Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes and no. I don't do resolutions because they smack of self-imposed ultimatums, something I don't do well with.
I always have a goal of something I want to improve, whether it be my health, house or just for fun. Doing this around the New Year has more to do with the academic calendar and getting a winter break from work than New Year's. (I'm in education.) Usually I spend winter break cocooning at home and enjoying the holidays with family. After the holiday events are over, the rest of the time is dedicated to myself. I'm a project person, meaning I always have several going on, some creative, some practical.
Right now, I'm back to my usual exercise routine. I took a most enjoyable break during vacation, indulging in binge TV while knitting, having dinner parties for family and friends (the best kind of socializing--I'm not a party person), and breaking in a few new kitchen tools. New Year's day is not a day I'll start something new. It's one of the last days of winter vacation and they tend to have few, if any, calendar obligations by design. Hence they are spent doing whatever I feel like.
When school started back, I went back to certain routines, so it would appear I have New Year's resolutions. It would also appear I have a resolution to cook healthier food, but no. Because I got two new kitchen toys, I mean tools, I had to reshuffle some cupboards and get rid of some stuff.
I have a treadmill desk which is a board secured to the treadmill arms so I can walk while keeping my hands busy. Treadmill activities are a combination of fun and, when unavoidable, work on the computer. Before the New Year, I organized assorted fun things to do on the treadmill after I went back to work.
My wife and I both telecommute, plus my wife and I are introverts with few friends or extended family, so Christmas / New Years to me is a time when my clients get awfully quiet and leave me alone to get some of their in-depth projects done. My wife will cook a meal for Christmas day (which just condemns us to 5 days of eating leftovers!) and I might coast for a couple of days or go see a movie, etc. That all this happens at the end of the year is just an artifact of the calendar and not inherently some impetus to "take stock" or make changes. I might do that at any time. And that's the only way it'd work for me, because the illusion that I'm in control of the pacing of my life is very important to me. Making non-trivial life changes at what has in the past tended to be an inherently hectic and stressful time of the year is a non-starter. Even now that my children are grown and things have slowed down I don't see New Years resolutions as anything but a forced concept. I try to be "mindful" all the time of things that can be improved and do a little at a time. It's less overwhelming that way.
Well I've decided to focus on doing some things for myself this year. My kids are getting to the age where they're more independent so I don't have to do so much ferrying about.
I do like to set myself challenges, otherwise I'd never get anything done. I can be a terrible procrastinator otherwise. The New Year seems to me to be a good time to set some challenges, since all those festivities are out of the way and you have some clear time to focus.
There's a painter I read about who set a challenge for January to paint thirty paintings in thirty days. You could submit the paintings to her website. Unfortunately I missed the deadline for that since I was away on vacation at the beginning of Jan, so I'm challenging myself to do it in February instead.
Also in order to have February clear, I've been finishing off some projects around the house. I do most of the DIY (I have to earn my keep) and I'm very practical, so I've just finished decorating my daughters bedroom and have been talking to an architect about some other home improvements. I haven't been able to work as such the last few tears (at least if I did, I'd have to employ part time help - we have no family support network here), as my husband works away intermittently, often without a lot of notice, so I've made a career out of property development instead (more by accident than by design). It's worked extremely well so far. We've moved around a bit in the last few years and I've always made a really decent profit on our sold properties (earned more than my husband last year - haha! Nobody was more surprised than me!), though I admit some of it has been down to luck too.
Also I watched an excellent TV show over the holiday called 'In defense of food'. It highlighted all the things I'd always suspected - that all these food fads we've been sold in the last 3 decades are a pile of hooey (low fat this and low fat that) and one of the reasons contributing to why there are so many unhealthy people. It basically just said to learn lessons from the past and eat what people used to eat. Eat real food, real butter, real bread etc. It was very inspirational. I've been vegetarian since I was 16 so I'm 90% of the way there anyway, but I've resolved to get a bit more creative in the kitchen.
My favourite atheist (outside of CD, of course) possesses the wickedest wit in the west - Ricky Gervais. He's hosting the Golden Globes tonight which makes it must-watching for me.
My favourite atheist (outside of CD, of course) possesses the wickedest wit in the west - Ricky Gervais. He's hosting the Golden Globes tonight which makes it must-watching for me.
Anybody else tuning in?
I love Ricky Gervais. He always has me in stitches. I might wait for the highlights though so I don't have to sit through the rest of it.
My favourite atheist (outside of CD, of course) possesses the wickedest wit in the west - Ricky Gervais. He's hosting the Golden Globes tonight which makes it must-watching for me.
I don't know anything about 85% of the nominees or shows being awarded but it's the only awards show where it's quite obvious a lot of people are loaded. And most years it's either Gervais or two of my favourite women comics - Tina Fey and Amy Poehler - hosting. So it's usually a hoot somewhere along the way.
My favourite atheist (outside of CD, of course) possesses the wickedest wit in the west - Ricky Gervais. ?
Who is the wickedest wit in the east?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
