Auld Lang Syne

Every year on January 1st, people sing this old Scottish song, usually butchering the lyrics because they're all drunk.  That's okay, though.  When you're watching people like Ryan Seacrest on television, I can imagine wanting to do a few shots of whiskey just so you can deal with his prissy hair cut until the ball drops.  Seriously, how does this guy find his way onto every TV show? The man should be run out of Hollywood with an angry mob carrying pitchforks, torches, and burning effigies.  It's his fault for getting those horrible Kardashians their show, and now that family won't go away.  Ever.  They're like a bad rash you pick up during a night full of debauchery in Las Vegas.  Or so I've heard.

Anyway, "Auld Lang Syne" loosely translates to "days gone by."  That's what Wikipedia told me, and since it's on the internet, it must be true.  A lot of people like to reflect on the past year and make resolutions so the following year will be even better.  I'm one of those sentimental people (but don't take that as a sign of weakness...  I won't hesitate to roar like a lion, which I assure you looks ridiculously scary).  Looking back at 2012, I've managed to accomplish a few of the goals I had set for 2011: I lost a good chunk of weight (14+ pounds and counting), I read 26 books when I pledged 25 for the GoodReads Reading Challenge, I traveled to a country I've never been to before (Mexico), and I barely survived an apocalypse.  I hope to do more of the same for 2013, perhaps with a bit more traveling (if I can stay on budget) and maybe dodging at least two apocalypses this time around.  Now that the Mayans have had their fun, a few other ancient civilizations should be allowed to scare modern mankind with visions of death and destruction.  What are the Sumerians up to these days? Still writing up rules? Or how about the Phoenicians? I hear they're really great with words.  I bet they could come up with a good apocalypse.

Since I'm trying to keep this blog more focused on writing, I thought I'd share some of my writing goals for the new year:

• Finish that damn novella that has been hounding me for the past two years.
• Get at least three short stories published (3 have already been submitted to various online lit mags, but I'm still waiting for responses).
• Work on creating at least 6 new stories, including at least 1 in a genre that I've never written for.
• Take at least one new writing course from the UCLA Extension.
• Keep a travel journal.

The list looks ambitious and daunting to me, now that I've typed it up.  I hope that I can manage to accomplish most of those goals.  This blog should help to keep me focused and act as a constant reminder that I need to do more if I want to be a good writer (i.e. stop being such a lazy ass).

I hope you all have a fun and exciting new year.  Good luck fulfilling your own resolutions!