Reflecting on My New Year's Resolutions

As the year winds down while simultaneously revs up again, it's time to think about those Pesky New Year's Resolutions.  They Are Capitalized Because They're Important.  Or Ironic. Jury is out, still.

At any rate, let's take a look at last year's resolutions involving athletics, music and reading.

First, I will give up on running goals.  Last winter's snow and this year's hip that threatened to rebel prevented me from becoming too ambitious on the road.  Plus, I can dream of a five-minute mile all I want while understanding that it is all in my head.  (True confession: I wasn't a five-minute miler in my best days.)  (I'll give you a moment to gasp in surprise.)

What I can do is promise myself a more well-rounded exercise regiment.  David will be thrilled that I want to strengthen my core and do a little weight-lifting.  I shan't look like the Olympian on David's stamp artwork, but a little weight to keep my arms from looking too hideous isn't out of the realm of reality.  Add to that some good crunches (not crazy ones, a not-so-subtle hint to my trainer) with a little Bollywood dancing and I'll be golden.

Second, let's be honest about music: it's not my life's love.  (That would be reading.)  I like good music, but I don't always seek it out, and I don't think I'm deprived because of it.  I have a couple of good sources for music information (thank you, Rob, David and "Glee") and I'll surf the pop stations when I'm inclined.  I'm always up for suggestions, so don't hesitate to drop me a line.

Finally, I am reading at a good clip these days, so I don't need to hope to "read more."  I've begun including my book reviews on this blog, so you know I haven't run out of reading material (despite a huge chunk of my book collection being held captive in storage).  Plus, it's not a competition, but a desire to absorb good writing that compels me.  Remember to share your reading suggestions with me.

I may not abandon all of last year's goals, but there may be a few new ones in there; I'll let you know.

How did you do with your resolutions this year?  Are you eyeing next year's yet?

New Year's Resolution Update

As the year winds to an end, it's time to review my 2010 New Year's resolutions.

I want to read more.

Between Kathy's fabulous recommendations, new book releases by my fave authors (and Connie Willis, you know I'm writing about you), I'm getting quite a few books read — many more, in fact, than when I "try" to read more.  Honestly, I should remember that it's the quality of the books, not quantity, that spurs me on — and frankly, the quality lately has rocked!

I want to write more letters.

I can't remember the last time I sent a letter.  Wait, yes I can: September.  Still, not stellar.  Shame on me.  (And no, birthday cards do not count, no matter how much I wish they did.  That would put me in the "wow, you write a lot of letters" range.  Alas.)

I want to listen to music more.

Now that David has a new computer, we will reorganized our music library.  We will put the new stuff on there and rock on more often when we're home.  I've been launching The Pussycat Dolls when I leave for my run — and when I start again, they'll rock me and the cats every morning.

I want to listen to more music.

I'm still listening to my pop music station, and I've found an even better local one that doesn't fade out when I travel north.  I've downloaded a few new songs that I have encountered on the radio and on the Web, and I've started to surf iTunes for fun stuff. "Waka Waka" and "I Just Haven't Met You Yet" are new, fun downloads.

However, it's amazing how much of pop remains mediocre.  Nothing personal against the songwriters, but honestly: when the songs all sound alike and carry the same pablum message (you are a hero with a capital "h" and don't you start disbelieving this, only with lots more slang and a little embarrassing bad grammar), I'd hope someone would listen and maybe go bravely into new territory.  Wait, we're talking about money — and if Hollywood is resting on the old tired-and-tried, I guess I can't expect any more from... where do pop songs come from again (aside someone's really taxed so-called "imagination")?

I want to run faster.

I've given up on this.  Between the weather and my sinuses, I've spent little time actually on the road.  Heck, I haven't even been to the gym this month, I don't think — although I might have gone the first few days, when I tried to convince myself my inability to muster a single moment of momentum didn't indicate poor health.  (Yes, most times I'm like the Energizer Bunny on speed, but I don't pay attention to clues I don't like.)

So, how are your resolutions coming along?

May I Update You on New Year's Resolutions?

As we careen along this year, let's take a look at where my New Year's resolutions have zoomed along — or stalled.

I want to read more.
Frankly, I'm not racking up the books as I had hoped.  I've joined a book club but haven't been keeping up.  (We won't discuss The Terror.)  I've got five books going, including a few very interesting tomes, but they're not stacking up as quickly in recent weeks.

I was thinking about my reasons, a.k.a. excuses, and they sound pitiful.  I have too many books going at once, or maybe I've been shopping more than reading. Part of it is my new-found attempt at running in the morning, so I can't read until 1 am and still wake up road-ready five hours later.

Like I said, excuses.  None of them good or even convincing.  However, what I am reading is good, so I'll report more on that soon. 

I want to write more letters.
I did a great job for a while, a letter a week to Mom, then I fell off the wagon.  Poor Mom — she gets a Mother's Day card, then the postal carrier has nothing else to do for a while.  I might have to mix it up a little, maybe let pictures do the talking for me.  Does it count if I simply caption photos?

I want to listen to music more.
That's progressing nicely, with the iPod on in the background or my computer on in the background during the workday.  Right now I'm watching an Eric Clapton concert with musicians other than Mr. Clapton himself performing.  (Yep, this one is David's choice.  He's the concert DVD fan.)  I also have spent more time in the car lately, and the local pop station plays most of the time I'm in the car.  (I get my fill of NPR in the morning.)  I have picked up some good CDs lately: Essential Bruce Springsteen, anyone?

Plus, guess who's going to see Jeff Beck in a couple of weeks?

Yes, David, but who else?

Yes, PJ, my other Gee-tar Guy.  However, guess again 'cause there's another fan in the 'hood!

I want to listen to more music.
Did I mention my pop music station?  Plus, I have discovered just today the entire area of Free Zone on cable devoted to music.  I might just find some new group I like now that I have outgrown the novelty of Ke$ha (who will not suffer from this adjustment to her fan base, I am sure).

I want to run faster.
It was a hard, long winter spent in the gym.  I am grateful for that option, and for a wonderful husband who actually enables me to do such things, but it's hard to leave the comfort of the gym for the street (and I can't run on a treadmill and live).  it's even harder to hit the streets in the morning when the weather is all over the place: hot one morning, freezing the next, 40-degree swing in temperature followed by a thunderstorm, so I can't even run when it's finally warm.  (Yeah, poor me.)

The only drawback to being back on the street is the fact that I try to get it done before work on weekdays.  It requires a whole different mindset, which doesn't come naturally to me, no matter how many years I've tried to master it.  There's an art to being a morning athlete, and according to Fitness Magazine article, it's possible to evolve.  I'm sure I'll get there — right around October, when daylight saving ends and it's dark when I wake up.  (Cold, too, but despite my whining, I can live with that.)

Well, I think it's time to put down the computer and either pick up a pen or a book.

So, how are your resolutions coming along?

New Year's Resolution, Part Deux

On the Ides of March, the question arises: how are the New Year's resolutions coming along?  Only time will tell, and now is the time to tell!

I want to read more.
If I chose shorter books, I'd have a greater number of books under my belt.  Instead, I choose books like Black Hills (from the author of Drood) and The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova, which aren't modest tomes.  I have finalized my Fill in the Gap list, and have quite a selection of modest books from which to choose.  (I keep promising to start Dracula soon. Maybe tomorrow?) 

I finally found what sounds like the perfect H.P. Lovecraft book: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre.  David has told me I can't read it at night, especially since it was touted as having sixteen of Lovecraft's "most horrifying visions."  The cover alone is disturbing.  Bring it on!

I want to listen to more music.
Nikki's recent visit was a lovely reminder about the great music on the radio today.  We jammed to Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas and Beyonce — plus one by Lady Gaga and Beyonce, very cool. Nikki knows all the words, which was a lot of fun.  I may not be there anytime soon, but I can sing a chorus or two.

However, it's not all roses and happiness. I listened to Ke$ha's song "Blah Blah Blah" and I thought, "I'm sure I heard it wrong."  Then Rachael talked about some new pop music she recently heard and, yes, Rachael confirmed that what I heard was what I heard.  I have a question for the radio station: since when is THAT kind of language allowed on the air?  Yes, that may be a man's nickname, but not in that context.

I also am appalled by the lyrics of most Pitbull songs I have heard, but I am totally sucked into the beat.  Sigh.  Can I listen and still be able to champion the dignity of women?

I want to listen to music more.
Chez Cohen now rings with the tunes from yet another Nickelback album, and David and I got tickets to see Jeff Beck, one of the most talented guitarists on the planet (except for Philip Cohen).  The next few months will be filled with live Eddie from Ohio, Nickelback, Julie Murphy Wells and more.

In the meantime, the iPod is on with plenty of Aretha, Dr. Horrible — and did I mention Nickelback?

I want to write more letters.
The 2010 letter-writing campaign begins tomorrow with a letter to Mom.  Then there's the Christmas newsletter I will write for public consumption.  Soon.  (Hey, at least now you have a chance to read it!)

I want to run faster.
Now that the weather will permit running without a perilous dance on the ice, I look forward to breaking in a new pair of running shoes.  Last week when the weather broke, I took to the streets — and promptly developed blisters.  (Two on one foot! Talk about a wake-up call for new shoes....)

My new Asics will grace the streets of Fairfax soon, and you'll see me limping around as my legs mutter, "Oh, that's the painful stuff you do to us on a regular basis!  Now I remember!"  If you're in the car, slow down: I can't move that fast.  Yet.


So, which of your resolutions have survived intact? Which have you abandoned or postponed?  C'mon, you can tell me!

News Year's Resolutions Follow-Up, Part 1

It's been nearly a month since the beginning of the year.  How are your New Year's resolutions coming along?

Let me tell you how my crazy declarations are maturing.


I want to read more.
Well, I'm not yet reading less, despite a sinus infection — I have read two books so far this month. (I read one twice, so does that count as three books?)

I am finalizing my Fill in the Gaps list to choose the 100 books I pledge to read in the next five years.  I estimate at least half of the books on my proposed list are in my house right now.  I am looking for recommendations on which H.P. Lovecraft book (or two) to put on my list, in case you can offer a title or two.  Actually, I will take any recommendations you can offer, and I'll publish my list soon for your perusal.

I want to listen to music more.
David and I both have been turning on the iPod when we are home, so music has been echoing through Chez Cohen pretty steadily.  I have heard more Eric Clapton than any person alive should.  Him, and Al Dimeola.  I jest.  We've also heard more Once More, With Feeling and Betty.  Imagine Pete Fountain following a little Buffy.  (Go ahead, I'll wait.) (Cool, huh?) I imagine we'll listen to the iPod for hours as we drive to North Carolina later this month.

I also have switched my radio stations from NPR-only to a few music ones.  I surf until I find a melody I like, no matter the language or style.  It's kind of fun.  Sorry, Kojo, I gotta mix it up.

I want to listen to more music.
I downloaded "Don't Cha" the Pussycat Dolls a couple of weeks ago, and watched in amusement as David whistled it for a week.  I'm sure he's cooking up some revenge, though I don't mind humming a song for forever. It's the people around me who crack first.

Today, I flipped the radio to the local pop music station.  I wasn't really enjoying it at first, then realized it was the traffic and my own response to it that spoiled it for me.  On the way home, I just relaxed and found myself bobbing to "TiK ToK" by Ke$ha.  I didn't condone the behavior of the song narrator who was intoxicated with an air of carelessness that concerned me, but the beat was impossible to ignore. I also heard "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift —I think it was my first exposure to her, and it was quite a sweet song.

Then there was Kelly Clarkson, who seems to be all over the radio, on pretty much every station I've hit.  I'm not sure if I like that, let alone her getting away with such sloppy lyrics.  "Sucks"? Can't you do any better, Ms. Clarkson?

I want to write more letters.
I want to run faster.
I did neither of these, but with my clean bill of health, I'm bound to start at least one soon.  Maybe tonight.  You never know.

How about you?  How are your resolutions coming along?

New Year's Resolutions

As a rule, I do not cotton to "new year's resolutions." I mean, January 1 or 2 is as a good a time as any to start something new, but why the pressure as you hang a new calendar on the wall?

Additionally, most resolutions are "good for you," something a person hasn't started for one "good" reason or another — a reason that can as easily color the person's future as it did her/his past "future."

Finally, most resolutions are a little pie-in-the-sky.  Nothing short of a taffy pull will make me 5-foot-8, and even Miss America Wannabees don't weigh what their bios claim.  If I want to look like someone else who's tall and svelte, I can resolute all I want — and when I don't achieve it, I can simply chalk it up to my inability to keep a resolution, then settle back on the couch with Cisco and a bag of Cheetos.  Oh, well, it was just a New Year's resolution.

Between hype and ambivalence, I think it's safe to say a resolution is easily doomed, doomed, doomed.

Therefore, I'll give the whole resolution thing a shot.  (I always root for the underdog.)

The first thing I'll do is read more.  In 2009, I read only 40 books.  At that rate, I'll never finish everything in my library — and I've got some good books waiting for me.  If I don't work on it, I'll never get to all of the great tomes I eye every day.  (Another advantage of the printed book: perusing their spines as they line the library.)

The second thing I want to do is write more letters.  I love writing about everything and nothing in a conversation on the page, and the occasional non sequitur amuses me.  I like Facebook and Twitter, but a letter is like a surprise gift.  I would use homemade stationery for the letters I sent to my grandmother.  (As her eyesight deteriorated, I simply used larger fonts.)  Send me your address and we can start a written correspondence.  I'd like that.

David's and my new iPod will help with another resolution: to listen to music more.  We have hundreds of CDs between us, but rarely have we play them because the 5-disc player required selection, loading, unloading and more selection.  With the mega-iPod, now all of our music is available to play with a few clicks of a dial.  Set it on "shuffle," and we hear a little of everything (and subject the family to "deep in the vault" songs, like Jingle Cats — go ahead, listen to a snippet or two).

While I am at it, I want to listen to more music.  Every time I climb into the car with Nikki, I hear her music.  It hearkens back to the music I listened to once, the lively, culturally pertinent pop music of my youth.  I loved that, and some of today's pop music gets me listening (and, yes, dancing in my car seat).  I need to listen to more music — which means I need to find a good pop radio station.  (I've heard classic rock all my life, so I'm looking for something new.)  I'll take suggestions: and remember, the Internet makes most radio stations within our reach.

I want to run faster.  I am not a snail, but I know I could be better.  I might not get back to my high school heyday of a 7-minute mile (hey, don't laugh! I won some exciting races with that speed!), but I'd like to take less time doing what I do.  I'm sure there are ways to do that, like just moving my feet faster, but we'll see.

These ideas will keep me busy for now.  Plus, if I actually achieve one or two of them, I have a chance of trying the whole "resolution" thing again.

A few people at Borders have announced their resolutions.  What are yours?