Goals So Far

 My country is an absolute shitshow at the moment, so I'm going to stick my fingers in my ears and LALALA CAN'T HEAR YOU after consuming way too much news today. 

And I'm going to blog about my own personal stuff. It's a coping mechanism.

So...how are my January goals going?

Fitness:

I have been absolutely smashing the workouts. Gym three times a week, upping the running, and making use of the equipment I have at home--namely my spin bike and punching bag. I have gone on days that I didn't particularly want to, and my only rest days have been truly needed. 

On average, I reach 10,000 steps by about 5:00 pm, and most of that is at work. Teaching isn't exactly sedentary. Teaching music adds a new layer of cardio to that, as a typical Friday sees me hosting three kindergarten and three first grade classes, for six 30 minute sessions of jumping, stomping, clapping, scarf-waving, and more as we sing. On Friday, I often reach about 7,000 of my steps before my 12:30 lunch time. It is exhausting in the best way.

Anywho, it's been a good month. I feel amazing. I sleep very well. 

Career Growth

I mean, we're three weeks in, so it's not like I've moved mountains. But I did have a huge win this week when one of the teachers I'm mentoring came to observe the TK teachers at my site. She is the lone TK teacher at her site, so having a chance to connect her with two teachers of her grade level (one requirement for her program is to do a peer observation) was pretty cool. Even better: both her school and mine follow the International Baccalaureate program.

When she arrived on Tuesday, I met her briefly while one of my admin babysat my 7th graders for five minutes so I could walk my mentee across the street to where our TK classes are located. I left her in the capable hands of one of my colleagues and dashed back to my middle school mayhem, hoping she'd have a good time.

We had our regularly-scheduled Zoom chat that afternoon, and she was ecstatic. She was so excited to see and learn new ways of doing things she hadn't considered or seen in her own school. She wants to ask her boss if she can take a full day to come and watch them some more. She wants to actually bring her principal so he can see what an established, well-run TK program looks like and support her in building the same.

Now, I didn't do much here, except introduce her (over email, then in person) to a couple of my colleagues. But just being able to facilitate that for a young teacher was such a great feeling. She now has a connection she can really use in the sometimes-lonely world of teaching our youngest, tiniest charges. 

The Rest

I had the not-at-all-vague intention of being intentional, and, by my own definition, I really am doing a great job. I've read every single day this year so far. I'm on my 10th book now, and I've been slowly listening to the absolute brick that is President Obama's A Promised Land. I can only listen to audiobooks when I'm doing something completely mundane, like vacuuming and mopping, so it's taken me three weeks to get to 64% (the audio, read by Obama himself--I love his voice, by the way--is a whipping 29 hours). I'll do a "books of January" post next week, but I haven't yet read anything that has truly knocked my socks off, though I've had some close calls. 

I got the first of two stipends I'll receive for being a mentor a couple weeks ago, which was a tidy little sum that mostly got shoved into my two savings accounts. Some was kept in my checking, though, because three weeks from today, I will be on a plane to Athens for some Greek history and, even more exciting, Greek food. This will be my 20th country.

I'm toying with the idea of a June trip, too, but right now it's just a matter of where do I want to go? Well, everywhere. I'm leaning towards Tokyo, just because I haven't yet been to Asia, and Tokyo looks amazing. It's also home to a Charles Schulz Museum that is affiliated with the one here in California--the only other museum in the world affiliated with the Santa Rosa original. And, of course, some amazing history and architecture and food and culture. We shall see. 

There you have it. I'm plugging along nicely and paying attention to the absolute fuckery that is happening in my country while also doing what I can to keep my sanity. It's a very thin tightrope to walk. 

Gymbo Rant

 Ahh, January. 

That time of year when the resolutions start, and the gyms become crowded. My rant today, however, is not about the newbies, but rather, the regulars. One group in particular.

When I quit 24 Hour Fitness, I eventually found myself at my current place, a small, independent gym called Iron Addiction, owned by a truly badass woman who has body building crowns on display in her office. Seriously, I want her shoulders. 

The gym is great--it's small, but it has top-of-the-line equipment and everything is kept in great working order. It's always clean (though I did once watch a muscle-bound dude spit on the floor, wipe his shoe in it, and use the wet spot to have some glide in his lunges, but I don't blame the owner for that one). The people who flock there tend to be very serious about weight lifting--there's a mirrored room for posing and taking pictures, and no one gives you side-eye for grunting or gasping while you lift. 

And, for the most part, people are really good about not hogging things. It seems to be understood that with a gym that small, you can't hog multiple machines or spend an inordinate amount of time on one piece of equipment.

Enter the young'uns.

I'm fully aware that I'm sound entirely like a perimenopausal, get-off-my-lawn, Grade A Old. 

But I am perimenopausal. And yeah, get off my lawn. (I'm not old, however.)

Yesterday was a gym day, but I didn't leave work 'til about 4:30 because I had a meeting with one of the teachers I'm mentoring. By the time I sit through the mess of I 80 and get to my gym, it's nearing 5:00 and I want to spend no more than an hour. Get in, get 'er done, get out. Go home. Feed cat. Feed Meg.

It was an upper body day, so after a quick cardio warm-up, I set out to do some seated rows. There were a lot more people than usual, so I was careful to make my four sets as quick as possible. Next, it was over to the dumbbell rack, for some bicep curls into overhead presses. (My back just twinged typing that sentence--DOMS is real, ya'll.) 

While doing four sets of curl-to-press, I was eyeing a nearby bench, currently being used by a twenty-something woman (Bench Lady) and dude. Another pair (guy and gal) had just claimed a machine near the bench, and they started talking to the two using the bench. 

In my four sets--going back to the rack between each set to get a new set of weights--I noticed that Bench Lady never did one set on said bench. She stood around chit-chatting withing the small group of four. 

I finished my sets just as the four dispersed, and Bench Lady walked away from the bench. I thought I'd give it a try. "Are you using this still?"

"Oh yeah! I'm using it."

Girl, I just spent a good 15 minutes competing four difficult sets of my exercise while you stood around hogging one of two available benches and doing nothing with it. I muttered, "Then, you know, use it." as I walked away.

Now, in the grand scheme of things, is this earth-shattering? Heavens, no. But it grated on my get-off-my-lawn, perimenopausal nerves. My gym is not prohibitively expensive--at $60 a month, it's rather a bargain--but my reasoning here is that I spend $60 a month to use these facilities, and when I do, I'm not on a social call. I'm there to work out, and I want to move as quickly as my body allows and then get home. I do not want to stand around waiting for anyone's social group to finish their reunion while hogging a piece of equipment that many people might need.

In the spirit of blogging more in 2026, I figured I'd put it here. 

Coming Thrills for 2026

 I don't do New Year's Resolutions, as I know the minute I make anything a MUST-do, I end up losing steam and my anxiety steps in to guilt me. Mercilessly.

I prefer intentions. Something that is not all-or-nothing, but rather goal-setting. Attainable goals, that I actually enjoy meeting. 

So without further ado, here are my intentions for 2026. 

Consistency in All Things Fitness

I can go a bit hot-and-cold with my fitness regime, especially as life gets stressful. December was almost completely a bust with gym-going and running, because the three weeks between Thanksgiving and Winter Break were consumed with planning for my school's annual winter performances. As the Music teacher, it's my job to make sure things go smoothly, and it is a lot of work. Good work; work I enjoy. But still, a lot of work. 

Anywho, consistency. I'm making a plan that doesn't dictate when I go to the gym, when I run, but rather, what kind of workouts I should aim to get each week. Three gym visits (one for upper body, one for lower, one for some full-body HIIT), at least two runs, at least two spin workouts here at home. So far, it's working. Having flexibility really helps when I find that yesterday's Leg Day means running is off the table today. 

Career Growth 

I mean, this is a given. I'm always looking to grow in teaching, as all good teachers are. This year, however, I took on a new role that has been exciting and a bit terrifying for Ye Olde Impostore Syndrome: I am a mentor to three young teachers who are working on clearing their credentials. 

I never would have thought to do this, until my work friend J asked if I'd ever thought about it. "No one thinks I'd be capable of that." 

I received a "look" from her. "Why not? You're an amazing teacher, and you work with all of the grade levels here at our school. You've taught 5th grade--even though it was just a trimester. You know so much about pedagogy for so many different age groups."

When she said that, something clicked. Just because I'm not a classroom teacher, and not an expert in the latest reading and math curriculums, does not mean I don't understand teaching, and how children learn. 

Long story short: I went for it. I'm mentoring three amazing ladies (a TK and two 2nd grade teachers) in my district, and I'm enjoying our weekly meetings and helping them find solutions and see different perspectives. All of them are fabulous teachers, and I'm able to help them find resources, and sometimes to view a problem they may be trying to solve from a different perspective. 

Best of all, I'm learning from them, too. That's the best part about having a teaching community.

Be Intentional

This is broad, and for good reason. I have, over the last decade or two, made a point of being more intentional in my recycling and consuming--my unemployment era helped a lot with the consuming part. Ten years ago, being more intentional in saving allowed me to buy Casa Meg. Yes, ten years. I know, right?

I find myself opening my 48th year on earth with two very healthy savings accounts (one a higher interest rate through USAA, and the other the standard low-interest attached to my checking account). My CALSTRS retirement is growing, as is my 403b plan. 

I drive a 10-year-old car--paid off, in good shape, excellent fuel economy--and live in a home that was very, very affordable. (Side note: I realize now that even in 2016, finding a 2bed/2bath condo for $140k was incredible.) 

All this is to remind myself that being intentional helps get me the good stuff--a comfortable home, trips all over the world (three continents down, four to go, baby!!), and peace of mind in my future. It also pays for vet bills. And cat sitters for my travels. 

Keep Those Friendships Flourishing

I have a wonderful circle of friends, starting with Sarah and Summer, my Marigolds at work, and some new ladies I've met through Sarah more recently that all seem to have a similar outlook on life. I'm in a Bunco group (work ladies), and a long-running book club. 

And yet, I can sometimes still find myself locking up in my Bat Cave. Winter Break was especially this way in some regards. I'm working to find a balance between work, where I'm always in "go" mode, and always fielding a lot of "Ms. Cooper! Ms. Cooper! Ms. Cooper!!!" and family (weekly lunch date with my dear Dad), friends (Marigold Bunco, Goldilocks Book Club, various social outings with one and all), and, you know, locking myself into my cave where it's quiet and peaceful and there are no children shouting at me, "MS. COOPER, HE LOOKED AT MEEE!!" (If you are a teacher or parent, I know you know. Like, you know.) 

I absolutely do need my time at home to recharge and reflect. But I also need nights like Bitchmas, where we exchanged inappropriate wearable gifts, played Cards Against Humanity, and laughed 'til we cried. Dress code? Pajamas. 

I haven't really put a lot of huge thought into these. It's more or less the same as every year. Work out. Be good at your job. Earn some money, save some money, have friends and whatnot. Still, it's good to sit down and assess every once in a while...and as for why my non-blogging ass is writing a post about all this after only writing two posts in 2025?

Well, rediscovering writing as a creative outlet is one more of my intentions for this year. 😏