Another Year, Another Set of Resolutions

People keep asking me "Did you keep your resolutions from last year? What are they for this year?"

My answers have been "I don't know and I don't know."

I decided to consult the Almightly Elusive Pringle in search of last year's resolutions and will now be possibly embarrassed by my failures of the year.

Last Year's Resolutions, according to The Elusive Pringle:

1. Eat fewer cookies per unit time
Result: Success. More due to insulin than to willpower, but still!
2. Eat more salads
Result: Success. See above.
3. Possibly... gasp... join gym
Result: Um, failure. But this was a *possibly* so I don't feel too bad. I had a good spurt of lame exercise videos that I rocked prior to The Worst Day Ever, so it wasn't a total failure.
4. Play more piano (possibly get good again!)
Result: Sporadic success and focus and motivation, but overall I would say this one was a failure.
5. Watch fewer Netflixes
Result: Success! Well, I might be watching the same amount but they are not the same time-suck that they once were, so a good result, yes.
6. Read novels
Result: I definitely read more but not nearly enough, so failure.
7. Stop forgetting when exhibits end and thereby missing them entirely
Result: Success, although I feel like my overall interest in art has decreased due to media overload, but I didn't miss anything this year as I was list-maker extraordinaire!
8. Be better about keeping in touch with friends via phone
Result: Failure! I am still terrible!
9. Be better about making time to listen to original songs friends have sent me to listen to
Result: Failure, but this is because, um, people probably stopped sending me songs because I didn't listen to them.
10. Travel (more specifically: go to Europe... more precisely, do not become first ever greater than or equal to 30 YEAR OLD person who hasn't been to Europe)
Result: Well, I went to Europe, but after I turned 30, so I guess I failed. Sniff.
11. Buy and then learn how to use new fancy camera
Result: Success with bonuses!!!
12. Think about future like serious 30-year-old should
Result: Success! The future is happening, because I am thinking about it with D's assistance.
13. Buy fewer pairs of glasses
Result: Well, I bought two pairs but I didn't pay anything for them so it doesn't count.
14. Keep credit card bills to reasonable amount
Result: Failure, oh my, the worst failure. The trips (and the apartments) drained me.
15. Drink less
Result: I think this was successful, but its hard to tell.
16. Hang out less or not at all with people from work
Result: Great success without remorse. I am evil but am so much happier.
17. Make and keep friends
Result: Success, I think. I feel like I belong finally and this is due to real, true friends and not just friends of convenience.
18. Read articles in Village Voice and not just about what to do
Result: Success. Voice, I will miss you.
19. Write more songs per unit time - stop neglecting the blog!!!
Result: Failure. I neglected the blog in more ways than music, and I think I wrote fewer than ten songs this year. I am embarrassed.
20. Maintain current good course of relationship with boyfriend
Result: Wicked success! We are miraculously living together and planning a big move together. Yay!

Overall Success Rate of New Year's Resolutions for 2006: 60%.

Not bad, and some of those were ambiguous failures so the success rate is probably more like 66%. I'm proud of myself for keeping my resolutions without even realizing I was keeping my resolutions.

And now for the, drum roll, resolutions for 2007 (and note the guest appearances of certain resolutions from 2006):

1. Save money, save money, and also save money. For the love of god save money. Be responsible. Stop hemorhaging money. Stop! PLEASE!
2. Limit dinner prices to $20.
3. Only one drink at dinner, and hopefully this will be included in the $20.
4. Exercise tapes (note that I am not saying "join gym" because I know this will not happen due to hating of working out and also due to saving of money).
5. Weights.
6. Read more books/graphic novels.
7. Continue bringing own lunch to work/school in order to save money and also eat in healthy manner.
8. Keep up with magazines in a timely fashion and do not let accumulate for months and months and months.
9. Write songs for the blog goddamit.
10. Begin writing musical.
11. Play more piano and get good.
12. Avoid apartment-related drama in NYC for one year. I realize this is out of my control but please please please let us be responsible and not lose more money.
13. Get to school on time every day.
14. Stop allowing The Parents to cause me to experience all manner of madness (this has already begun and I think there will be success).
15. If there is free time and extra money, which there will not be, take dance class.
16. Not be nervous when whole life changes.
17. Ahem - this is a long shot but - ahem - attempt to get driver's license. Right. Yes. If there is time and uncharacteristic bravery, I will do this!
18. Continue to sell things on Ebay and Craigslist in order to make small fortune!
19. Keep in touch with friends via phone in more regular fashion.
20. Become amazing cook in new life when there will be time to become amazing cook.

OK! 2007! Woo hoo! Yeah! I think its gonna be a good one, or at the very least, better than last year, because really, could things get any worse? Well, I guess they have a potential to get really bad this year but I'm trying not to think about it and to instead watch a lot of Arrested Development because, really, jail can be funny, right? Right.