No resolutions.....but maybe a few goals.

Happy New Weir everyone!! That's what Deadheads usually say to each other..."Have a Jerry Christmas and a Happy New Weir."


We'll be hanging out tonite, going to bed early, being awakened at midnight by the fireworks, then sleeping in tomorrow. As I mentioned in my Labor Day post, Brian and I are not huge fans of when New Years is celebrated. This time of year always seems so depressing. We're still coming down off the holiday high, many of us have eaten and drank way too much, although today I managed to get a pair of jeans on, and buttoned, that I haven't been able to get over my fat can in months, so apparently I didn't eat that much.

I just wish traffic was as light as it was today, every day!! At least it's a short day. Phones are quiet here at work...I'm planning to jet outta here at noon'ish.

Do any of you make resolutions? I don't. There was only one year that I managed to stick to a resolution and that was in 1996 when I said I'd try new things. That year I brewed my first batch of beer (under Brian's supervision and assistance of course), I tried to take banjo lessons but realized that I'm too old and too dyslexic to learn how to read music.....when I went to the 2nd lesson I proudly played what the teacher had me practice, only to find out that I'd learned the music upside down and backwards. I'd also had modest success selling jewelry and window crystals that summer. My office had moved from SF to West Berkeley in '96 & my hours were reduced, so I got a new part time job at another firm in downtown Berkeley, near the Cal campus and I eventually transitioned to that firm full time by the end of '96. So that was a pivotal year for me.

2008? Don't know. I hate the word "resolution", and prefer "goal" but isn't a goal just a resolution?


The one thing I'd love to do in '08 is stop the cycle of self loathing. My self esteem has always been in the gutter and I can't even stand to look at myself in the mirror. Which is why my hair always looks like it's been thru a cyclone, b/c after the initial blow dry in the morning, I don't bother looking in the mirror the rest of the day. So what I'd like to do is really get back to the gym and make an effort this coming year. I'd like to stop hating myself, but that's something I've grown so used to doing, b/c it's been a part of my makeup for as long as I can remember. I was never thin enough for my family, and all that caused me to do was eat more. Then I look back at photos of me when I was young and I wasn't fat. I was told I was fat. I was on diets all the time. I'm not talking about my teenage years, I'm talking about being fed cottage cheese and peaches when I was in elementary school, and told to "Get outside and get moving! You are too sedentary!" all the time. When I'd be playing w/ my cousins in my aunt's pool, I was encouraged to swim laps for exercise. My family is so incredibly fat-phobic. It's all I ever hear about....who lost weight, who gained weight, weight weight weight weight. In fact, I'm already having anxiety attacks about going back east this coming spring b/c I just know I'm gonna hear about it. Along with my unstyled hair and shabby clothes.

As for vacations this year, I was very excited to go to Canada again. I had planned on spending a few days at the Whistler/Blackcomb resort, north of Vancouver. It's a winter and summer playground, and I was planning on doing a zip-line in the woods. It looks like so much fun to do! On the way home, I was going to stay in Surrey or White Rock, near the border w/ the USA, and then go to Point Roberts, which is a tiny bit of Washington State that can only be accessed by crossing into Canada. Unfortunately, the US dollar has taken such a nosedive, while the Canadian loonie is kicking ass. Therefore, it would end up costing me way more money in the long run to vacation in British Columbia, between the crappy exchange and the foreign transaction fees that credit card companies charge. I'm glad I did my epic Vancouver Island trip last summer. Oh I can always take the Victoria Clipper from Seattle to the island and spend the night in Victoria if I need a BC-fix, but there won't be any long-term vacations to Canada this year.

Brian and I are, however, going to Long Beach, Washington, for President's Day weekend, weather be damned. Long Beach is in the far southwest corner of the state. The explorers Lewis & Clark ended their expedition in the Long Beach, WA/Seaside, OR area, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific, between Washington and Oregon. I don't care if the weather is stormy....they actually have "Storm Watching" events. We will board Sagan and take Pepper. Washington is a very "dog friendly" state when it comes to travel, so we will stay at The Anchorage cottages. We've been there before and it's lovely and snug. The town of Long Beach is funky. Another reason we want to go is that area was hit so hard by the storm and floods of early December and their economy desperately needs a boost.

Other than that and my obligatory trip back east, we have no other travel plans. But another goal I would like to set for myself this year is to finally get up to Seattle and do the tourist thing. In June we will be here for 9 years, and other than passing thru Seattle & a Mariners game in 2001, I've never spent any time there at all. There are a ton of day or overnight trips I would like to take - Port Townsend, Leavenworth, Snohomish, Olympia, Mount St. Helens, and of course, Julie and I will have to rendezvous again at some point in '08.

And I can hear Susan, Kris and Tess now, "And we have to get you to Nebraska this spring too." I'm still mulling it over guys, and will let you know if it's feasible!!! I'm going to try and figure out a way to tack it on at the end of my trip to Cape Cod. Will let you know!

Anyways, have a safe and happy new year! Here's to a peaceful 2008 and the end of the Bush regime.