The Token New Year Post.

In every tall building pretty much everywhere, architects decided to skip the 13th floor. 13 is supposed to be bad luck, so, why not just pretend it doesn't exist? Unfortunately, Pope Gregory XIII decided to pass on this option when he signed off on the modern calendar. But, since the Mayans were wrong, and we've all got a nice long 13-ish year to look forward to, I guess now is as good a time as any to make some resolutions for the upcoming year, may good or bad luck prevail!

I debated blogging about my resolutions because, like so many other aspects of my life these days, on paper they look rather boring and adult. But since sharing resolutions makes it statistically more likely that you'll keep them, here we go:

1. Get a primary care physician. Although I've had my own health insurance since I graduated college, I somehow dodged this obligation by using walk-in clinics for the occasional Z-pack and relying on my OB-GYN for pretty much anything else. I have been telling myself for a while that this is a dumb system, and this time, I really intend to do something about it, be a big girl, and get a doctor.

2. Meet with a financial adviser. I now have the opportunity to get a match from my work for money that I put away for retirement. So how much should I put in? How much should I save? Can I ever get back that money I have hidden somewhere in the depths of the State of Maryland's retirement fund from when I was teaching? How much is too much to spend on delivery sushi? Time to let someone who is good at math tell me what to do. Maybe I'll even get crazy and buy some stocks! I've always wanted to buy some shares of Krispie Kreme ever since I picked it for an economics project in high school. Is 2013 the year to invest in sweet and delicious sugar and grease? Maybe....

3. Take a piano or guitar class. At one point in my life, I was learning piano. Then I quit because I was 8 years old and hated practicing. At another point in my life, I was learning guitar. Then I quit that too. (My primary reason for learning that instrument was to take revenge on my 8th grade nemesis by starting my own band, and as you can imagine, that didn't work out well for me.) Unfortunately, the only instrument I did take seriously when I was young was the clarinet. And more unfortunately, you can't sing and accompany yourself with the clarinet at the same time. I really, really regret not learning an instrument I can sing with. So that's changing in 2013!

There are lots of other little things too, (GET NEW WATCH BATTERIES FOR THE DEAD WATCH THAT HAS BEEN IN YOUR JEWELERY BOX SINCE 2010) but those are far too many to list here on this blog.

I'll close this entry out with one final resolution. It's a cliche, but I've always liked it. "Be the person your dog thinks you are." Wouldn't that be great? Have I mentioned I love my dogs? They're not even mine anymore. They belong to my parents. It's very sad. All the same, it's amazing to go home for breaks to visit and play with them, even if just for a little while. Going home for Christmas was so much more special because of my pups! Here's a video of them getting a stick on a beach in Rhode Island!!

Happy New Year! Peace and Love.