2007 is about six hours away.

I always put together a list of goals that I expect to accomplish over the year and I try to refer to it as often as I can. When I looked at my list for 2006, I looked at it in a new light because I knew I was going to write this post. I had written the goals out in no particular order, but found it fascinating that I seemed to accomplish the goals that I had written at the top of the list and not really accomplished the ones I had written toward the end.

The very first one (again, I had written these in no particular order) was to complete a successful conversion. The last goal was to qualify for the Boston marathon. I laughed when I realized maybe the way I had prioritized my goals (even though I hadn’t planned it that way) strongly correlated to me accomplishing them. My career goals were at the top and my physical goals were toward the bottom. I spent most of my time this year working. I have never worked so hard in my life. I put my personal life aside, quit the gym, stopped running.

I’m not going to list all my 2006 goals here, but some of the ones I had accomplished were: pray every day, get down to 85 pounds, call mom, dad, and Therese once a week, plan monthly dinners with frends, date once a week, and read a book a month. Some of the ones I did not accomplish were: write in my blog every day, join a writing salon / take a writing class, join a running club, volunteer once a month, and run the NYC marathon.

I decided to give my goals a facelift this year. I want to focus on the really important things—like me—and make the goal measurable and realistic so I actually accomplish them this year. Here is a glimpse at a few of my goals for 2007. Surprisingly, I have eliminated any dating, wedding bell goals!

• Find inner peace. I will strive to do activities that make me happy. Every day, I will pray and write down one thing I am grateful for.
• Look at family with wonder (like we do with Dominic). Be nice. Spend quality time with each family member at least once a quarter.
• Be selfless. Search for a meaningful volunteer activity. Start actively volunteering by March.
• Stay healthy. Figure out a vitamin regimen. Eat a serving of vegetables or fruit every day. Curtail the daily cookie obsession.
• Do what you love: write. I will write in my blog seven times a week.

Time to get primped up for the big countdown. Happy new year’s, everyone. Thank you for reading and caring. I will see you in 2007!

Much love and appreciation to all of my family, friends, and readers.

Catherine

I’ve been telling everyone who will listen that I made a major purchase. Gigantic smile, face radiant.

“OmiGod,” they’ll respond. “You bought a new car!”

No. My car will be with me until it putters to its death. I drive with a big dent on the side with absolutely no plans to fix it unless someone voluntarily fixes it for free.

“No,” I’m too eager to wait for other responses, “I bought a new mattress!!!” People, this is news. This is great news. I’ve had my same mattress for seven years. My ex-boyfriend bought it for me because he was sick of sleeping over on my twin bed. He purchased it from his roommate who was moving to NYC and needed to get rid of it, and his roommate had had it for a couple years. That made my mattress almost a decade old. How disgusting! It has traversed all my domiciles including travelling to Chicago and back. Who knows where it’ll go now. They took it away when they brought my new mattress. I wonder what happens to old mattresses.

I’ve been an insomniac zombie for the past week or so. I woke up one day determined to do something about it. I called Kaiser, “I need a new prescription of Ambien stat! I don’t care if I have zero refills. Send a note to my doctor. Call it in. Let me know when it’s ready.”

Waiting in line at the pharmacy to pickup the meds, I studied Macy’s sales brochure, concentrating on the pillowtop beds. I’d always heard about pillowtops and how plush they were. Maybe I would get a pillowtop. I did some research on the web and located the Mattress Discounters down the street I live on. I drove there determined to buy something. Cost was no concern. I’d gone from a twin bed my mother bought me to a queen-sized bed my boyfriend had gotten from his roommate. I could afford to splurge this once. Besides, I spend at least 6-7 hours in my bed every single night. I should splurge!

At Mattress Discounters on Geary, I encountered the friendly and surprisingly smart sales rep Jessica. I know it’s her job, but I was still really impressed with her knowledge of mattresses, comfort, sleep, rest, back support. Plus, while I tried out the different mattresses, she talked politics, current events, and books she was reading to her colleague. I’d steer anyone in her direction if you’re looking to buy a new mattress in San Francisco.

Jessica first asked me what I liked and disliked about my current bed. Then she got me to try out different styles to determine firmness. Turns out, I tend to like firm beds and hated the pillowtops. Once we decided on a bed that I liked, she had me try out different brands. I ended up getting a Tempurpedic. Tempurpedic uses technology developed by NASA. It’s coil-free, using foam materials instead to conform to your body.

The mattress came with a pillow that uses the same technology. I got the pillow to bring home; the mattress would be delivered the next day. Let me tell you, even if you’re not looking to buy a new mattress, go and buy one of these Tempurpedic pillows. With the pillow alone, I slept better than I ever had in a while. The mattress arrived yesterday and I am in sleeping heaven. I don’t remember the last time I slept that well. What a great way to start the new year. I will be a well-rested Catherine from now on.

I’ve been away for over two weeks. Sorry to those of you who are dedicated readers.

It’s Christmas and I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas! Our family tradition is to attend the children’s mass on Christmas Eve. Our priest, who is an engaging public speaker, had a few simple messages for the kids as well as the adults. Try to look at each other, especially parents and children, as if for the first time. To think about the miracle of birth and how we lose that wonder of looking at our children as they get older. To pray for peace around the world and within ourselves. This year is particularly special because it’s our first Christmas with my nephew Dominic who turns one at the end of January.

I’m rarely at peace with myself; my new year’s resolution will definitely center around inner peace. I’m still thinking everything through. I’ve got one week to come up with a plan. I’ll keep you posted.

1. I look Spanish.
2. Actually, I am Spanish. I’m the descendant of Spaniards.
3. My name is very Spanish. Maria Catherine Gualberto Gacad.
4. I’m Californian.

I consider it one of the biggest failures of my life that I do not speak or understand the Spanish language.

The fact that I can’t cook? I’m the first to admit it’s not an attractive quality, but it doesn’t seem to keep the men away. Besides, why would I learn to cook for just one person? All of my chef friends say they end up tossing a lot of their food out. Also, it’d be different if I despised frozen food, but Lean Cuisine is my friend. I consider the side order of brussel sprouts at Pluto’s (3258 Scott Street) a gourmet meal and it’s only $1.50. I don’t even finish!

I made the mistake of taking French in high school. Now every time time I travel to a Spanish-speaking country, I’m horribly embarrassed. I tried to learn the basics before my trip, but it didn’t help. How do you say, “I’d like a late checkout?”

On my list of things to do when I get home: sign up for Spanish classes.

——————-

I am thinking of taking classes here starting in January if anyone would like to join me.

I’m recovering at La Casona Plaza in Puno, Peru. It’s unfortunate that I got sick during the last few days of my trip. The fever struck while I was in Copacabana, Bolivia. I felt like a teakettle desperately wanting off the stove. I was burning up in cool, breezey Copa. I kept the windows open. I tossed and turned and stared at my traveling alarm clock for 14 hours. I didn’t sleep at all. Although I thought Copa ws magical, it’s a testament to Peru that I cancelled my travel to La Paz and returned back to a country I had falled in love with.

Reflecting on my world-wide travels (25 countries total), I’ve never encountered people who are more hospitable, who go out of their way to make sure you’re ok and on the right track without expecting anything in return. The Peruvians are a delight and I’m really happy I came here.

There’s a great deal to see and do. I think we packed it in quite nicely: Urubamba and the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Cusco. The highlights for me were the grueling hike up Wayna Picchu and the incredible meals. Don’t come if you’re vegetarian! In fact, with all the meat and seafood I consumed, I plan on temporarily becoming vegetarian when I get back home. I give it a week.

I was on my own the second week. I made my way to Puno on a 10 hour tour bus which was surprisingly comfortable. The tour was interesting, too. We stopped at a petting zoo where we got to feed the llamas and alpacas. That was my favorite part. On the bus in front of me was an American couple. The guy was wearing a SF Giants baseball cap. I asked if he was from California. Turns out, the couple live down the street from me. They met as employees of Chevron. She’s a geologist. He’s a chemical engineer. This was sort of a belated honeymoon for them. They were super friendly. When they bumped into me at a restaurant later on that night, they asked to join me and for the next two hours we had an engaging conversation.

Lake Titicaca was beautiful. The water is clear, iridescent. The islands are unique. Uros are floating islands. Taquile is interesting because the people wear clothing that indicates gender, age, marital status, whether or not you live with your parents, if you’re having a bad day, if you’re an official or the child of an official.

On to Bolivia. A bus will take you from Puno to Copa. You check out at the Peru Immigration building, walk down the street, and check in at Bolivia Immigrations. The bus will wait for you to process these transactions. The biggest thing I noticed is that Bolivia is extremely inexpensive. My lodging went from $40 / night in Peru to $14 in Copa. Granted there are a range of accommodations, but on all levels Bolivia was much cheaper. My meals were $1-3 whereas our meals in Peru averaged $7-10 / person.

I do feel I need to return to Bolivia. Next year, I’m planning on Chile. I’m considering stopping in La Paz for a few days beforehand. Based on my experience during this trip, I consider Peru one of my favorite destinations along with Belize, Costa Rica, Brazil, and France.

I’m feverish. All the travel has worn me down. My tummy aches. I slept a lot today, but I still feel ill. I’ve had time to do a lot of thinking. I’ve been pondering my relationships, the dating hiatus, what it is I want.

I used to think that I love very easily, but that’s not true. The reason I love so many of my high school friends is because after so many years of friendship, I trust them to be there for me. I think about the times when I was on the phone with Daniel and the sniffles would surface. Then there would be a knock on my door. He had crossed the Bay Bridge from Oakland to have a face-to-face conversation with me and to give me a hug. That is true love.

I thought I loved a lot of guys, but that’s definitely not true. Until now, I thought I loved Nick. He’s smart, artistic, entrepreneurial, attractive. I can’t believe I thought I loved him because of those things. I realized I never loved him. I don’t love him. How can I love someone I don’t respect? Someone who defaulted on his commitments several times. I couldn’t trust him. I can’t fall in love with someone I don’t trust. I was under a spell. What a dumb girl I’ve been.

The big take-away for me is to honestly assess where it is going. Next time someone tells me, “You know, Catherine, I’m never going to marry you,” then I’ll know to request the bill, insist on credit card roulette for good measure, and get the hell out.

I’ve loved my three boyfriends and that is it. Maybe three is all I’ll get. I’ve really enjoyed not dating anyone or seeing anyone the past few months. The dating hiatus is officially over tonight. Three months from September 11th. I wouldn’t mind keeping this up. I like me a lot!