Since it seems to be the thing to do, I figured I'd share my New Years resolutions here as a way of saying, "Yes, I am culturally aware and participative, thank you very much."

I'm not generally big on resolutions, mainly because they tend to be the same sort of prayerful promises of better behavior in the future in exchange for leniency in the present that one makes to oneself when one is puking one's guts out after a late-night binge or when one's car breaks down in a seedy neighborhood at 3am. And they are just as often fulfilled.

That being said, I have found an ideal resolution making process that both maximizes follow-through while minimizing stress - make resolutions you actually look forward to keeping. So every year, I make a few well-chosen resolutions that reflect things I actually want to do and that will improve my quality of life along the same trajectory that it's already heading. And voila - resolutions that don't end up getting swept into the circular file along with the busted plastic champagne glasses and dusty confetti a few days later.

And now, for the unveiling of the 2007 Resolutions

[drumroll]

1. Eat out more. Hubs and I loves us the nosh - the higher quality, the better. So this year I resolve to eat out more, at higher-quality restaurants.

2. Spend more time discovering and enjoying all the cool things to do in our new hometown. Asheville is jam-packed with great clubs, cool sights, wonderful natural beauty, things to do, places to see and people to meet. So, 2007 is now officially dedicated as the Year of  the Ashtravaganza.

3. Ramp up my writing work in order to make enough money to pay for all of this galavanting around. Heh...throw me into the briar patch, why don't you. If there's anything I like more than turning squatpiles of crappy verbiage into soaring odes to grammatical lyricism, it's cashing the checks people send me to do it. Not everyone's cup of tea, of course, but as for me, I'll take seconds.

So there you have it: Write more, earn more, do more, eat more. It's all part of my master plan to take over the world improve the quality of my life to its fullest in a humble attempt to graciously accept and appreciate the amazing gift of life I've been given.

Happy New Year, everybody!