Come each New Years, my annual tradition in this blog is to forgo resolutions and instead make Predictions of Varying Certainty for the coming year. During the year, I take pains to avoid re-reading my most recent New Years blog so that I'm maximally surprised/amused when I revisit the list 365-ish days later.
This little game is more fun when the predictions are riskier, but over the years, as my life has settled into increasingly familiar patterns, it's become more difficult to make predictions that fall into the sweet spot of "plausible but not boring" while still maintaining a positive and hopeful outlook fitting for a new year. (For example, at this point, predicting that a friend will get married is a boring certainty. Predicting that someone will get divorced is a more interesting but decidedly more assholish list item.) Still, the mental work of compiling a list of happy things that I can feel reasonably optimistic about coming to pass is a pleasant way to kick off a new calendar.
Predictions of Varying Certainty for 2014:
- I will pass my major exam and come up with a[n undoubtedly preliminary] dissertation topic.
- GR will teach me how to drive manual transmission cars, for real this time.
- I will hold a baby. (You guys, I've never held a baby before.)
- I will attend at least one baseball game at either Wrigley or Fenway.
- At least three close friends (i.e., Facebook acquaintances don't count) will buy houses.
-
I will continue to work my part-time/remote job, even though I will
also continue to find it incrementally more frustrating to balance it
all with my teaching and grad work.
- I will find teaching a literature class more fun than teaching a writing class.
- I will visit at least one new state.
How Prescient I Actually Was:
- Success! I'll be writing a draft of my dissertation prospectus in the coming weeks.
- Failure. GR and I had one stick-shift driving lesson over the summer, and we've since agreed that no reasonable person can expect to competently learn to drive stick in the city of Boston, what with the hills and the tiny streets and the daredevil pedestrians.
- Failure. You guys, I've still never held a baby.
- Yep! A trip to Fenway was how GR and I celebrated our fifth anniversary. BONUS SPORTS: We also went to a Hawks game a couple weeks ago.
- I cheated a bit on this one; I knew at least a couple friends who were actively house-hunting when I made my prediction list, so this unsurprisingly came to pass. The more interesting tidbit here is that all three couples coincidentally bought their houses within a month of each other.
- Truthish. My job actually doesn't feel any more stressful now than it did a year ago. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to keep this comfortable and steady source of income for the foreseeable future.
- Truth. This year I taught an intro literature course and an upper-level elective course in my particular area of expertise, and both classes were a blast to teach. While I'm looking forward to my year of pure, uninterrupted dissertation work (coming in May 2015!), now that I've gotten a taste of teaching it's going to be hard to leave it behind.
- Success! GR and I took a weekend trip to Maine over the summer. We concluded that Maine is the Wisconsin of the east coast.
I suppose it's worth noting that I didn't foresee getting engaged in 2014, so my overall level of assessed prescience should probably take a hit for that.
Predictions of Varying Certainty for 2015:
- For the first time, I will sign up for and run a 5K or 10K race. I'll find it fun but not worth doing on the regular.
- At least one close friend will have a baby. I will hold that baby.
- GR and I will plan our wedding, and in defiance of everyone who insists otherwise, we will find the process to be relatively simple and stress-free.
- I will write at least one chapter of my dissertation.
- I will seriously entertain the idea of visiting the British Isles but will ultimately defer my trip to 2016 and not leave the country at all.
- I will attend at least one concert and/or theatrical performance.
- At least five close friends/family members will come visit me and GR in Boston.
