resolve

I shy away from New Year's parties and resolutions. I think it's too easy to have lofty expectations and feel disappointed in yourself when you don't live up to them, but I've been inspired by others posting their resolutions and I think making them public could be a great way to be able to remember what those resolutions were in the first place.

I'll start with school: I need to be more positive about this experience. Ultimately, I'm in my program because of a choice I made and my passion for the subject matter. I've met lots of amazing people through this program and personally grown leaps and bounds. I want to finish things up and enjoy the finishing process. That's my first priority and my first resolution. Hold me to it, classmates!

And some little ones:

-cook more at home
-take Lola on frequent and long walks, it's good for her and me
-read 50 books (this might sound like a lofty goal, but I read 33 books this year and I was in school full time)
-get out to the mountains more (they're right there, but they feel so far! I've gotta make more of an effort)
-drink less coffee, even though I love love love it (and started the day with a cup)
-follow my friend Emma's amazing advice

Incidentally, since I did manage to read lots of books in 2010, I thought I'd mention my two favourites. First, "Just Kids" by Patti Smith is amazing and the National Book Award that she won should be evidence enough. This book reminded me about the importance of art and having space to be creative and really renewed my interest in Smith's style and creative output. She so inspiring and I'm lucky enough to own an autographed copy of the first edition hardcover. Yay for Powell's Books pre-orders!

I read a lot of really, really good books this year, but for my second recommendation I'm going to go with Nick Flynn's "The Ticking is the Bomb: A Memoir" because it was also published in 2010. I did go on a bit of a memoir kick this year, which I guess is demonstrated in that both books I'm mentioning are memoirs. This book explores the writer's feelings about family and fatherhood in the mid-2000s, when evidence of torture and abuses at Abu Ghraib are coming to light. It's a beautiful follow-up to his first book: Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, which I also loved, and I can whole-heartedly recommend it.

I'm sure that our goals and experiences in 2011 will be wildly different from one another's and I look forward to hearing about what you're up to and to sharing my adventures, too. Happy 1.1.11!