Wednesday,
January 2, 2002

Resolutions? Oh, if you insist. . .

There are a lot of brave, brave people out there who have been posting their 2002 resolutions on their journals. If pressed, I would have to admit that I didn't really make any -- New Year's Eve was spent watching movies and feeling like a sloth, to be truthful.

But I do have some things that I would really like to see come to fruition in 2002, so I suppose those would count as resolutions. Kinda. Hey, I need a topic for the entry, okay?

1. I finally got into the habit of nailing my butt to a chair and turning out stories last year (due in part to my membership in FutureClassics). Now, what I need to do is polish the stories I have, and continue to send them out. I have at least four stories in second draft form awaiting their final rub before they can be submitted, so I need to get into the habit of doing that on a timely basis.
2. While we're talking about writing, finishing at least one damn novel would be nice.
3. Weight loss. Yeah, this is a perennial favorite; the thing is, I know a low-carb diet works for me, and God knows I'm already doing the aerobic thing. Now I just have to put them together and actually stick to them.
4. Finding a permanent job and starting some financial planning for retirement. I've been told that if I start now and get aggressive about it, I can still have a handy little nest egg thirty years from now. Thing is, I have to start, like, NOW. Having Lyndon here and working is a big help, and we are going to see a financial advisor and start socking it away, but it would be better if I knew whether I was going to be employed after February. Oh, well, let's just leave this in the "To Do" pile, shall we?
5. Take belly dancing classes. Stop laughing. There's a place in Bedford that teaches BD classes, and it's one thing I've always wanted to learn. I've been hesitating because of the carpool thing with the Man from McKinney, but I think it's time to go for it.
6. Take guitar lessons. Yeah, I can play, but I want to play well -- Widows and Orphans is going to jam at ConJose this August, and I'd like to sound at least moderately good by then.

And that's about it for resolutions. Everything else seems to be ticking along fairly well, and it's bad enough that I'm tempting fate by bringing up the W*** topic -- I don't want to give the lovely lady any more ammunition if I can avoid it.