I resolve to .....

[CHasR]

in 2008


1.) Brush my teeth on a more regular basis, and develop a better sense of oral hygene.

2.) Make even more music (OK, this gonna be a tough one)

3.) Do PT (at least) once weekly, regaining my ability to do
*10 chinups,
*25 L-R crunches (that's 25 right knee to forehead, and 25 left knee to forehead),
*25 pushups by july (I'm at 4, 12 + 15 right now)
* and maintain a healthy 175.

4.) Blame the Republican party for absolutely every...OH WAIT, sorry, that's already happening...

4.a) Be more paitent with my children when they do things like spill ovaltine on our $200 imitation persian rug.(it's really nice, though...)

5.) Do something sweet and unexpected for my wife every 14 days. (OK gutter brainz, I'm talking flowers/ movie, etc here....)


what about you???

[Redwolf]

1) to spend at least some time every day speaking or writing in Irish

2) go get back on the diet/exercise track, so I can be down to my ideal weight by summer (I kind of stalled after losing 30 pounds)

3) practice my harp every day (oh wait...I already do that!)

4) to keep sneaking in whistle practice, so I won't sound like a total idiot at sessions.

Redwolf

[Innocent Bystander]

1. To spend more time practicing the instruments I neglect. (Dulcimer, flute, harmonica).
2. Get my repertoire up to a hundred tunes playable by ear, and to weed out the ones on which I am not up to snuff (or get them up to snuff)!
(that's for the whistle. Guitar repertoire is separate).
3. Write something publishable by the end of the year
4. Start drawing again.
5. Make/find/organise staves for the people I've promised staves for.
6. Generally keep better track of promises and make sure they get fulfilled.

[Tyler]

...to not make resolutions...

drink more...

[chas]

4.) Blame the Republican party for absolutely every...OH WAIT, sorry, that's already happening...

4.a) Be more paitent with my children when they do things like spill ovaltine on our $200 imitation persian rug.(it's really nice, though...)

You need to get a steam vacuum. As long as you get to the Ovaltine with a spotter before it dries, a steamer will get it out within a few days every time.

As for (4), believe it or not, the White House has a higher approval rating than the Democrat-controlled congress in most recent polls.

...to not make resolutions...

drink more...

Geez, I don't know if the latter is possible for me. . .

My two resolutions:

As with the other Chas, get in shape and to a healthier weight (I tend to slack off in the winter). I've entered a 10-miler in March, so that should take care of my often sedentary winter lifestyle. Last summer I started doing at least a little cross-training, which I'll keep up (biking as well as running).

Musically, I've been a mess lately. My second resolution is to develop some sort of focus to my music. I've been doing Irish, English, Baroque, waltzes. . . all poorly. I don't think it's bad to do all of them, but I've been flitting too much the last few months. I've basically lost my Irish repertoire -- I played a mazurka for a friend and her kids today and I was having trouble playing a tune I'd been playing for a couple of years. At the very least I need to refresh my Irish repertoire periodically or else forget ITM entirely, which I don't really want to do.

[Caroluna]

Wow, good idea for a thread! Now, will we keep coming back to this thread to give updates on our progress? That would be interesting to hear.

This year I would like to--

1.Start a discussion / support group for homeschooling moms who are tired of being so disorganized and want to change.

2.Create / teach another class.

3.Be able to play flute in our church's Christmas orchestra next year (Keys are new for me. Keyed Copley will arrive in a few months )

4.Keep a diet / exercise / health journal-- write down what I eat. Wear a pedometer, count steps. Write down when I go to the gym. .......When I do this it's very helpful, but I'm sporadic about it. Aim for......how about...9 days out of 10.

edited to put numbers in.

[Dale]

1. To lose 25 lbs of the 50-75 I need to lose. This is based on a scientific consensus that I'm more likely to be useful to my family and less likely to a burden if I shed some lb-age.

2. Not to yield to temptation to be sarcastic. (Yeah, like I'm REALLY going to do that.)

3. Meditate/pray more.

4. Learn the lyrics to James Brown's song Mother Popcorn also known as Let a Man Come In and Do the Popcorn.

5. Actually let a man come in and do the Popcorn.

6. Write a letter to Fred Willard and tell him he's one of the top five funniest human beings on the planet.

7. Learn to spell "occurrence." How am I doing?

8. Have a long layover in the Atlanta airport.

9. Learn something I don't already know about pistachios.

[emmline]

1. Move up to "medium" on Rock Band. (strumming and drumming.)
I have ever-so-bad reflexes. Relative to my kids, that is.

2. Finish book #4 so it can join #s 2 and 3 in the nationwide slushpile tour.

3. Begin the arduous process of guiding my 15 year old in the useful transition from caveman to semi-competent quasi-adultoid.

4. Clean out 3 dressers.

5. Plant 6 shrubs that won't die within 3 months. Not azaleas.

6. Make it to almost all 5 of the Community Concert Association concerts as any reasonably responsible Board member (by dint of coercive action on the part of her sneaky mother) would.

7. Find and obtain reasonable health insurance for myself, one young adult child, two college students, and a high-schooler, effective next August.

8. Maintain grace and peace of mind in the face of whatever-the-hell life throws at me in 2008.

[BigDavy]

1) Have a great time.
2) Get my Masters
3) Have an even greater time
4) Did I mention have a great time?
5) Improve my Tai Chi
6) Have a great time
7) Beat my record of 19 folk festivals in one year.
8 ) Have a great time especially working on resolution 7.
9) Actually get good enough on the chanter to post a clip.
10) Become a not so big BigDavy

David

[cowtime]

1- save enough to buy an oboe
2- start re-learning to play the thing
3- continue playing something with the community orchestra in the
meanwhile
4- quit the bagpipe band I've played with for 10 years now
5- simplify
6-completely pay off student loans
7- learn more new tunes on whistle and memorize more on piano

and Em, you said the toughest one the best so I'll copy yours-

Maintain grace and peace of mind in the face of whatever-the-hell life throws at me in 2008.

[izzarina]

8. Maintain grace and peace of mind in the face of whatever-the-hell life throws at me in 2008.

No fair...you've already done that one...at least the grace part

I'd reiterate Dale's no sarcasm one, but I'd never get past New Year's Day, so forget it.

Let me think....

1) Really start cracking my Irish books, so I can know SOMETHING by June.

2) Try to be more positive about my country and government (I'm almost putting that one up there with the sarcasm, though)

3) Be more patient (snort)

4)Think before I speak (snort again....I'm beginning to think this will be a losing battle)

5) Work more in my writing and possibly get something published by the end of the year....a magazine would be fine. Starting small is still starting, right?

6) Work more on my music (in other words, actually practise once in a while )

7) Sort through all the needless stuff I own, and get rid of practically everything I own that is useless.....Mr Izz, however can stay .

8 ) Buy a fiddle

9) Be more patient (yeah....it needs that much work)

10) Read everything that Oscar Wilde ever wrote. Although, I think I've already done that...YAY! That's one down! Only 9 more to go!

[Redwolf]

1) Really start cracking my Irish books, so I can know SOMETHING by June.

You, I and Beth ought to get a study group going. I can use all the practice I can get.

Redwolf

[Ro3b]

2007 was my guitar year. I really threw myself into trying to regain the chops I had 20 years ago. And, well, so far so good. In 2008 I'll try to keep the momentum going.

Also, I'm going to drink more, smoke more cigars, and eat more fatty foods.

[Domhnall]

Get a job, in order to afford going to school in the fall.

[avanutria]

1) Really start cracking my Irish books, so I can know SOMETHING by June.

You, I and Beth ought to get a study group going. I can use all the practice I can get.

Redwolf

Yes! Though I am rubbish at study groups. I am hoping to spend my lunchtimes working on language stuff this year but as I am currently trying to learn both Irish and Japanese, who knows what kind of muddle I will be in by June!