New Years' Resolutions

Well, that pesky last digit on the ol' calendar is getting ready to flick over once again.

For me, the year has been a pretty good one. Actually, truth be told, this year has been f-ing AWESOME.

I mean, 2008 was the year that my first child was born. How much f-ing better could it GET?

Aside from that, 2008 has been a year where a lot of things have fallen into place for me. After dithering and wandering down a multitude of dead-end paths over the past couple of decades, I actually have a bead on where I want my career to go. I've taken the steps necessary to get my prodigious girth into line, and have finally started losing some weight. After a couple of decades of burning cash (and LUNGS), I'm finally to the point where I'm confident that I'm off the ciggies.

If I stay on track, it'll be 2009 that really delivers for me. But the achievements that I hope will come in the next twelve months wouldn't be possible without the steps I took in 2008. So I really don't have much to whinge about.

So what are my hopes for the next twelve months? Nothing TOO outrageous, to be honest. First and foremost, I'd like to keep trying to be a good husband and father.

I'm also planning on redoubling my weight loss efforts. With the steep learning curve of fatherhood, I've sort of let my guard down a bit and my slimming has slowed a little too much for my liking. Hopefully I'll find the time (and, more importantly, the motivation) to get my tubby arse down to the local pool a few times per week. Luckily, with the lap band, it shouldn't take too much effort to get myself back on track.

I also want to get back into the habit of writing again. Since Lauren was born, I've been a little lazy with my blog (as well as a couple of other little projects that I started), but I'm going to make sure that I set aside a little more time. Hopefully, I'll also arrest the ever-increasing f-ing DULLNESS that has enveloped my blog, and start knocking out something bordering on entertaining again.

Hopefully...

My other wish for 2009 is probably a little more challenging.


Somehow, some way, I'd like to sell a photo at some point during the year. I don't care whether it's just a few clams from a stock photo agency, but at some stage through the year I'd be stoked if someone looked at a photo that I took, and decided that the right to use it was worth their hard-earned dollars. That would f-ing ROCK.

As long as it isn't one of those micro-stock websites. If my photo is only worth twenty f-ing cents to people, then they can take their cheap arses and f--k right off. Micro-stock is the WORST thing in the world for photographers, and if that's the limit of what my work is commercially worth, then I'd rather just keep doing it as a hobby.

Anyway, they're my goals for the coming year. It'll take a bit of work (and, in the case of the last one, a little luck as well), but everything is certainly achievable.

So to all of you- Luli, Kez, Sue, Cath, Helen, Arna, Linda, Bonnie (who has been MIA for a while, so if she's reading I hope both you and baby are doing great), Derspatz, Epskee, BLL, DCup, Hallie, Zelts and those of you that I've undoubtedly forgotten)- who have been so kind as to make my acquaintance over the past seven months or so, I hope that you have a grand New Year's Eve celebrations, and that all of your hopes and dreams for 2009 come to fruition.

Later.