New semester's resolutions

Neither January 1st nor Rosh Hashanah has any particular meaning in my life, but the start of the new semester most certainly does. So, resolved:

1) Binders! By which I mean organization in general. I used to subscribe to a variant of the attitude Rita describes in this post, except rather than bragging about papers done in one night, I was somehow convinced that pulling a decent paper out of a messy apartment was more impressive than citing from alphabetized books and tab-containing binders. Apparently all of this was evidence that I am, in fact, mentally ill. A broad definition of mental illness, I'd say, but there you have it. Appealing as it is to have a backpack-organizing personal assistant, I think I'll make it to Staples and back on my own.

2) Aside from binders, not buy anything, ever. Among purchases of the past several months that were of no use whatsoever: these shoes, liquid eyeliner, silver pencil eyeliner, and yam-quail-egg tuna. No more gratuitous trips to Sephora, even when my grad-school buddies suggest them. I will not succumb to temptation in the form of $4 two-use nail polish bottles!

2a) Attempts at reducing portion of income spent on coffee are probably futile; cheese, definitely.

2b) Continue to wear $??? fabulous Camper boots every day, until price-per-wear becomes acceptable, at which point, just every other day, because they are Camper and thus will neither fall apart nor go out of style. I will be picking up my AARP newsletters in these boots.

3) Revive once-passionate interest in U.S. politics. Despite periodic threats that I will leave for more falafel- or waffle-filled pastures, it looks like I'll be here for a while, so it might be time to, say, decide whether I'm a more a Democrat or a Republican.