Resolve

I don't usually make resolutions at this time of year.

Actually, I do, but I break them.

Always.

But this year seems different for lots of reasons and seeing as how this family's tradition basically jumped out the window and committed tradition suicide, I figure I might as well keep on keepin' on in unfamiliar territory. So, ladies and gents, here is my list of resolutions for 2009. Please feel free to call me out on any screwups in '09 when you read about them here.

In no particular order:

1) I resolve to do something crafty every day. I promise this to myself regularly and I never seem to follow through. Some days I'm just too bushed. Some days I'm just too lazy. I'm counting on my business to help me out with this. And even if I don't get around to sitting down to seriously work on some sort of project, I want to at least take a few pictures or something. I'm hoping this will keep me sane and keep those creative juices flowing.

2) I resolve to clean up my diet. Even if it's December 24th at 7:00pm and the only place open is McDonalds, I vow to eat something healthy instead. We eat so much crap and it's starting to take its toll on Ben and me. I'm not talking about doing anything radical, but I do mean thinking twice about what we're putting into our bodies. Plus, my vegetarian inner child has been scratching to get out (again) so who knows...this vow might include the loss of meat in my diet. Besides, my lifestyle isn't the healthiest even without the poor diet, so every little bit helps. Also, please note that this resolution does not include weight loss. I refuse to join the rest of America in resolving to lose weight in the new year. Most people don't follow through and we're left with a country full of disappointment and overwhelming waves of diet pill commercials. If weight loss comes along with the healthier diet, so be it. But I'm not making any promises to my scale.

3) I resolve to turn off the television! Or at least watch way less than I do now. Hopefully resolution #1 will keep me so busy that I won't want to blob around in front of the old boob tube, but if not I'll need willpower with this one. I was pushing Ben to ditch the cable earlier this year and just rely on movies for entertainment purposes, but this idea was a no-go. Poor Ben rarely watches TV, and when he does he loves to watch boxing on the pay channels. After thinking about this, I realized that it's not fair to to push him to give up something that's not a problem for him, so now it's up to me to can the excuses and just turn the damn thing off whenever I can. I love to read, so I vow to start turning the pages instead of changing the channels.

4) I resolve to learn a new hobby. There are so many things I'd love to learn in the coming year and I think it's about time I choose one and learn all there is to know about it. There's an organization locally that puts together classes for adults and quite a few of those classes are in the arts and crafts field. Time to enroll and challenge myself. So, what will it be? Metalsmithing? Glass blowing? More pottery? Sewing clothing? Soap making? The list goes on and on.

5) I resolve to spend more time with family. I talk with my mom at least once a day, but the rest of the family, well, not so much. I barely saw my family on Christmas this year! I suck. My grandfather's questionable health earlier this month made me realize that I take people for granted and it's time to appreciate them while they're here. So there. You're all stuck with me. Heh.

6) I resolve to become more involved with charity. I donate money whenever I can to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in our friend Dan's memory, but I'd like to go beyond that. I got involved with the Kiva foundation and that was fantastic. I donated a ton of money to various fundraisers through the business in 2008. We held a canned food drive here and kicked butt. But I feel like I'm still missing something in my life and it's time I found out what charity will fill the void. Do you have a favorite?

7) I resolve to start up movie day again! This kind of ties in with resolution #3, but it's something I've been talking about a lot lately. Years ago I used to go to the movies alone on Sunday afternoons. I loved it. And I miss it terribly. Now that I'm working out a trade agreement with the Ultraviolet Cafe in Albany, I'm getting movie passes to my favorite theater in exchange for coffee jackets. Now I have no excuses for not starting up this tradition again. I figure I'll bounce back and forth between Sundays and Mondays. Let me know if you'd like to join me!

8) I resolve to clean out the clutter in my life. I know Ben's probably rolling his eyes already, but I'm really serious here. We have SO MUCH STUFF and it's time to let it go. I need less clutter and more space, and so it's time to start weeding through the belongings and thinking twice about want -vs- need. Everything salvageable is going to charity.

9) Get rich. Heh. Just figured I'd throw that one in there.

And so that's that. This is all I can come up with for now, but I'm sure there's more.

Hope you all have a safe and happy new year celebration. We're spending the night with friends playing a nice, healthy game of Pervartistry. See results from last year's game here.