There's something about a "new year" that always has me waxing  -- well... if not poetic, at least somewhat verbose. Hah! Who am I kidding? I'm ALWAYS verbose. But I was talking today with a co-worker who also happens to be a dear friend and she made a valid point: what is it about a "new year" that makes people get all mushy gushy? The stroke of midnight tonight is not coated with some magic fairy dust: when I wake up tomorrow, I will still have the same soul-sucking job, drive the same car in dire need of an alignment and a brake job, my house will still be filthy and I will still be fat. 12:01AM January 1, 2012 will not magically change any of these facts.

And while we're on the subject, let's talk about "New Year's resolutions." We make "resolutions" which are oftentimes unrealistic and unattainable, and when we fail to achieve them, we wind up feeling like failures ourselves. When what we should be doing is setting goals that are at least somewhat reachable.

So my "goals" for the new year are simple.
1) Appreciate my good customers. They make the job somewhat tolerable. And one never knows what opportunities may arise from good connections :)
2) Put a new battery in the Jeep. Even though the car was a lifesaver leading up to and especially after shoulder surgery when I  couldn't raise my arm to drive a stick shift, I miss driving my Jeep. And even though the Jeepster only gets about a mile or two or ten to the gallon, driving it makes me happy.
3) Clean the back porch. This is actually a more daunting task than one might imagine. But if I can manage to carve out a clean area of one hundred twenty square feet, imagine what might eventually be accomplished with the rest of the house?
4) Eat more chocolate. Preferably dark. This is the ONE goal I'm pretty sure I can accomplish. And I can even justify it by citing the fact that some studies say it's good for you. So who am I to argue with medical recommendations that involve the consumption of chocolate?
5) Lose a couple of pounds. Sure, I could stand to lose about 80, but am I going to starve myself to do it? Um, that would be a resounding "no." As evidence: see #4) above. Yes, I have the motivation that I'm going to be an attendant at a dear friend's oceanside wedding in Maui this coming summer, but I've already resigned myself to the fact that I'll be the Melissa McCarthy look-alike bridesmaid at this shindig. The redeeming fact is that I've promised not to challenge the other bridesmaids and the bride-to-be to a bachelorette "Fight Club" party. But I still may find a Brazilian restaurant for us to eat at :)