CROTCHETY RESOLUTIONS

At the end of the year it is more realistic to review the past twelve months than to make positive resolutions for the next twelve months.
All the high-minded hoohah that you come up with between now and the falling ball will seem silly and jejune in the grim dawn light, while your head throbs from celebrating your brand new self too strenuously the previous night. You wish you had never been so self-confident, and your resolve falters....... a trembling hand reaches for the last cheap box of Christmas chocolates.........

It is far less futile to formulate a better definition of oneself in any case, than to engage in overly optimistic forward thinking.


In that vein, I shall NOT try to be a better person in 2011.

Not because I think I am perfect, but because I know that progress is gradual, and depends on evolving circumstance.

I am Dutch. By definition, I am stubborn. When I grow old, I will be cranky and have complete disregard for other people sharing this world with me.



FELIX SIT ANNUS NOVUS

In the past year I have spent way too much time around people with whom I have little in common. While I've enjoyed what half-assed companionship they provided, the one-sided aggravation has been cumulative.
That will stop.

I have given money to street people every day for many years. When someone is desperate, cold-shouldering them is neither helpful nor particularly human. Yes, some of them will make bad choices regarding money received. Once I hand over the cash I am not concerned with its further circulation.
That will continue.

My relationship with Savage Kitten is no longer what it was at the beginning of this year. No, I do not really understand the hows and whys of the change - and given that passion has been replaced with a good and sturdy friendship, I shall not try to make sense out of it. What's over is over.
Her love-life is no longer my bailiwick.

Desperately searching for another girlfriend is NOT part of the programme - perhaps the desperation is, but the searching isn't. If I find another sparkling young lady with whom to eat dinner, or one who wishes to engage in calmly passionate friction, I'll be delighted. If not, I shall likely grow ever more eccentric and misanthropic. Happily so.
That too is personal growth.

Some things are not worth drinking. In that category are Starbucks beverages, diet sodas, cheap bourbon, champagne, and flavoured vodkas. All of which I have mostly avoided in the past year. That avoidance will be maintained. It's conducive to good clean living and mental health.
Life is too short to swill garbage.

There is a strong likelihood that my smoking will prove unappealing to the opposite sex. The rich earthy perfumes of Latakia and Perique are entirely at odds with potpourri, stick-on air fresheners, perfumed candles, plus anything and everything that falls into the Hello-Kitty category of aesthetic appreciation.
Tough. Got a match?

Comfortable feet and a warm bed are purely wonderful. Good shoes, nice socks. Poofy comforters, crisp sheets, and pillows both fluffy and firm.
Never go to bed sweaty, always have one or two stuffed animals with you when you sleep. When all else pales, this is a code to live by.
Make sure to twiddle your toes.


Happy New Year.



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