My Goals for this Hockey Season

Kevin has been at the rink for the past five hours and I haven't moved from my computer except for one bathroom break and a quick trip to the snack drawer (I needed a few pieces of biscotti). As I was getting crumbs everywhere, it dawned on me that if I keep this up, I am going to weigh 500 lbs. And that's only if I don't die of boredom first. When Kevin isn't at the rink, things are great and we are out and about exploring new places. It's the other 30 hours or so a week I need to plan for.

In the past when we were overseas, I had school to keep me busy, but as much as I'd like to take some classes, I really don't need any more student loans. Working is obviously out of the question considering I do not speak the language...at all. I thought I had gotten lucky when I interviewed for a nannying job and was offered it, but that all changed when the guy wanted to pay me $100 (American) for 6 days/40 hours of work. That wouldn't even cover my travel expenses for the week. No thank you, Fabio!

So I've decided to set some goals for myself in order to keep busy.

#1 Workout: At one time, I loved working out. I was at the gym 5 days a week, took classes, and really enjoyed myself. The last two years have been horrible though and I can count on one hand how many times I've been to the gym. My goal for the next 6 months is to go to the gym at least 3 times a week. Obviously, it would be great to go more than that, but I'm trying to be realistic. Really, I have no excuse since the gym is directly below our apartment. And when I say directly below, I mean it. I hear the music blasting and the treadmills going as we speak. I wondering if looking like this in the next six months is achievable?

#2 Learn German: Yes, we are in Italy, but they speak German here. Most of the people in the town speak both languages, but I need to stick to learning just one. We have both Rosetta Stone and Drive & Learn. I've also started doing a language course on bbc.co.uk/languages, which is my favorite program. I know I'm not going to become fluent in the next 6 months, but I'd like to be able to at least get by in the town. Right now, I just stare at them when they ask me something and then I speak English. Thank goodness most of the people know what I am saying or are at least patient and let me just point at what I want.

#3 Drive a Manual (Stick Shift): I started the learning process 2 years ago when we were in Sheffield, but then we switched teams and ended up with an automatic so I quit learning. Now, I'm kicking myself for not sticking with it. I had a lesson yesterday in a parking lot and I made it home from the town center, but really all I had to do was drive straight for two minutes and then turn into our apartment building. If I knew how to drive, I could go places when Kevin was at the rink or at games. The only place I would probably go would be to the town center, but at least I could have my coffee and people watch.