Open Letter to the Air

Now nobody knew quite what to make of him or quite what to think, but there he was and in he walked.

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Location: Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Pacifism, self-hatred and complacency

This is an unnerving piece, but I think he's more right than most are willing to admit.

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For the 2007th time, Happy New Year!

Best wishes, everyone! Now that we all have that "clean-slate" feeling, it's time to start afresh all those projects we've been putting off, renew all those promises to ourselves that we've been loathe to fulfill, and correct all of last year's mistakes. Along with that, it's not a bad idea to plan some new projects, makes some new promises and ... well, hope for no new mistakes.

What does 2007 have in store for me? Well, here's what I'm planning so far:
* I hope to finish a music project that I kicked off last summer. It will probably take most of the year - maybe by the fall we'll have something wrapped up. But this will be an ongoing project throughout the year.
* In pursuit of that goal, I also hope to spend more time practicing on the guitar - I hear that's something real musicians do. I figure if I'm going to go to the trouble of recording my playing, I should maybe brush up on that a bit.
* I'm going to keep my gym membership and try to maintain regular attendance, although I have resolved this year to not use the gym's shower facilities any more. I'll take the extra time to go home and take advantage of the privacy and peace of mind it affords me. Maybe that will in some way incentivize me to go more often! Last year, I got myself out of the 200's. Now I'd love to get down to the 180's.
* I'm going to continue receiving allergy shots in the hopes that by the end of the year I can eat a salad without feeling my mouth and throat swell up. I should reach my "maintenance dose" by late spring, then we'll start seeing if any foods go down better than before. Unfortunately they can't do anything to treat me for nuts. It seems they will forever be the most annoying part of the holidays.
* No speeding tickets. Ever again.
* I'm going to celebrate my first-ever fourth anniversary of being with the same employer this October. Part of that quest will be to finally earn the recognition of "Impact Performer of the Month". There's a "wall o'fame" (my term) where the photos of past recipients hang for a full year after being recognized. Usually the person picked is someone who is recognized as having gone "above and beyond". I would have thought that my last minute red-eye flight to New Hampshire to save our biggest account from canceling all of their VMI purchases for a year would have earned me a spot, but all it got me was a poster board that everyone in the office signed with comments like, "Way to go!", "You're our hero!", and "Spot on performance". I guess it wasn't above or beyond enough. Well, I'll give it another go this year.
* I'm going to remember everyone's birthday this year! No, really!
* If I can find the funding, I'm going to begin doing some little projects around the house that work towards a remodel of the kitchen and bathrooms. Nicer faucets and such.
* I'm going to take the boys to see "Star Wars" (EpIV) this month. I will then work the rest of the year on overcoming the urge to watch it with them again more than a couple of times let alone any of the other five movies, the Ewok television specials or the Clone Wars cartoons.
* If they release it, I will gladly go see the 3-D version of Star Wars Ep1 in theaters this spring. I'm still waiting for confirmation from Lucas that it will still happen. But if it does, yeah, I'll be in line for the midnight show as usual. Sue me. [UPDATE: Sad news... Lucas has announced that there are no plans to release a 3-D version of Star Wars this year. So much for that resolution.]
* On that note, 2007 is going to be a big year for movies. Especially sequels. Here's the short list: "The Bourne Ultimatum", "Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer", "Live Free or Die Hard" (Die Hard 4), "Ocean's 13", "Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End", "Shrek 3", "Spider-Man 3", and "Transformers". I know, the last one isn't a sequel - but I'm hoping it's the first of a trilogy!

So that's the beginning of my list for 2007. Feel free to share yours!

Peace,
Mike