New Year Resolutions are a long standing tradition in the States. I fully realize that I was supposed to think of this on December 31st and get started on them right away on January 1, 2010 but frankly, I was asleep. I figure that now's just as good a time to think up and get started on some new resolutions for 2010. This morning when I started thinking about this project I figured I should try to remember last years resolutions.  I couldn't. I don't this bodes well for my 2009 resolutions.

I thought maybe I posted resolutions in January 2009 on my blog so I just checked this out.  But nope, I either didn't make resolutions last year, made forgettable resolutions or I simply didn't care enough to write them down. As such, this year I am resolving to make resolutions and to write them down.  (I am going to be able to cross this one off my checklist pretty shortly.)
<ol>
	<li>My on going resolution: learn Bulgarian. But I think that this is too big of a resolution for one girl so I've broken down into a more manageable piece.  <strong>Blog once a week in Bulgarian</strong>.  I've written a few posts in Bulgarian but I've never been very regular about doing so--because, well, it's hard.</li>
	<li><strong>Cook one new dish a week</strong>. I like to cook but it's hard sometimes.  I work a lot, it's hard to get motivated to cook just for myself and I make excuses like I can't find all of the ingredients I am looking for.  I need to stop being lazy, get over the fact that I am just cooking for one and just cook.  I need to get out of my cooking rut and make something new, experiment, live a little.</li>
	<li>I love to read. Heck, I am an English major but I've stopped reading as much as I would like to for me.  Don't get me wrong, I am reading it's just that it's often re-reading for school.  I've got a kindle now and I need to use it. <strong> Read more</strong>.</li>
	<li>Now that I am busier this new school year than I was last year I've been bad, really bad, about staying in touch with my friends. Thus,<strong> </strong>I want to<strong> keep in touch with my American friends and see more of my Bulgarian friends. </strong>I'd also be glad to make some new friends!</li>
	<li>I'd like to get in the habit of writing more regularly.  <!--more-->This past summer my not-grandfather-grandfather told my mom that "there's no point in getting out of bed, if I haven't written a new blog post."  He was being overly dramatic but I agree.  I am going to <strong>write at least 24 posts a month</strong>. Last year in January I wrote 24 posts in one month. That's the most ever.  So this is my challenge.</li>
	<li>Explore Sofia more. Yep. Now that I live in Mladost I am much less likely to head into the city center on a week night for a concert, the ballet, new exhibits or even a drink with a friend.  But the thing is I like culture. I like feeling cultured. I like supporting the arts. I like people who like culture and the arts.  <strong>Do more cultural things</strong>.  This will be easy seeing as in the last six months I think I can count the cultural things I did on one hand (and for the record, I am embarrassed by this).</li>
	<li><strong>Post a few new photos each month to flickr</strong>. Last summer, I bought a new digital camera (which I love). But then I got busy and lazy about posting photos to flickr. Then I felt overwhelmed by the number of new photos I had so I just didn't do anything with them. (Don't ask me why.)</li>
	<li>This resolution is about getting out of my current restaurant rut. <strong>Try new restaurants</strong>. I am in many ways a creature of habit. I know what I like and that's where I am inclined to go.  I think that there's a lot to like in Sofia, I just need to get out there and find it.</li>
	<li><strong>Make plans to travel.</strong> There are lots of places I would like to go and things that I would like to see but sometimes it just seems like too much work to book tickets, reserve a place to stay and to figure out what to do once I am there.  But, I know this is silly.  I'm in the perfect location for traveling, I have both the time and the ability to travel so I just need to do it.  Moreover, I do have fun when I am actually traveling it--it's just not so fun to plan.</li>
	<li> <strong>Find a Bulgarian husband</strong>. Ha. I just wanted to make sure that you were reading all the way to then end of this post! Okay, now I feel like I need to make it clear that a Bulgarian husband would not be a bad thing nor am I making fun of Bulgarian husbands; it's just that the more time I spend in Bulgaria the more older men and women ask me and tease me about finding a handsome Bulgarian husband as if I can just pick one out.  But of course, it's never this easy.  (I also think that I can rile my MoM up about it--she seems to think that I am never coming home again-- and I like to rile her up when I can. Sorry, MoM.)</li>
</ol>
Finally, I would like to point out that I don't have a single resolution about losing weight, eating less or exercising more.  Don't get me wrong, health is important to me and I want to be as healthy as possible in this new year but I am a firm believer in the fact that New Year's Resolutions should be about personal development--not exterior appearances.

So, here's to 2010!