Resolution #9

I seldom make resolutions at the start of a new year, preferring instead to attempt course corrections whenever I need them. I'm too old to remake myself, and most of my habits are such deep grooves in my brain-matter that no amount of Bondo could fill them. I have been trying to be less grumpy, but that's proving to be less easy than quitting coffee was a year ago.

There are, though, a few things I'm looking forward to or would like to accomplish this year, some that are perhaps birthed of resolutions I made in, say, October.

1. Writing at least one good poem. This isn't easy, considering that I write maybe half a dozen a year to begin with. I think I'm still on for a poetry reading next month, so I'd like to have something new by then.
   
   
2. Getting beyond the first chapter of a new novel (writing, not reading). Beginnings are always easy and fun, whether it's a love affair or a book; the real work shows up when we can't get the characters to do what we want them to do.
   
   
3. With my wife, making a semi-spontaneous trip to Las Vegas at the end of this month. Never been there.
   
   
4. Spending a couple days snow camping in Yosemite some time in the next couple of months.
   
   
5. Enjoying a journey to England in March. More days in London this time.
   
   
6. Finding others to occasionally contribute to this blog. Really. Anyone? Anyone? Ferris?
   
   
7. Adjusting to a world with no George Bush. Good God it has been a long 8 years.
   
   
8. Planning a vacation to Colorado and at least one long weekend in Portland. Ain't it great having family who will let you sleep in the spare bedroom for free?
   
   
9. Getting permission to set up writing-shop in a small house on the North Coast for several consecutive days (see #1 & #2) this spring. This one might cost me a couple of lunches.
   
   

All of these are contingent on many factors, of course: watching less television; keeping my job (i.e., funding); finding the energy for teaching (which pays for assorted excursions); finding other writers with whom to socialize (I'm pretty much a leech, especially where Shawn and Kominski are concerned) to keep the creative side alive; being nice to family and friends who have homes in places I want to visit. Well, maybe that last part is a bit selfish: I mean, there are other reasons to be nice to these people....