The Plaid Pladd

Goodbye, 2015!!! Thank you for being so much better than shitty 2014, although of course there is still room for improvement. Here’s how I did on my goals this year:

1. Read 1 Book Each Month I Think I’ll Disagree With: 100%

I have to admit, Hate Book Club really helped me out with this one.

October: My Unfair Lady

My Unfair Lady by Kathryne Kennedy

We’ll talk more about this during my yearly book roundup later, but it’s a romance novel that features an American prospector’s daughter trying to learn how to be a real lady from a duke. It’s everything you can imagine and more.

November: Interview with a Vampire

This one was for Hate Book Club, and it really let me down. The hype had led me to believe it would be re-goddamn-diculous, and it ended up just being kind of boring.

December: Eat This, Not That

This one is like… if you want to eat healthy but only at fast food restaurants, here are the things that will kill you the least. Needless to say, it did not win me over.

2. Finish I Detonate Around Him: 100%

Bam! I know in my last update I said I was technically finished, but now I am FULL ON finished. With the stupid original trilogy, and the even stupider follow-up book ELJames published this year. Now it’s done for real. Until she writes something else, I guess.

And this will forever be in my “Read” list on GoodReads. THANKS, TUMBLR

3. Visit Every Restaurant on my Restaurants to Visit List: 87%

This is the one I really fell down on at the end. I have 4 restaurants left:

–Angus Barn, which is a hella expensive steak place with a “chef’s table” where you get to sit in the kitchen. That thing is booked solid for the foreseeable future.

–Abyssinia Ethiopian, which I legit TRIED to go to once, but their website lied about their hours, and I ended up going to a great cafe next door. After being burned once, I wasn’t willing to trust again.

–Pho Far East, which is like 40 minutes from here. That’s my only excuse.

–Saint-Jacques French Cuisine, which is also pricey.

I’m okay with this outcome. I discovered a lot of GREAT restaurants, that I have definitely been back to since.

4. Review at least 1 thing a month online: 100%

I’m a little disappointed in myself on this one, because I fell back on reviewing a lot of books on GoodReads. It’s the thing I feel most qualified reviewing. I did leave a critical review of a local store I have vowed never to go to again after being uncomfortable too many times, which is something I probably never would have done without this project.

5. One Guest Post a Month: 100%!!!!

This was the best one!!! But also the hardest. For all of us. In October, Steven wrote a post about his hobby of the moment, leatherworking. I was hoping he would write about his undying love for My Little Pony, but alas. In November, my friend Adrienne wrote about what it’s like to move abroad to Spain!! With great pictures! And in the final moments of the year, James Fox bookended 2015 with a guest post about video games!

I reread most of the guest posts last night, and they’re maybe my favorite New Years project ever. They’re all so different and funny and interesting. Thanks, everyone, who helped make it possible!

January: Bad Animes: First Blood, Part II (section 3.b) by James Fox
February: A Scholarly Ranking of America’s Next Top Model Winners by Rob
March: Mom Ladd on being Mom Ladd by Mom Ladd
April: Treasures of Pinterest by Melissa
May: How to Soup by Anna
June: The 10 Best BBC Miniseries Adapted from Novels by Alana
July: The REAL Story of the Dahlgrens’ trip to Europe by Cynthia
August: What it was like being “Dad Ladd” by Dad Ladd
September: All the Stuff I forgot to do in College by Brian
October: Adventures in Leather Costumery by Steven
November: The Rain in Spain by Adrienne
December: VIDEO GAMES, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bouncer by James Fox

6. Knit a Sweater: 100%!!!!

I can’t believe I did it!!!

Look at this beast

7. Get Hella Into a Different DDC Class each month: 100%

The saving grace of this goal was that I wisely never specified a way to quantify “hella into”. I may have read only one book in each category towards the end but I DID IT, regardless.

Total: 98%

I’ll take it!! I’ll post my goals for 2016 soon.

Previously: 2015: 75%