19 for 2019 Wrap-up

I started 2019 with a list of 19 things I wanted to accomplish during the year.

Ta da

1. Teach Georgie (my Senegal parrot) a new trick.
2. See my friends Angelica & Becca. (Saw Angelica, didn’t manage to see Becca.)
3. Go to a dentist.
4. Finish first draft of book.
5. Go to a writers’ group.
6. Plan a birding trip with my friend Becky.
7. Go birding with my mom.
8. Go back to Japan.
9. Find a new favorite board game.
10. Do The Curated Closet.
11. Read a book in Russian.
12. Go to a Japanese conversation group.
13. Change my Facebook page photos four times.
14. Brush up on French.
15. Write a monthly newsletter.
16. Make a vlog.
17. Plan two family get-togethers.
18. Get a stamp made.
19. Have (new) friends over.

In the end, I did 15 out of 19, which I think is pretty great!

I’ve been thinking about the items I didn’t complete and trying to figure out why I didn’t complete them. In the case of teaching Georgie a new trick, I slacked on deciding what trick to teach her. Then I settled on teaching her to stretch her wings up when I said “Wings!” But to do this, I needed to notice and reward her whenever she happened to stretch her wings up. In the months that followed, I kept an eye out but only caught her stretching like this a couple times.

In the case of birding with my mom, I didn’t have a strong idea of when or where or how this would take place. I also haven’t been making it down to Eugene as often as I’d like to, and that’s pretty much the only way it could have happened.

My goal of “doing” The Curated Closet was a little vague. I read some of it, but didn’t really carry out the steps.

As for brushing up on French, it would have been nice, but in the end it just wasn’t important enough for me to make time for it. Russian and Japanese held my attention, which is fine.

Of all the items I completed, the most valuable have been the ones that have connected me to other people. Some tasks that sounded somewhat impersonal ended up strengthening relationships more than I expected. I’ve gotten so much happiness out of creating monthly newsletters and reading responses from friends and fans. Finishing the first draft of my book led me to attend the Winter Wings Festival in Klamath Falls, Oregon, where I had the great honor of meeting and hanging out with author/artist/bird rehabber Julie Zickefoose. Getting a stamp made involved a collaboration with my friend Rebecca DeMoss. And because I use the stamps all the time, I’m constantly reminded of how much I admire Rebecca’s art and what an important friend she has been to me, even though we don’t talk as often as we used to.

Some things I’ve accomplished that weren’t on my list:

I went to the Winter Wings Festival in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
I went to a Portland Birds & Beers meetup.
I made a music video.
I went to AWP (the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference).
I entered this year’s Tiny Desk Contest.
I started making my own seitan.
I started re-reading A Series of Unfortunate Events, with the goal of finally finishing the series. (I only ever read 10 or 11 books out of 13.)
I orchestrated most of the songs for the next album.
I got a new(er) phone that has been great for taking photos on my tours.
I wrote a new song completely in Russian.
I was interviewed by the National Audubon Society.
Adam and I took a trip to Vancouver, BC.
I applied for a huge writing fellowship.
I put together an event at Literary Arts showcasing three other queer writers along with a screening of my music video.
I did a major update of my resume.
I grew my Portland piano studio to 6 students.
I reached level 19 in WaniKani (a Japanese language-learning program), which means I’ve learned more than 600 kanji and 2000 vocabulary items.
I played Sofar Sounds shows in Frome (UK), Boston, Boise, and twice in Seattle.
I read 26 books.

Now it’s time to take what I learned from 2019 and create my list of 20 for 2020! Did you have a list of 19 for 2019? How did it go? Are you doing 20 for 2020?

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