New Year's Resolution Check-In

So, since last I whined here, I paid bills (ah, the joys of the once monthly paycheck!) and looked over the Great Credit Card Project of 2008. While the paying down of the debt is slow (and slower still because I will need to send a check re: permissions next month, and I'm not sure if I'll get money for it from my university), I have done some calculations, and indeed, I shall (knocking wood), barring a disaster of some variety, be out of credit card debt by June 2008. Now, of course the initial goal was to be credit-card-debt-free by January '09, but I realized in May or so that this would not happen. This is ok. As it is, once the credit card debt is gone, I will be in a position to save to buy some sort of house or condo or something, and by June/July '10 I will be able to have approximately (again, barring disaster or some unforeseen circumstance like not being able to do summer teaching as planned) have a down payment of near 20K saved. Note: this is not taking into account the salary bump (meager though it will be) that comes with tenure (insert finger-crossing tenure superstitions here). Obviously I'll still have student loan debt, and car payment debt, but still, according to my calculations, I will be in a position to buy something in 2010/2011. And this without some sort of windfall or parental influx of cash. Let's not think about the position I'd be in if I'd been more financially responsible in the past five years.

Now, the other major resolution of the year was fitness. Sigh. This resolution has not worked out so grand. I, however, am now resolving for the year not to be a total wash, and I will embark afresh on this goal Sept. 1. Rome was not built in a day and all that.

So, now with the bills taken care of and with me feeling all proud of myself for making significant headway since January, I'm now considering what else I should do with this day. I think I should:

1. Shower.
2. Go to the bank.
3. Go to the office.
4. Go pay rent, figure out annoying situation with laundry card (note: this is something I've needed to do since BEFORE my travels this summer).
5. Review Manuscript for Very Good Journal (where incidentally my essay is still under review with one reviewer, though one review is, apparently, back. I have fantasies that I'll hear back before I submit my tenure binder that the essay is accepted, but I am preparing myself for a) rejection or b) revise and resubmit news, both after I submit the tenure binder).

Or I could just laze about and do none of the above, though that does not seem wise.