Happy New Year!

Well, Happy 2012, y'all! I can't believe it got here so fast. I still have to think about whether I should write 2010 or 2011. Adding 2012 into the mix has me totally stumped.

Last year's goal was to read more "real" books. I failed at 19 of 24 books. It was a totally achievable goal so it was my own fault for not meeting it. I just kind of lost my motivation around September and picked a bad book to try to get re-motivated. (I'm still trying to read that book, by the way. It's going to be Book One of 2012 come hell or high water.) So this year, I'm going to do it again. But this time, I'm actually going to get my full 24 books in.

I have a secondary goal, too. This one isn't as structured as the "real" book goal. This one is tea related. I want to try out new tea vendors.

This is something I need help with because I'm kind of stuck on a handful of vendors (Chicago Tea Garden, Lupicia, Adagio, Andrews & Dunham's Damn Fine Tea (Ack! I just noticed they have a new tea out! Must order now!), O-cha) and I don't really deviate from them. In 2011, I did order from a couple of other vendors (TeaCuppa and SerendipiTea) which weren't exactly new to me but I hadn't ordered from them in a couple of years and one new vendor (Yuuki-cha), which I will totally have to add into my regular rotation because they've got some really neat offerings (Japanese black and oolong teas!).

But really, one new vendor and two neglected vendors? Not good enough. Especially since, after all this time, I have yet to order something from TeaSpring. It's supposed to be one of the best places around for Chinese teas and I've been lucky enough to get to try some of their teas through swaps with a friend so I know that their Tan Yang Te Ji is a sample of divinity in a teacup. I need to order that tea.

Which leads me to my secondary goal for 2012: try new tea vendors. Specifically TeaSpring but also Sugimoto and American Tea Room. Nothing too ambitious, just three new vendors spread over twelve months. (Of course, if I can fit Ito-en and Ippodo in there, it wouldn't upset me in the slightest.)

So there we go, my goals. Read 24 "real" books in 12 months and buy tea from some specific new-to-me vendors. I can totally do that!