Resolute

Happy New Year! 2008 was a year of a lot of big changes for me, personally and professionally, and I am pleased to say that I think I came a long way. I am expecting 2009 to be great and can't wait to see where I am this time next year! Without getting too sentimental on you, I will say that I really like myself and like where I'm going right now, so this year's resolutions are all about continuing with that theme and fine tuning things so that I can feel good about myself all the time. And here's some music to accompany my list.



In No Particular Order:

1. Floss more. I have nice teeth, according to my dentist, and although I brush regularly, I am often lazy about flossing. This little thing doesn't take much time, or effort, but it will make me feel good about myself, so I'm going to try to get on the ball.

2. Read more. I usually average about 3 books per month, but this year I had a lot to think about and I stopped reading alltogether. I want to pick up where I left off on my list, and plow through.

3. Go to more shows. A couple years ago I was going to at least one show a week, just checking out new bands and mingling. I miss being in the loop, musically, and I really need to start meeting more people, so this is a good one. It will take a bit of effort, though, since I no longer know what's going on, and since it's sometimes hard for me to get myself out of the house.

4. See more art. Yeah, I went to art school, but I have been very negligent in my patronage of the arts. It's not hard to check out the Oakland Art Murmur once a month, for starters, and get a steady dose of new and interesting art. This also serves as another entree back into "the scene" which I have been out of for so long.

5. Keep a list of things that make me happy. This is sort of silly, but there are little things every day that make me smile, and I want to start keeping track of them.

6. Keep my house more tidy. This is probably the hardest thing for me, as clutter seems to follow me wherever I go, but I always feel good when my home looks nice, and if I make small efforts to keep it that way, maybe it will stick.

7. Finally learn to make cheese! It's about time, right? I only bought the supplies a year ago...

8. Spend lots of time with friends. I've been working on this one for a while, but I want to continue to see my people more often, including those who are out of town, which means more travelling as well.

9. Be like Jim Carrey. I need to start saying "yes" more. To dates, to social invitations, etc.. You never know when you're going to have a great time.

10. Don't settle for less than what I want. I've started standing up for the things I want in life, and that has felt very good, so I plan to keep doing that, which goes hand-in-hand with being direct with people and not shying away from confrontations.

11. Cook more. I love to cook but I have all but stopped cooking for myself, and pretty much subsist on leftovers and one-pot pasta dishes. I throw a big dinner party once a month, and that is fun, but I always enjoy making simple meals for myself and feel good about it, so I should do that more too.