Ooops

Frank totally "guilt-ed" me into naming my source for my survey--Alison, the best ex-co-worker a girl could have. Oh and by the way, my students would be furious (or thrilled) to see that I used "guilt" as a verb. I had that argument one too many times last quarter, by the way I KNOW it is not a verb. They didn't. Sigh. They also used "beach" as a verb.

So it's appropriate though not intended that this post is called "oops" because it will also contain goals for 2008.

1. Be more outgoing; learn to make smalltalk. I actually suck at this. It is ridiculously easy for me to be intidimated by people which makes me clam up so I am going to actively try to be more outgoing in social situations.

Take my plane ride for instance. Inwardly I groaned when the attractive guy who ogled me at the gate sate beside me. I like to keep to myself on airplane rides. It's often a long flight and if you start the smalltalk early then what do you when you are out of things to say and you just really want to read your book? But I smiled and responded to him when he talked to me. He seemed to like to be deep (which I am sure I disappointed him with my silence and chick lit book) and actually came up with a clever/stoner view of post modernism which I am so using when I teach. There was an awkward moment when I started reading my book when I think he wanted to keep talking but I did talk to him later on in the flight. It amazed me how much information he divulged, his many run ins with the law, his drug addictions, how acid has given him enough deep material to ponder the rest of his life, how society is composed of mindless drones who are placated by the evening news, etc.

2. Be more optimistic.

3. Continue being more optimistic.

4. Be patient.

I also have some more specific goals but I don't need to tell you everything. These are just the ones that are the least tangible and hopefully I can use the blog to record my progress. We'll see.