshop with Maria Pisano

From April 2010 photos

On April 17, SOURCE at Rutgers hosted a highly entertaining and educational book conservation workshop with guest instructor, Maria Pisano (shown above). Maria provided us with loads of handy resources for conservation and preservation, and gave us a short history of some of the materials used in book preservation. Our workshop was primarily targeted toward students who might have an interest in working with special collections or with circulating books that require conservation.

From April 2010 photos

The SOURCE group was a mix of first-semester MLIS students and those of us who are graduating now or in a semester. It was a well-attended event, complete with a yummy lunch.

Maria first taught us how to bind our own book using library board, heavy-weight acid-free paper, and linen thread. We later used the book as a place to display our material samples. (I took a boatload of photos of Maria's technique which are available on my Facebook page here.)

From April 2010 photos

Maria also taught us how to cut and make our own rare/fragile book enclosure (shown above). When I did my independent study project last semester, I requested a few of these from Tim for the Suellen Glashausser artists' books.

From April 2010 photos

She also showed us how to keep very descriptive records of conservation work, describing the paper, damage, printing, structure, repairs, etc. She showed us how to make mylar covers for books as well as clamshell boxes and self-closing wrappers.

From April 2010 photos

Finally, Maria showed us how to use Japanese papers as well as filmoplast to repair tears in paper. She used dry techniques rather than wet ones due to the limitations of the space. I would have liked to have experienced some hands-on work with wet repairs, but I plan to gain this experience in another workshop, hopefully by the end of the summer.

Overall, it was very useful to have Maria Pisano show us these techniques and share with us her experience in the field. She is an excellent resource, and I hope that Rutgers brings her back to teach a semester-long course as part of a conservation track.

Hot, Hot, Hot

It's a bit too early to be summer, but tell that to the weather! In the meantime, my tulips have bloomed, the forget-me-nots are starting, and the primulae are having a grand old time. I'll be out taking some photos just as soon as the columbines start to bloom (any day now at this rate), but until then, feel free to feast your eyes on a few of last year's April photos:

From April 2009 Recipes, Reviews, and other photos

From April 2009 Recipes, Reviews, and other photos

From April 2009 Recipes, Reviews, and other photos

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

Last night, John and I watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I applaud Oliver for trying so hard to wake up the citizens (especially the lunch ladies) of the unhealthiest town in America. While some have said it was heavily scripted (as many reality shows tend to be), I really don't care. It was the message that impressed me.

We were horrified by the fact that the 6 year olds could not identify the vegetables Oliver held up, but heartened by the fact that the teacher took it upon herself to teach the kids what they were. If the kids don't know what the vegetables are, it could mean one or more of the following:

1. All of their vegetables (if they eat any beyond potatoes) are processed.
2. Their parents no longer cook food, preferring instead to heat things.
3. Their parents do not have them participate in the purchasing and cooking of food.

John and I both remember being taught about food in school. What happened to this part of their education? Has it gone the way of music classes?

I hope that Oliver's work does not go unnoticed, especially by parents. The segment of the show that focused on the morbidly obese family was very interesting. I'm glad they finally got the point when the doctor explained the potential health problems facing their son. I'm also glad Oliver stayed and became part of the solution, despite the fact his family is back in the U.K. waiting for him.

The major issue I had with the program was food waste. I sincerely hope Oliver took all the meals that were not selected (in favor of pizza) to a local food bank. We have a big problem with folks going hungry right here in America, and watching all that food being wasted was painful, to say the least.

While we are not parents, we are concerned about the future of our country. In these times of phenomenally expensive health care, we really need to refocus on how to make healthy, fresh, organic foods less expensive so that it becomes cheaper to eat healthily than to eat poorly.

Remember when our mom's used to say "You are what you eat?" It's true. As the country's diet has gone downhill, so has our global competitiveness and innovation. The sooner we return to caring about our health and the health of our fellows, the better we will do.

Just my 50 cents (inflation, you know).

Book Review: The Art of Eating In

The Art of Eating In, by Cathy Erway is an autoblogography set in print. What I mean by that is that Erway's blog about not eating out in New York landed her a book deal about her life. Erway commits to not going to restaurants for food for a year (a very tough thing to do in a city that accommodates every diet and taste imaginable), and chronicles her experiences along the way. But don't expect the book to be like the blog, because it's much more personal with far fewer recipes (sadly!). The parts I really enjoyed were about her adventures with the Freegans, learning how to forage for food in NY's parks, sustainable dining, and the "underground" supper clubs. I also liked reading about her eating experiences with her family.

It was sad to read of her relationship challenges, especially the one fellow who didn't support her not eating out habit. But, she's better for it. I think it could have been somewhat shorter and included less of the minutia of her life (I ended up skipping over those portions when they appeared because I preferred the parts listed above). However, the majority of the book is carefully written and demonstrates that anyone can make these changes.

Since 2006, John and I have been saving money by limiting the number of times we eat out per month. It's not that big of a sacrifice, especially if you love to cook (and have dietary restrictions). It just requires a little planning and time management. Since I volunteer at a local co-op, I also have access to very fresh, organic foods on a regular basis. Along with the economic savings, the results have included spending more time exploring all my cookbooks, improving our cooking techniques, having more meaningful dining experiences, and savoring the times when we do eat out.

I was disappointed by how few recipes there were in Erway's book, but I did make an altered go of her Peppercorn, Potato, and Parmesan No-Knead Bread (sans cheese). The resulting bread was way too peppery for all the folks who tried it, but I would definitely try the core recipe again, perhaps with herbs. A short video of my experience follows.

More Snow

This was my view from the hall window on Feb. 10:

From February 2010 photos

We're having another storm as I write this, and Rutgers has just canceled night classes (which means no Manuscripts & Archives class for me, unfortunately). I predict I will have a similar view by 7 am tomorrow morning.

I love the snow and winter. When I lived in Upper Montclair (nearly an hour north of here by car and a world away by other measurements) and it snowed, I would walk down to Brookdale Park, marveling at how the trees looked so black against the snow. These tall trees would stretch their branches over the street and some snow would just hang there among the branches while the rest filtered through onto the street and me.

Make Your Own Low-Fat, Egg-Free Salad

From February 2010 photos

Since I began volunteering at the George Street Co-op a few years ago, I have eaten my share of vegan "egg-salad" made from tofu. The Co-op sells small containers for more than $3.00 a piece, so I decided to save some cash by making my own. Today, when I read the ingredient list on the packages in the "Grab-and-Go" refrigerator, I discovered that except for the fresh parsley (which I decided to omit), I had all the ingredients.

I started by picking up some Lite Firm Tofu from Nasoya. It has the perfect texture for fake egg or chicken salads, stir frys, and much more. I'm so glad they developed a low-fat version because it makes such a big difference when I'm trying to cut fat from my diet.

From February 2010 photos

My recipe is very easily and quickly made. However, it does improve over a little time, so I recommend making it an hour or two prior to eating. It yields 3-4 servings, depending on the size of your sandwich/serving.

Deb's Low-Fat, Egg-Free Salad

Ingredients:

1 14-oz package low-fat, firm tofu cut into 1/4 in. cubes
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
2 1/2 tablespoons Veganaise (I use the grapeseed oil version)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and stir until well combined.
2. Chill for 1-2 hours, then enjoy!

From February 2010 photos

Egg Roll Deliciousness

From February 2010 photos

Even though I'm trying to omit all animal product from my life in order to drop my cholesterol, I thought I'd try some Nasoya Asian Style Egg Roll wrappers. They did not disappoint.

Last week, I made egg rolls and scallion pancakes as part of an Asian-inspired dinner, and used the recipe on the outside of the egg roll packet to make the crispy appetizers. I made a few substitutions (which I probably will not make again), but they were very tasty nonetheless. The directions on the back of the packet showed precisely how to roll and fold the wrappers, but left out the important direction of lightly wetting the end to seal it against the roll. The wrappers fried up nicely. I did not deep fry them, but instead fried them in 1/8 in. of oil. They didn't take long to cook, and stayed closed while frying.

I also made my own dipping sauces with a low-sodium soy sauce and red pepper flakes, as well as a mock duck sauce using a no-sugar-added plum spread mixed with a little water and also some red pepper flakes. Both were fun dips for the crunchy egg rolls.

My rating: A for for Nasoya's egg roll wrappers (would have been A+ if they were vegan).

Stereotactic Breast Biopsy Info

Recently, my blog has been visited by more than a handful of women who are either approaching a stereotactic breast biopsy, or who have just experienced one and are researching the topic. As those of you who have been following this blog since 2008 (or earlier) know, I documented my experiences with the procedure in excruciating detail.

While at first I was concerned about the level of detail I shared here, it turns out that fellow patients are very glad that I did because they have not been adequately prepared for the experience. And how could they be? How many of the nurses and radiological surgeons have actually experienced the procedure? My guess is not many. I sincerely hope that fewer women need to go through this, although I'm glad of the clear results.

All that to say, I just thought I would provide all the links to the original series of posts on the topic in one post. This way, the facts and personal events I've shared are easy to locate.

As always, I encourage fellow travelers down this road to please share their experiences in the comments section. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Here are the links:

Post 1
Post 2
Post 3
Post 4

Restaurant Review: One World Cafe (Everybody Eats), Salt Lake City, UT

Because John and I have the great good fortune of traveling to the Salt Lake City area a few times a year, I always seek out different things to do when I'm on my own and he's fishing with his dad. A few weeks ago, during our Christmas visit, I decided to try One World Cafe, otherwise known as Everybody Eats. The cafe is unique in that the diner sets his/her price for the food. In fact, if a diner wishes to volunteer time working at the restaurant, he/she can earn full meal vouchers.

The cafe is located in the university part of town, not far (driving-wise) from many interesting parts of the city, including the arboretum. The food I tasted included a variety of items from roasted potatoes to mixed greens and penne with sun-dried tomatoes to veggie stir fry. Overall, the food was tasty and warm (good for the cold days of winter). More importantly, I was grateful to help an organization that provides very low-cost meals to those who could scarcely eat elsewhere.

Go visit One World Cafe in Salt Lake City.

Yet Even More Great Art to See in New Jersey

If you can get to the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, in Summit, before March 19, you will have the great luck of seeing their 24th International Juried Show. Additionally, both upstairs and downstairs are wonderful examples of encaustic-style works.

A friend and I recently visited the center and saw both the show and the encaustic art, and were fascinated.

Also, the center offers loads of workshops and classes for both adults and children. I'm looking forward to taking the encaustic classes and learning more about this unique technique.

Go See the Art As Action Exhibit at the Printmaking Council of New Jersey

From January 2010 photos

Last week, Tanya (whose back you see in the photo above) and I experienced the very powerful Art As Action exhibit at the Printmaking Council of New Jersey. Displayed in the photo above is a portion of Karen Guancione's Found Journal work. Throughout the Library Gallery are hung pages of handmade rice paper printed with selections from a diary, as well as items of clothing captured within pages of Ms. Guancione's paper. The diary is one the artist found while walking through Branchburg Park in Newark, N.J. in 1997. She tried to find the owner of the diary to return it (along with a pile of other belongings found at the park).

From January 2010 photos

The artist was unable to locate the diary's owner, but was so struck by the story contained within the notebook that she was determined to share this woman's tragic story with a larger audience through a large installation. Essentially, it is the stark telling of love and loss, colored by addiction and homelessness. The journal's writer acknowledges that she has made a series of bad choices, but will wait forever for her love.

From January 2010 photos

Walking through the Library Gallery, reading the pages that surrounded us -- some excerpts of the more complete pages, some single lines of text -- both Tanya and I were silenced by the words of one woman whose descent was chronicled from jail worker in love with an addict inmate to junkie and homeless prostitute.

From January 2010 photos

In addition to Ms. Guancione's moving piece, the Art As Action exhibit also included works by J. Catherine Bebout, Curlee Raven Holton, Doris Nogueira-Rogers, and Erik Ruin. I emailed all the artists to request permission to post photos of their work online here, but only Ms. Guancione and Ms. Nogueira-Rogers responded.

From January 2010 photos

Above is one of the beautiful pieces displayed in Ms. Nogueira-Rogers' section. It is Lace and Layer VII, one in a series of mixed media pieces that combine block printing and other techniques to achieve the layered affect. My photo does not do it justice.

I highly recommend going to visit the Art As Action exhibit at the Printmaking Council of New Jersey. You can find directions at the council's web site. Just so you can recognize the building, here's a photo of the exterior.

From January 2010 photos

The Soup That Conquered My Cold

From January 2010 photos

If you ever catch a cold, please, please, please try this soup. It kicked my cold's tush and tasted incredible to boot! The original recipe comes from my favorite new cookbook, Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health.

It's called Ginger Tofu Soup, and is definitely heavy on the ginger and tofu. However, the original is very short on liquid, so I added quite a bit more liquid; skipped the celery; and added mushrooms, carrots, and baby spinach instead. It makes quite a bit of soup, so feel free to freeze a portion or two, or share it with friends.

You might be wondering why my tofu looks a little different than fresh-out-of-the-package-creamy tofu. It's because I freeze my fresh tofu from the co-op prior to using it. When tofu freezes, it takes on a great spongy quality that I prefer over the less-textured variety.

From January 2010 photos

Now the recipe, greatly inspired by the Ginger Tofu Soup recipe on page 121 of The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health book.

Cold Kicking Soup

Ingredients

8 cups vegetable broth (I made mine from low-sodium boullion)
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 2-in. piece of fresh ginger sliced very thinly and cut into 1/2-in. pieces
4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1-lb package tofu cut into 1/2-in cubes (remember I used a package that had been frozen and thawed for extra texture)
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 cup matchstick carrots (basically carrots cut into matchstick-sized pieces)
1 1/2 cups cooked mixed rices (I used a Lundberg mix of wild and brown rices)

Directions

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, bring the broth to a boil.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, and soy sauce to the broth and reduce the heat to a low simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the tofu cubes, then the vegetables, and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the rice and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Serve hot and enjoy!

From January 2010 photos

The Benefits of Signing Up for Email Newsletters

Like you, I receive a lot of email. Fortunately, spam filters do a great job of filtering out the junk. One category of email I receive is email newsletters from stores I frequent. In particular, I receive notifications from EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) of sales, etc. Earlier this week, I received a great offer -- free Smartwool socks for the first 10 coupon holders at the store when it opened today. Well, I'm a big fan of Smartwool socks, wearing them almost exclusively, and I wasn't about to waste an opportunity to receive $50 worth of great socks.

So I phoned the store yesterday and asked what time they opened today. As it turned out, they opened 2 hours earlier than usual (8 am). I set my alarm for 6 am and left the house by 7 am. There were already three cars in the parking lot by the time I arrived. By 7:30, a small queue of us free Smartwool fans had formed.

What I have neglected to mention was that it was COLD this morning at 7. However, I was prepared, wearing Smartwool hikers, long underwear, and my big parka. My line friend was not, having left her gloves at home. I considered lending her mine, but I didn't have any glove liners to keep my hands warm, so instead I kept her company by striking up a lively conversation. She and I spoke about skiing to pass the time (which tends to slow when you're chilled).

Eventually, we made it inside, and I was the last person to receive a box of three pairs of socks. It was very exciting. I also bought a Techwick shirt to take along to Utah. John laughed at me and said, "They got you!" I laughed, having bought the shirt for 30% off and less than the cost of the socks, even on sale.

All that to say, you never know what you can get for free until you sign up for a newsletter.

Guest Post from The World's Strongest Librarian

This week, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Josh Hanagarne, host of The World's Strongest Librarian blog. He's guest posting on how it doesn't take a date like 1 Jan. to change the way we live and resolve to live better. Please welcome Josh!

A World Without Calendars
By Josh Hanagarne, World’s Strongest Librarian

If you just pretend that calendars were never invented, the notion of New Year’s Resolutions is pretty silly. We all want to be better. We all want to be happier. We all want to become something…more, right? Even if it’s just more than we were the day before.

So why would something as trivial as a particular date on the calendar mean it was finally time to set things in motion and take control of our lives?

Madness, I tell you!

And yet...if you’re anything like me, you’ve made goals that you haven’t followed through on. Lots of those goals were probably born on New Year’s and dead by February.

So what’s the matter with us? (or just me, if you’re one of the go-getters)

Why make goals anyway?

Goals often come from fears, insecurities, longing, skewed priorities, and lacks. Let’s look at a very common goal: weight loss. It can stem from:

• Fear of bad health, death, or disease
• Insecurity about our appearance
• Lack of self-confidence, self-love, self-esteem, take your pick

Nothing is more simple than weight loss. Burn more calories than you eat and go build some muscle. That’s it. But just because it is simple doesn’t mean that, for many people, it isn’t a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

It isn’t insurmountable. Very few of the goals we set are.

The only goal that matters

The best advice I ever heard about goals was from a strength coach during a lecture about how to swing a kettlebell. Dan John looked at us all and said something I’ll never forget.

The goal is always to keep the goal the goal.

I just stood there with my mouth open. It was like being hit in the head with a hammer made of profundity and simplicity. It was simple, but not simplistic.

In other words, pick a goal and don’t get distracted. Once you pick a goal, your new task is to avoid being distracted by anything that slows the progress towards the goal.

This is just the world according to Lame-o Josh, but I really believe that we don’t achieve our goals because it’s easier not to. That’s it. We seek the path of least resistance and do what comes naturally and easily.

Remember, goals are born out of things we lack. The admission that we lack something can be uncomfortable. Self scrutiny ain’t a whole lot of fun sometimes. When you turn over rocks and take a good long look at yourself, what you find can be turbulent and troubling. What could be more natural than to replace the rock and pretend you never saw it in the first place?

A new definition of want?

“I want this.” Really?

I would gently suggest that the reason we don’t achieve so many of our goals is because we don’t really want them. We just say we want them because, well, it’s that time of year and that’s what we do.

When I want something, I get it. And if I don’t get it, I force myself to admit that I may not have wanted it as bad as I thought. I don’t beat myself up over it, I just admit that my priorities weren’t what I thought or that they changed. That maybe “want” wasn’t the right word. There is a vast difference between saying you want something out of habit and being driven to get it.

I believe that when I want something, I can prove it to you by matching my behaviors, thoughts, words, and patterns to the goal.

My intent here is not to prove to you that you don’t want the things you say you want. Or that you don’t really need the things you say you want. Rather, this is just my small attempt to think out loud in the hopes that each of us can be more honest with ourselves in the next couple of weeks while we’re thinking about what we want to accomplish next year.

Find your weaknesses, make a plan to change them, and then do it. Whatever your goal is, first, the goal is to keep the goal the goal.

The thought that we need calendars and dates to better ourselves is ludicrous. We each owe ourselves the best things that life has to offer. There are few things better and more satisfying than constant, steady progress towards something that matters to you.

Hold onto your calendars, but as far as setting goals for yourself, just pretend that every day from now on is January 1. (Minus the hangovers).

Josh Hanagarne
Get Stronger, Get Smarter, Live Better…Every Day

About the Author: Josh Hanagarne is the twitchy giant behind World’s Strongest Librarian, a blog about living with Tourette’s Syndrome, kettlebells, book recommendations, buying pants when you’re 6’8”, old-time strongman training, and much more. Please subscribe to Josh’s RSS Updates to stay in touch.