
This morning, for example, on my way to the office, I was folded over the hood of someone's car. Now if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you might know that I had a number of close calls with drivers who seemed to have forgotten that pedestrians are a thing. 2017 seemed determined to carry on that threat.
And I'm not being hyperbolic. I was quite literally folded over the hood of someone's car this morning. Apparently, his eagerness to turn right on a red superceded the notion that perhaps he should check for pedestrians before he jumps out into the traffic. I screamed. Then I swore a blue streak at the driver before stomping off in a rage.
Because I'm a fucking lady.
And we all know that 2016 saw a rise in hate crimes, when the Nazis and other hate-mongers no longer feared to hide themselves. We're going to have to do something about that. We're going to have to stand up to them. And it can be scary. These people use intimidation and the threat of violence to silence people. They mistake fear for respect, I think.
We can't let that happen. We can't let them win. We can't stand by in silence. It's up to us. All of us.
Here is a brilliant blog post from John Scalzi, whom I follow not for the love of his books (though they're pretty awesome), but for the love of his view of the world, on the subject of the work ahead of us.
That said, it's not all doom and gloom and fighting for truth and justice. There are some bright spots out there, at least for me personally.
One of the brightest is that I have it on good authority that Daughters of Britain (the historical fiction I am obscenely proud of) is on the schedule for publishing this year. I'm really, really excited about it. I promise I shall keep you abreast of it all.
- Which reminds me. I still need to get my tattoo done! Damn it. I need more money. LE SIGH.
I got a PS4 for my birthday last year (thanks, little brother!), and started up a weekly livestream on Twitch. I'm currently playing Uncharted 4. The second live stream went up last night. I wasn't nearly as talkative on this one, as there was a LOT of story and I didn't want to miss it. The highlights will be going up on my YouTube channel sometime this week.
Last year, though I was dissastisfied with my progress, I did still manage to reach personal bests for my weightlifting stuff. And being frustrated with myself did help me set a pretty decent goal for myself in 2016. More on that later.
Honestly, I can't remember the resolutions I made for 2016. I'm pretty sure I hit the big one - get a publishing contract or an agent. Still working on the agent thing, but I got that contract (may it lead to many more). I do know that my goal of five pull-ups and chin-ups was thwarted. A broken finger can really mess with physical goals. That said, as irritating as that is, it's not actually my fault, so I can live with it. Barely.
That's really all I can remember of my aspirations for 2016. I've a lot to work on for 2017, so here are my goals.
(As an aside, I don't make resolutions, I make goals).
Professional
- Get an agent
- Finish writing Soldier
- Finish writing Outworlder
- Sell Skylark
Martial Arts
- Work towards my green sash. Even if I don't get it, I should know everything I need to know in order to get it.
- Continue to teach women's classes.
Personal
- Cardio in the mornings: Swimming Mon, Wed, Fri; Running Tue, Thu, Sat.
- Livestream every Monday night.
- Get those five pull ups.
- And those five chin ups.
- At least one painting/drawing per month - digital or real
There. That's quite enough to be getting on with, don't you think?
What about you lovely people? What are your goals for 2017? Let me know in the comments.
Ciao!