New Year’s Resolutions

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There’s a reason they aren’t called “New Year’s Promises.” We’re almost expected to break them. Nevertheless, I try to make and keep some every year, regardless of what other people might think about them. Generally, they’re the same resolutions from the previous year that I’ve failed to live up to. Take number one, for example.

  1. Get real exercise.
  2. Get more sleep.
  3. Loosen up.
  4. Stand by my convictions more.
  5. Stand up for myself more.
  6. Read more books and listen to more music.
  7. Meet some new people.

I think 2004 is going to be a good year. Looking back on 2003, I think I did pretty well with my resolutions.

Ruminations

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Well, I don’t write so much now, do I? I hope everyone is having a good holiday season and is excited about the year to come. It’s going to be a big one, what with the extra day in February and all. Maybe there will be other reasons, too.

My solistice festivals were a little subdued this year. I exchanged gifts with my family through the mail, and dinner on Christmas day involved a Lean Cuisine microwavable lasagna-type food product. Following that, there was the traditional Jewish Christmas movie with friends.

Over the holiday I also discovered that there is now a second game I would play if I had an Xbox, SSX3. (I would include links to these, but all video game-related websites are blocked from my view while I’m at work. Maybe I’d add them later.)

Bryan was in town, too, so there was chili, hot chocolate, and fat cats, per tradition.

Now, a dillemma: New Year’s Eve. What to do?

No Secret

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It’s no secret that I can’t get enough of The West Wing (except for those episodes in the first season with that annyoing girl). I haven’t been able to get one episode out of my mind. It was the one where CJ’s new boyfriend in the secret service gets shot in a convenience store in New York. I haven’t been able to get the music in the following scene out of my head. I looked it up and discovered that the music was the song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, performed by Jeff Buckley. So I downloaded three versions of the song (by Leonard Cohen who has an awful singing voice, by Jeff Buckley whose version is more guitar-oriented, and by Rufus Wainwright whose version appeared on the Soundtrack to Shrek and is probably my favorite of the three) and learned to play it on the piano. It’s a beautiful tune.