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Arda's back

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Wow, I haven't posted all decade. How are you? I hope you are well! Let's take a look at last year's resolutions and see how I did (a check-in a month or so ago indicated poorly).

Last year's resolutions:

Read five books
I read 14 according to Goodreads (some very short), and 5 were full-length adult novels so got this one!

Reread The Fellowship of the Ring
Only the prologue and part of the first chapter, but I don't think I've read the prologue before but it's quite good for a reread! I'd skip it the first time though.

Finish a dang fanfic already
Would you even believe it, I posted 5 fics this year. Don't know when I wrote some of them, but they were all edited and shared this year! Got more comfortable with posting content in general too, silly or no, so that was fun.

Be more intentional with physical/mental health
A little bit sometimes haha.

Make at least one video
I think I did some tv show edits, but none of me doing music stuff. 

Go to daily Mass on a semi-regular basis
Music ministry kept me doing this through the summer, but less this fall. Though I have also gone of my own accord like...twice! So that's something lol.

Punch social anxiety in the face
I'm trying! I'm volunteering with people some but still struggling with this quite a lot.

Learn to cook

Well, I got okay at making mac and cheese for myself (which I'm going to have to relearn because of ingredient changes)! And I made a list of things I can make and the details of them, so that's a start. Didn't learn anything new or fancy though. 

This year's resolutions: (difficult to make as I do not have 2020 vision)

Read parts of six books

New idea - maybe I don't have to finish books? Maybe I'd get more reading done if I didn't put that pressure on myself and just went for sections of books that I found interesting, or read one for a while and then switched it up? Don't know! But may as well try something new. Also audiobooks are now valid as I listened to half of one and liked it.

Reread The Fellowship of the Ring
Take two!

Learn Latin prayers and songs

Prayers to work on - The Sign of the Cross, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, possibly Mass/LotH responses

Songs to work on - Ave Maris Stella, Ave Regina Coelorum, Dies Irae, Sanctus (Mass VIII), Ubi Caritas

Songs to have down - Adoro Te, Alma Redemptoris Mater, Attende Domine, Rorate Caeli, Veni Creator Spiritus

My new hobby this year was learning Latin chant and it has been a real joy, and actually came in handy a couple times at church! I got fairly acquainted with pronunciation and a bit with reading chant notation, though I have much to learn! Some of my favorite pieces still trip me up with the words, so I'd like to get those down, learn more, and become acquainted some common prayers in Latin so I can recognize them and keep up if the need should arise (unlikely but who knows!).

Regular Mass/adoration during the week

Maybe I can't do morning Mass all the time, but would like to stretch to going to another Mass or hour of adoration a week. Lately I've had a couple weeks of 1 Mass and 1 hour of adoration made up of many short visits haha.

Get a solid wardrobe together

I'd like to take stock of things and maybe go for that capsule wardrobe. Doesn't have to be completely solid colors. That's partly a joke and also a reminder to myself that I can wear things other than solid navy and black.

Improve at cooking
A few good meals would be helpful to have down!

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas to you all! For those who have better vision than I - what are your plans or hopes for 2020?