Jojo's Lenten Goals

Hey all!

Everybody knows that I LOVE burgers, like "Sam I Am" loved green eggs and ham, like Monty Python loved Spam. I'd eat a burger on a plane, bus, train, motorboat, DeLorean, skateboard, scooter, fire truck, you get the idea. So it's with a heavy heart that I've decided to give up all red meat and chicken for the 2009 Lenten season.

I have to admit that three weeks prior I had already decided to stop eating red meat and chicken during the work week. And like Ana, it was mostly a vanity project. Yeah, it's healthy, good for the environment, and would save me money because I'd have to cook more. Those are all reasons that I'm doing this and they're all good reasons. But I'm going to be honest here- the most important reason I'm doing this is because I want to look sexy. There, I said it. I've started working out again, going to the gym three times a week, drinking more water. Red meat/chicken was going to be my weekend reward for a job well done during the week. But alas, I have given up my initial reward- looking drop-dead gorgeous is going to have to be it's own reward I suppose.

On another note, in addition to giving up my beloved burgers, I will also start reading more. My goal is to be constantly engrossed in one fiction and one non-fiction book. The non-fiction is pretty easy, it's the fiction part that I always have trouble with. It's not that I don't like fiction, I love it. It's just that since non-fiction is so much more applicable to the things I'm interested in, my attention is always drawn away from any book I start. So, my first non-fiction book is "The Fate of Africa," a broad survey of the trials, tribulations, and successes on the continent after independence. My fiction book will be "Bauldolino," a book by the Italian author and professo Umberto Eco. I've been trying to read the damn thing for 4 years, but I always get sidetracked. To keep myself honest, I will report on both books at least once a week. I swear!

The final thing. As you all know, I currently reside in the largest city in our country. And while I do not intend on living here forever, it is my intention to enjoy my time here to the fullest extent possible. With that in mind, every day I get an email update on free things to do in the city. During the summer and fall, I was pretty good at attending these free activities, because it was warm and light outside by the time work was over. But as the cold weather set in, and it became much easier just to lay around and watch episodes of the The Daily Show in my underwear. Well, to that I say- NO MORE! Be it resolved, that I will attend at least one free fun activity every week even if it's by myself.

I promise to keep you all updated on the progress of all three of my goals. Until next time.


Jojo