Merry New Year to you all!

My dad got me out of the habit of asking people if they had a good Christmas. Now I wish them a happy “New Year” or ask them about their "holiday season", which is as generic as it comes. It was a good idea on three fronts; the obvious cultural sensitivity, Y fronts, and what would become my loathing of Christmas. I’m not saying that we should stop celebrating Christmas for fear of offending people or endorsing the “Political Correctness Police”. Far from it. I am just saying if you want to avoid that uncomfortable silence that follows when you have made a knob out of yourself in front of someone who does not celebrate Christmas, it is probably best.

But now  tis the season to make resolutions, and by late February, that becomes the season to break resolutions. Fa la la la laaaa, la laa laaa laaaa. I find resolutions a difficult subject. I love the concept that a fresh Gregorian year is a head of us and it is a time to admit our shortcomings and try to fix something in our lives that we are not too happy, or proud of. Just remember when we fail to meet them; it is not all that bad.

I prefer to call them goals. It is a little homebrand “same shit, different label” but goals are a little more flexible, can be re-evaluated along the journey, and therefore not the end of the world if you fall short.

These are my goals for 2011

1. Write a first draft of a novel
I love to write, but I only share it with a few select people. I have been writing since 2004 and I have attempted a novel in the past, but I have never finished one. I generally write short stories, sketches, radio plays, and just really odd stuff. This will be the year I turn down that self critic voice.

2. Produce either a clip, short film, or a sketch with The Chess Hammer.
The Chess Hammer is a bunch of my mates and I who just have a great time and talk shit together. We have been talking about doing stuff for a while, and this year we are finally in a position to do something. Let's stop talking and start filming!

3. Climb a real rock
It is always good to have a physical goal. Last year I ran a 54km ultra marathon, but this year I started doing indoor rock climbing, and it is pretty sweet. I do have a problem sticking to just one route because I am colour blind and have trouble differentiating between some of the rocks. I asked some people at the climbing centre what I could do about it and they climb some real rocks. Sounds like a good plan to me.

I have added a few new pages so that I can track how each goal is coming along. Drop us a comment and let me know what you will be striving for in 2011.
 
Good luck for the coming year!
 
Rusty