At lunch with AndyA today, we talked about New Year’s Resolutions.
Unlike most generic resolutions — lose weight, cut back on this, do more of that — the ones I prefer to make don’t feel like an effort.
Exercising, spending less — do those not sound like such chores?
Now, buying a bass guitar and learning how to play (2001) or writing at least one complete song by the end of the year (1999) — those are resolutions I can get behind.
These past two years, however, have pretty much forced me to make more practical resolutions. Finding a job (2002) or finding a better-paying job (2003) turned out to be the de facto resolutions, even though I “unofficially” resolved to finish a novel (2003) or start dating again (2002).
Right now the employment situation is somewhat stable, but it’s by no means solid. Add to this uncertainty news of Gay Friend-Drinking Buddy’s move to Redmond, Washington (yes, that Redmond, Washington), and I wonder if perhaps yet a third year of employment resolutions are in order.
They are. But I’m sick of having my job situation dictate my New Year’s resolutions.
Thing is, I’ve got a number of creative ones I could pursue — hence the entry here in the creative journal instead of in the regular journal — which I would like to narrow down.
During lunch, I settled on resuming guitar lessons as my New Year’s resolution.
But I’m having second thoughts.
Oh, I am going to continue guitar lessons, hopefully after I’ve become a permanent employee (somewhere). But a New Year’s resolution seems like something new should happen.
Like buying and playing a bass guitar — I never had before, and while I haven’t really picked up the bass very often since, it did spur me to practice more with guitar.
I think I should do something different, if not entirely new. It’s going to be expensive — especially since I’m taking a fourth semester of Japanese as well — but I’ll figure the money thing out later.
Here goes …
Be it resolved that one (1) Gregory E. Bueno, hereafter refered to as the Resolvee, take at least one month’s worth of singing lessons before the end of the calendar year 2004.
Be it also resolved that the Resolvee may pursue any of the following creative endeavors in addition to or in lieu of singing lessons:
- Completion of one (1) novel containing at least 50,000 words, with an aim for 70,000 words, by the end of Aug 31. 2004. The novel may include work previously started but unfinished.
- Resumption of guitar lessons for a duration of at least one month before the end of the calendar year 2004.
- Initiation of piano lessons for a duration at least one month before the end of the calendar year 2004.
Oh, yeah. That’s new all right.