WordPress has this one particular feature, a feature I have taken such advantage of that it’s become a downfall to my blogging habits.

The recent drafts box, on my homepage, is incredibly convenient, as is the “save draft” button. So convenient, in fact, that I currently have 24 drafts accumulated from only a couple months. Some are only possible topic questions, while other made it to several paragraphs. But none are close enough to finished to make me want to work on them. Ever.

It’s not as if I write serious posts. Well, I’ve posted a few, but they don’t seem to suit my blogging voice usually. I’m just not serious enough. Not on the web at least – in person, I’m consistently serious in every situation. It gets on people’s nerves, really. They just wish I would say something stupid once in a while, but I have a hard time complying. Cracking jokes, making fun of people? So not in my nature. I am very, very focused.

Random fact: If you know my roommate, you should ask her where the “Lakefront Trail Closed” sign in our room came from.

Where was I?

The abundance of drafts I have saved is a fairly clear contrast to the number of posts I actually…post (to me, at least. Writing for the paper has made me way more aware of editorializing. Even in my blog.). What has it been, two since Christmas? I mean, I really liked those two, but still. (“but still” is such a great little phrase. So great that I feel like it’s a cop out to use. But still!) (I also kind of hate using parentheses. Can you tell?)

So I thought, I need a blog post, and I need one tonight. Mostly because it is the longest lasting item currently still on my to do list, and you know how I feel about my to do lists (don’t you?). I decided I would use the random word generator to give me a topic for my post. I considered letting it give me a couple words, and doing something akin to what I did when Kt told me I should write on ramen, nail polish, drugs, and skyscrapers.

I had this plan, you see. And then I changed my mind. Why? Because when I clicked the handy button on my bookmarks bar for the RWG, the result, “Your random word is: Mass,” made me take pause and raise an eyebrow or three.

Did the internet just call me fat?!

Plans? I had plans for this semester? What were those? I seem to vaguely recall this crazy idea in which I would get more sleep, yet here I am. It’s 5:30 am. Did something go wrong or is this the exception? Maybe I ought to check out how I’ve done on my other resolutions so far.

Disclaimer: If you have any sort of attachment to my usual tongue-in-cheek style of writing, please don’t feel obligated to read the following. Unless you, like, actually care about me and stuff. This update was largely for my own introspection, to evaluate how far I’ve come on some 2011 resolutions I posted a while back that I was actually pretty serious about. Read: it’s not very funny. So unless you’re my mom or maybe Kt, I promise to update soon, and you have my blessing to move on for now.

Read more.

Have I read more? Well, I have been trying to get in the habit of doing my actual class reading more, and only sometimes succeeding. Sadly, I have not really done much reading besides schoolwork, but incidentally some of my class reading has actually been fairly good. But in this realm, I definitely have a ways to go before I achieve what I wanted.

Better sleep.

An anecdote may be best here. Around the beginning of January, my roommate and I went to bed as usual, and about an hour after turning off the lights, her boyfriend called. Instant reaction: what on earth? Why is he calling so late? Kt’s reality check: Jenna, it’s only 1 am.

Tonight is more the exception than the rule. While getting to bed early still means midnight, it’s becoming more common. Thankfully. Now, when it hit 2 am, staying awake is much less appealing than it used to be, and my computer looks like something that really should go far, far away from me.

It’s beautiful. So on this one, I’ll give myself a B. A ways to go, but definitely loving the results so far.

Sleep less in CWC (and classes in general).

Accomplished, almost entirely. My secret? Lots of knitting. Unfortunately CWC is still my worst class for paying attention, but I’ve definitely improved, and my sleeping incidents are near extinct in all other classes.

Fran Kranz, Stargate, a snowman, and iceskating.

Not yet.

Explore Chicago exensively.

I have done very little on this one, but I claim a viable excuse. – Winter. I have to promise myself more progress here when it gets warmer! This Florida girl was not cut out for bundling up just to walk outside.

Write more.

I think I am. I’ve been more willing to take articles for the paper, and have journaled more. It might be nice to have other outlets to gain experience, but I’m content with this for now, as well as perhaps attempting to update this site more.

Love God more, etc.

Learning and living and praying. Struggling to read more as a habit. I’m still nowhere near where I need to be, but the difference this year is that I want it more. This one’s going to be quite the ongoing ordeal.

Contentment with relational status.

I feel like this has grown to necessitate something other than what I originally intended. I have struggled more with being content in the realm of friendships – this seems to be quite the season for transitions and changes. We’ll see what the next few months hold. As for romantic entanglements? I would not have had time for any so far, had they surfaced! I have been scarily alright with this. Small steps toward maturity ftw.

Hug more.

There was never any question that I would excel in this department. Except, what’s up with my newfound love for high fives?

Talk less and listen more.

I’d rather listen to what you have to say about anything else than talk about this one. Is that progress, or a bit of shame?

Finally, take care of myself.

You know what, I think I’ve been doing this to a better extent than in my first three semesters. I don’t always do everything right. I don’t always get enough sleep, take my vitamins regularly, keep up with my closest friends as I should, get my homework done in a timely manner and take care of all my responsibilities in such a way as to not induce so much stress that I might scream. No, I don’t always do these things. But I try, and I succeed sometimes. I have been more diligent, more disciplined. I am, sometimes, happier, better able to take on life. More ambitious. My roommate recently told me I sounded like a journalist, and she liked it. I liked it. Let’s see where I can go with this one in the coming months.

And so ends a fairly boring post. Adieu.