January goals

I'm not into making broad-sweeping annual resolutions (considering only 8% of people even keep them), but I like to set little monthly, hopefully attainable goals. I write them down on the side of my planner as a daily reminder (yes I still use a planner, I like tangible things).

 January's goals were:

1. Visit NAAM and Henry Art Gallery
2. Stop saying "like"
3. Read at least one book per month


Well, looking back, goals 2. and 3. were actually broad-sweeping annual resolutions that I made this year; to read more and to stop saying "like". I was having a casual conversation with a friend a few weeks back and took pause at the number of times I said "like" during it.
He agreed that I said it A LOT. Why should I stop using "like" you ask?

While there are many grammatically appropriate ways to use "like" in a sentence, many young people, and a few older ones as well, use the word as filler in sentences, cluttering up their speech and making them sound unsure and possible even uneducated.
If you're a habitual "like" user, you're not alone. Even the President is known to use a few "likes" in his everyday speech. Yet helping to curb your habit and refining your speech patterns can be a big benefit when you're looking for work, giving presentations in your college classes, or even just out on a date. Read on to find some methods, tips, and tricks that can help you make short work of getting all those unnecessary "likes" out of your speech.

I've been working on it the past couple weeks and have noticed some improvement. I sometimes find myself awkwardly pausing to think of a better word, but that's ok.

I want to see the James Baldwin exhibition at NAAM and just visit The Henry in general. If I don't make it to them this month they will go on next month's to-do list.

I'm re-reading Stumbling on Happiness after watching the documentary Happy a couple weeks ago, and finishing The Jane Austen Book Club. Clearly I'm still into light reads.

Earlier this month I saw "The Book of Mormon" in Seattle and had mixed feelings about it. I binged on movie going last weekend with Barbara at SIFF, Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook—all excellent.  I've still been hittin' the gym regularly and going to Zumba. I made salmon chowder for a long overdue dinner with a friend last night. We both remarked at how refreshing it was to take our time and just sit and chat and not feel the pressure of a restaurant setting. I played Cannonball Adderley and we talked at the dinner table for over an hour; our love language is quality time.