Resolutions

Resolutions, resolutions. I’ve never made them before — at least, not in public — but now seems as good a time as any, so here goes:
1. Read more. Seems like I’m perpetually in the middle of the same half-dozen books. I used to read quite a bit, but ever since I stopped riding public transit, I haven’t set aside time to read. I’d really like to get through all the books I’ve got on my shelf right now: Douglas Adams: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, The Long, Dark Teatime of the Soul (page 0); Stephen Dobyns: The Church of The Dead Girls (page 0); Robert M. Pirsig: Zen And the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (page 92); Douglas Coupland: Miss Wyoming (somewhere around page 170, but I’ve forgotten nearly everything); Carl Hiaasen: Kick Ass (page 142).
2. Become a better cook. This is just something I really enjoy and want to become better at. Everyone should become a better cook.
3. Use the food I have already, more effectively. It seems like I’m always throwing something out because it’s going bad. In 2004 I resolve to make a conscious effort to get through the food I’ve got before it goes bad, or if I’m not going to eat it, simply not buying it in the first place. Hmmm, looks like there could be some tie-in between this one and number 2.
4. Sleep more. In 2003, bedtime for me on a weeknight was somewhere between 1:30 and 2:00, and I was up at 7:20. That’s just over 5.5 hours, definitely not enough. On those rare days where I did get more, the difference was very noticeable. No amount of caffeine would be an adequate substitute. It’ll be a gradual process of course, but in 2004, I’d like to get at least 7 hours in per night.
5. Go dancing more. Yep. 🙂
6. Get back in the dating scene. This one is long overdue. 😉 In the past year I think I’ve been subconsciously avoiding relationships, but enough is enough! 😀
7. Exercise more. Ultimate does a fine job of exercising my calves and cardio system, but what about all those other bits? In 2004 (geez, this sounds like a US election campaign) I’d like to develop the parts of my body which don’t get exercise through Ultimate.
8. Explore my surroundings more. Back in June, exploring Myakka with Cam and Melissa was a good start. Now how about all the rest of Florida? What I’ve seen so far is beautiful… I’d like to see more.
9. Become a better photographer. I’ve learned a lot since I bought my digicam 13 months ago, but I feel like I’ve only scratched the tip of the iceberg. Two topics I’d particularly like to learn more about are composition and lighting, so I will endeavor to find out more about them in the coming year.
10. Start learning Spanish. This was one of my goals when I took this job, and so far, it hasn’t gotten much attention. Uno, dos, tres. ¿Una cerveza, por favor? But that’s as far as my vocab goes. Not sure how much I’ll be able to learn, but I do know I want to know a lot more Spanish by this time next year.
Wow, I didn’t think I had nearly that many. One nice thing is that there seems to be multiple areas where my resolutions could overlap, so it might work out pretty well. Guess we’ll know for sure, this time 2005. 😀
[About the bridge]