Out with (most of) the old, In with the (mostly) new!

2011 is fast approaching, so I thought I’d take a look at what I had hoped to get done in 2010:

• Make my own beer and/or cider: Pass! Made a batch of cider, and it’s been pretty well-received!


• Get an Arduino and start playing around with electronics: Unfortunately, this never got off the ground.


• Join Jamie’s Food Revolution with Virginia: We didn’t get to the blogging, or actually doing one recipe from each chapter, but we definitely worked harder on cooking fresh and local food, so I’d call this a pass.


• Test for 5th Kyu in Aikido: Yeah…so that didn’t happen.


• Learn how to can food: Definitely a pass! Took a canning class with Gayla Trail of YouGrowGirl fame, and even made my own pickled garlic scapes.

Part of the reason I’ve tended to be against setting goals is because, in my experience, life can take you in a lot of unexpected (and fun) directions when you stay flexible. For example, while I didn’t get my 5th Kyu test done or play around with electronics, I did move to a different province and take on a cool new job. In my books, not getting to those items isn’t a failure, just some cool things that I’ll have to try for again next year. And on that note, here are the things I’d like to do in 2011:

• Get set up in our new house: This is kind of a priority, but since we move in early 2011, I suspect that this one will be hit with relative ease.


• Test for 5th Kyu in Aikido: That one is definitely still on the list. I’ve changed dojos, so there’s been a bit of an adjustment, but I think I’m on track to pull this one off in 2011.


• Grow more of my own food: Thanks to the move to Newfoundland, I was able to buy a house with a normal-sized lot, so there’s plenty of potential there. I’m thinking of playing around with edible landscaping in the front yard, if for no other reason than to reduce the amount of lawn I have to mow.


• Help the local food folks: The local food movement in Newfoundland is starting to get a real head of steam on it, and I’m hoping to help out in 2011. Not entirely sure what that’ll look like, but that’s half the fun!


• Expand my fermentations beyond cider: Cider is fun, and I plan to do another batch early in 2011, but I would also like to try my hand at beer, or maybe mead.

2011 is shaping up to be another busy and exciting year. Bring it on!