I would just like to say that I have accomplished what I have been trying to acheive for years... YEARS!!
I am not in Grand Forks.
That's right. NOT in Grand Forks. I am not ushering my parents' friends' children through the streets to various local talent's shows. I am not freezing my ass off on yet another aweful North Dakota December 31st staring at ice sculptures and trying not to fall in the parking lots and streets, which, for some reason, North Dakotans and NW Minnesotans refuse to salt. I am not trying to decide whether it is worth losing pieces of my ghetto bootaye to the frost in order to view the New Year's fireworks. In short, at midnight, I will not be sitting in a van down by the river. (The Red River to be specific.) I am in my parents' house, and aside from possibly being with the people who invited me out this evening in the Cities and other parts of the country where I am not (thanks again, ladies and gentlemen, props and many happy tiny bubbles to you), I can't think of one single place I'd rather be. And no one is asking me what my New Year's resolutions are, which makes it a banner start to what I am predicting will be a banner year.
I don't make New Year's resolutions. I think they're stupid. Maybe some people set little goals for themselves and try to carry them out and think, "Oh, gee, look at me. I made a New Year's Resolution. It's going to revolutionize my life." I am not that person.
Neither are you.
No, you're not.
I've watched you New Year's Resolvers, and by March you're like, "Yeah, but nobody ever keeps a New Year's Resolution. They're just something you make." Do I think that you can't do it? To quote Seinfield, "It's not that I don't think you can. It's that I know you can't, and I'm positive you won't."
That's not to say that I've never resolved to do something; I just don't wait till New Year's Eve to get around to it. For instance, when I decided I wanted to be more fit around the end of October, I got a Y membership.
Granted, in order to become more fit, I would have to actually use the Y membership, but that's not the point.
The point is that if you need an excuse to get started, you're not going to stick with it anyway. So why torture yourself for three months pretending that you're actually going to follow through on whatever it is you decided to do. I'm a Christian; I've got enough guilt as it is, thank you, without adding that to the mix.
Make a New Year's prediction instead.
I predict that this year is not going to suck as much as the last one. I will not go to the hospital and stay for three days. The price of pineapple will go up ten cents a can, but no one but me will notice. I will once again fill an entire journal notebook, and we'll all still get to go to McDonald's, no matter how broke we are.
All in all, 2005 will be an odd numbered year, which is to say that it will not outshine 2000, but it will be a banner year (for an odd numbered year. Odd numbered year's banners are definitely more crinkled, faded, and rained on than even's, but 2004 was a bit of an un-natural even year anyway.) I would definitely prepare to say hurrah as the ball drops tonight.
And if I absolutely must make a resolution, I will resolve to eat even more Chinese food this year than ever before. Feel free to join me.
Happy New Year!
Posted by LoWriter at December 31, 2004 11:42 PMI predict that half the people I know will talk about new years resolutions in their blogs. As for that Chinese food thing, be careful. Nick and I were on a three-times-a-week thing a couple years back, and suddenly ended up not going back for almost 6 months. It was completely mutual too, just didn't seem good anymore.
Posted by: Jeremy at January 1, 2005 12:12 AMI totally agree with you. My thoughts on resolutions is that if I need to change something about myself it shouldn't take a resolution on the first of the year. If I need to change something, I am going to start as soon as possible, regardless of the season.
Posted by: jeff at January 2, 2005 09:10 AMQuoting Seinfeld never gets old, why is that? It must be some rip in the time space continum.
Well I am not making a new year's resolution, unless it's to try and visit some of my friends in different parts of the world this year. Perhaps I should get everybody to meet in Vegas - that would be fun, but I'm positive it won't happen... but if it was going to I would resolve to meet Matt Damon there and get married to him... because that is completely in my power to do :-)
Haha, well I wish you a HAPPY NEW YEAR! And I am glad you got to spend a warm time wishing in the new year, mine was spent in my bed reading which, I must say, was a relaxing time and something I don't do enough...
Posted by: 10lees at January 2, 2005 03:01 PMIn addition, every body should make their resolution to marry Matt Damon because if you are going to fail you might as well fail big...
Posted by: 10lees at January 2, 2005 03:02 PMJeremy-- The overkill is always the danger on the Chinese food resolution, but I've discovered that if you can change up where you go a bit, then it gets less obnoxious. Also, I have a bit of an obsession with eating with chopsticks, so when the food gets old, there's always that. I don't know if I could go three times a week though. ;) And I think your prediction is right.
Jeff-- Yay! A fellow resolution rejector. I feel exactly the same. There is no reason to wait if you feel you need to change something.
10lees-- You're amazing. I miss you tons. If you go meet people across the country, you should meet me in New York City because there's talk that we're going there this summer. Also, there is nothing better than reading a book when you are worn out. Go you!
I had fun in Grand Forks. You falling wasn't a highlight. And sure, neither were the talent shows. Somewhere in there I enjoyed myself. I think I still have my pin somewhere. But it sure was cold.
As for the salt, either they are too cheap to use it, or they value the long lasting clear coat paint jobs on their pickups more than human life. Either way I'm glad I live here.
Posted by: schdav at January 2, 2005 11:56 PMschdav-- I didn't realize you had fun in Grand Forks that time. "First Night" has a time and a place, but you're right about the cold, and it's usually just too cold for me anymore. I'm definitely not sad that I rang in the New Year with channel 10 and my fam.
As far as me falling goes, that's a regular occurance: ice, salt, or not. I still have a bruise from a spill I took down the stairs in my building about a year and a half ago.
Now you all know the truth: I am a nerd AND a clutz.
Posted by: Lo at January 3, 2005 07:28 PMUmm. I meant that I didn't realize you had fun at First Night. I think it might have come off sounding like I meant in general. Sorry!
Posted by: Lo at January 4, 2005 07:31 PM