friday philosophy

sometimes i come across a quote that bears some kind of significance and i want to share it with you dear readers.  sometimes it's based on where i am in life or a certain event, sometimes a quote just reminds me of a friend, or sometimes it makes me think.

it's the beginning of a new year.  many of you, like myself, like to think of a new year as a fresh start:  a time to renew, recharge, and refresh.

generally, i try to make a new year's resolution.  and generally, i fail.  it's usually too vague or i'm too lazy.  or i just find an excuse.

there have been the 'i will lose weight' and 'i will exercise' resolutions many times.  since i already covered that in 2012 (without a resolution to do so), my resolution this year is to make goals.  

sound too vague?  well, not to me.

i don't make goals.  never have.  saying it out loud typing it to you dear readers makes it sound so strange to me.

'i don't make goals'.  sounds stupid, right?

well, i don't make 'em.  and you know how much i accomplish?

not much.

(well, that's not entirely true, i do accomplish stuff, it's just not in a well-defined manner like setting a goal and working towards it.  it's usually more of a spare of the moment commitment that sometimes works.)

so that's why this year i am setting out to set goals.

there are a few ideas mike and i have tossed around, some will happen, some may not, but knowing how much money we have to save for something, or just having a thought written down makes it something real that you can work towards.

for instance, mike and i want to buy a new couch.  do we need a new couch?  not exactly.  but it would surely make our seating arrangement in our living room a little easier.  we currently have a loveseat, a semi-comfy rocking chair (that i'd like to have reupholstered - see? another goal!), and a chaise lounge.  i love the chaise, just because i love them.  chaises are pretty, but they're not the most practical item for seating.  

we are probably going to live in our apartment for awhile, so having a nice, comfy couch would definitely be nice.  but, what if the couch we end up getting doesn't work in our future house?  (yes, i'm thinking 2-3 years down the line here.)  am i crazy for creating this dilemma?  (wait, don't answer that.)

okay, so let's talk couches.  here's what i have in mind...something stylish and comfortable.  i like something deep, with arms and at least some back support.  i want the cushions to be comfortable and cozy, but not soft enough to lose their luster.  i'm thinking something with a sleek, modern style that's comfy to sit on every day...or even lay down on if you're say, sick at home for six days.  (and i know all about that.)

i'm thinking something like these:

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i really love the photos above with the colored couches, the orange one in particular.  it's my favorite color, so naturally, i'm drawn to it, plus i just love colorful spaces.  the photo above with the orange couch, the one above that, and the one a few more above with the light teal color couch -- they make me swoon.  i love the photos.  and the rooms -- they just scream to me 'cozy ecclectic', which is the style i'm trying to create in our home.  that's one reason why i'm not too worried if the couch we buy 'fits' in our future home, because i know it will.  we haven't 'styled' our apartment too much, just because it's a temporary living space (that we've been living in for over a year and a half but who's counting), but i try to collect items over time that will always work with our style.  make sense?

so, then there's what mike likes and wants.

and i know mike really wants something that reclines.  which honestly makes me cringe.  i love a recliner with the best of 'em, but generally, they're not much to look at.  and the reclining apparatus?  funny, that stuff makes it more expensive.  and you know, i'm frugal cheap.  so, while mike and i haven't talked specifics (beyond his desire for a recliner) in my mind, this is kinda what i think he's thinking of:

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sure, it looks comfy.  comfy like uggs.  comfy, but ugggggly.  the $829 price tag doesn't sting, but the ugliness just won't go away.  maybe if it was a different color?  (that's the color of our current loveseat and chaise...and the same company.  go figure.)

so, i'm thinking if it must recline, it must look more like these:

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 so, whatcha think of my choices?

i went on quite a tangent from resolutions to goals to couches...but hey, if we want a couch, we've gotta make a plan right?  and a plan is part of a goal.  so, now to narrow down our choices, find the right price range, and save our pennies.

so, did you make any new year's resolutions?  or do you have any goals for 2013?  as the year goes on i'll be continuing to share my goals as they come up.  my 10th (!!!) college reunion is this spring, so i'm sure i'll have a goal about that...i just need to wrap my head around the fact that it's been ten. whole. years. and then maybe i'll create a goal to work towards.  maybe a sleek new outfit!

in goal making and couch hunting...

=) andrea