Obligatory New Years post

Of course, that time of year is upon us again, and I'm supposed to talk about resolutions that I've made for the following year. However, seeing as how I haven't quite completed the ones from the previous year, why don't I continue on to those, and then see what the new one brings?

- Move to New York (DONE!)
- Get a job at a NYC restaurant (DONE!)
- Put together a proposal for a compelling TV programme
- Specifically, for a vegan cooking show that goes into lifestyle and technique
- Shoot a pilot for it
- Move into Manhattan proper, rather than the boroughs
- Seriously watch that I get enough calories per day in a healthy manner, rather than relying on steamed vegetables with a bit of oil to sit in for the fat and boost the calorie count.
- Walk as much as possible (GOOD SO FAR!)
- Avoid cigarettes whenever possible, if not cut them out completely (GOOD SO FAR!)
- Keep my room clean
- For that matter, get my room clean
- Expand my horizons of grains that I'll try. I've more or less been content with whole wheat, oats, and rice for too long. I need to branch out to more of the Quinoa and Amaranth and barley, and Teff, and spelt and stuff more.
- Call my mother once a week (at least) to touch base

I've worked towards getting myself to where I'm in a better place now than I used to be, but I can't really start a fresh set of resolutions until I've completed the ones I'm working on. I did add in a couple there after talking to a friend of mine who gave me a free health consultation. I've never been one to get *too* worked up about health, as the doctor visits always told me I was doing fine, but as my dad always says, "There's always room for improvement."

My big thing now is working myself out of patterns that I've built for myself. I'm perfectly content to eat rice and beans for lunch, steamed veggies with some sesame oil and lime as a snack, raw salad with a bit of dressing for later snack, some whole wheat sandwich or another for dinner, and some raw tomato for breakfast the next day. I don't do it, but I've fallen into that trap so many times before, because it's so easy to do. Mind, it's not unhealthy, and I'm definitely getting many of the requirements for my day, but it's not what I should be doing as a cook. I need to get out there and explore a wider variety of grains, and start using them in my regular life.

Meanwhile, those things that I don't need, like cigarettes, alcohol, and processed foods, need not be so featured. I can also make the switch from taking juice to having the whole fruit itself. They're all little baby steps, but I certainly hope that I can stick with them, because I like where this is going!

Happy new year to you all!