Resolutions

Amidst the spiked punch and general mayhem that ensue during a good New Year's Eve party, I did manage to give some thought to this year's resolutions. Here are a few that made the cut:

1) Drink water.
I make this resolution every year, and every year I am surprised when I look down and see that I have alligator skin because I haven't had any water in two days. What can I say? I just don't really like the stuff. Maybe I will try adding lemon or scotch or something to spice it up a little.

2) Brush Buddy every day.
This will benefit the entire family. Buddy will get to be his most handsome self, and I will not have to clean up disgusting hairballs. Win-win.

3) Relax.
That means leaving work at a reasonable time, cooking, going for walks, not letting the what-ifs keep me up at night, playing Wii with my man, petting the kitties, riding my bike, etc. It seems that this would not be such a difficult resolution to keep, as those are some of my favorite things to do, but I do tend to get caught up in work, mundane tasks, and worries. I resolve to try and relax already!

4) Eat ice cream.
I realize that this does not necessarily support The Pants Diet (see the previous post), but what I really mean is that I resolve to eat ice cream (etc.) when I want it and to enjoy it, savor it, and not feel guilty for indulging. Do all women do this? Eat a piece of cake then feel like you're a bad person? Geez! I want to have my cake and enjoy it too.

5) Get to know our neighbors.
They seem really nice. The lady across the street brought us a dozen eggs from her chickens and a super cool abandoned paper wasp nest for my classroom, and the woman next door came over to take a tour of the house and to see if we want to adopt her kitty. Or just borrow it. Or post it on Craiglist. We're not really sure, because she talks very quickly and has a thick Chinese accent. I know she mentioned something about Brooke Hogan, but I'm not sure if that was the name of her cat or something totally unrelated. Anyway, she seems nice, and it seems like a good idea to get to know your neighbors, should I need to borrow a cup of sugar or should a tornado hit. Eric met the man whose property is adjacent to our backyard and he is going to show us how to prune the plum trees to maximize their pluminess.

6) Finish a book. Any book.
I have been reading The Pillars of the Earth for about a million years. I was talking to a friend at work today who said that she had a similar experience with that particular book--she said it took her so long to finish it that when she finally did, she felt sad, like a whole chapter of her life was ending. I am also reading Island of the Blue Dolphins, which for some reason I have never read, and a young-adult science fiction story called Atherton, so you can see that I have many options when it comes to book-finishing.

7) Take a hike.
I love hiking, I really do, but I never seem to stray far from my standard Chuckanut Mountain trails. I realize that this resolution will most likely not go into effect until the weather warms or summer rolls around, whichever comes first, but I resolve to go exploring more and expand my hiking horizons.