That was quick. 2017 is already halfway over. Thought I’d take a minute to see how the year is progressing so far.

I started the year off great with my no sugar habit. But then I went on vacation at the end of April and sort of fell off the wagon for May and June. My intention was to start July better, but that hasn’t happened. The good thing though is that I am getting better about not totally overindulging when I have a little bit of sugar. I just put the black face on the calendar and try to get back to eating right. And my new mantra is “I’ll try again tomorrow”. No use beating myself up over it.

My DIY projects have been going pretty well. I’ve made a number of things. Beer flight paddles for my brother’s brew pub. They’re working really well and he just asked me for 7-10 more. So I’ll have to get on that. I made some small planters for my mom out of old boards in the basement. And I made a huge planter for my mom out of some old doors I found. I’ve gotten the welder all set up, though I haven’t actually used it yet. Though that’s more of a problem of finding space in my garage. For safety, I only want to weld outside or in the garage…not in the house.

I had emptied the back of my upstairs to start gutting it. That hasn’t happened. In fact, I moved a twin bed up there because my brother and his husband moved all their stuff to my house because they’re going to Shanghai for the year. And since I hurt my back about 10 days ago, I’ve been sleeping on this twin bed because it’s harder than my own bed. So while I have great intentions for working on the house, nothing has been done.

The garden is looking pretty good. And I bought a ton of herbs. A new goal that I have is to try to learn how to cook well. I think I might need to use the herbs. Someday, I’d like to invite people over to my house for a dinner party and be able to cook for them. Shoot, I’d even like to be able to cook myself some decent meals. I have absolutely no confidence in my cooking skills at this time.

So far this year I have already bought myself a new bike. That was an excellent purchase and I like it a lot. Granted, I also got hit by a car for the first time ever. Fortunately, both me and my bike were fine, so I can keep riding. So I now fully understand the whole “you have to get back on the horse that threw you” mentality. I won’t say that it didn’t affect me, as I do tend to tense up when there are more cars around. But I do still ride. I also got a drill press. And it didn’t cost me anything. Mickey gave it to me. I haven’t yet used it because it didn’t come with a key and I couldn’t find mine. But I’m sure I’ll use it soon.

So far the year is going well. My sister is getting married in two weeks, so I’m very happy for her. My brother and his husband are embarking on an adventure in Shanghai, so I’m happy for them. I still like my job and can take care of myself, so I’m happy for me.