It's time for another "Good Idea/Bad Idea!"

Bad Idea: making tons of meaningless or implausible resolutions which will only end up being forgotten or disappointing you when you fail.

Good Idea: taking a page from Rance's book and spending a little time in peaceful reflection about events past and future.

5 Personally Significant Moments in 2008

1. The first time a child asked me to read her a story. It was But Not the Hippopotamus. Curly has no idea how she melted my heart that day, or what it means to me that she, her little sister Peanut, and their parents Pixee & the Music Fascist, have adopted me into their family.
2. A broken heart. While not a positive moment, it had an enormous impact on the year. The self-exploration and wide gamut of feelings that went with it have taught me a lot about the person who lives in my mirror.
3. Getting a stable job. I breathe so much more easily now that I'm not so much a Broke Novelist, as a Novelist With A Day Job!
4. Tuning my cello for the first time in two years. This was a bittersweet moment that won me over in the end. I've let go of the negative memories surrounding both the end of my musical career and the acquisition of this particular instrument. Now I think only of the joy I feel when my music coaxes a smile from a friend.
5. Becoming a part of PoetryAssignment. I feel a sense of validation as a writer, camaraderie among the other editors and participants, and how I'm finally putting that degree in English to some good use.
   

5 Things 2008 Taught Me

1. I am capable of feeling both great joy and great sorrow, and without experiencing both, neither could be fully understood.
2. I have the kind of friends who don't just say, "call me whenever you need me, day or night." They actually will answer the phone at 3:00 in the morning if you need them.
3. How to say "no." I have struggled with this, feeling like if something is asked of me and I have the capability to do it, I have to, even if I have valid reasons for refusing.
4. How to admit I need help. This was accomplished by the simple means of being pushed beyond my capability to cope alone. I had to ask for help, for all kinds of things, and when it was granted graciously, I strove to accept it in kind.
5. That I would rather laugh at myself and be thought goofy by others, than be upset and think myself a failure. The time I overslept, got dressed in the dark, and arrived at work to find my pants on inside out? Instantly called a friend to tell him about it and cracked up about it all day instead of being embarrassed. See? It works.

(Thanks to Mike for that!)

5 Things I Want to do in 2009

1. Take a surfing lesson. I've been saying for a decade that I want to learn to surf. I tried in 2008, but had scheduling issues with the instructor until it became too cold. I will make it happen in 2009!
2. Go to California. I promised my friend Joel, restationed by the Coast Guard, that once I got a job with paid vacation, I'd come for a visit. There may even be multiple visits, since there's talk of ComiCon, and a different pair of friends getting married! Hooray frequent flyer miles!
3. Resume kickboxing. Training was the first thing I cut from my schedule when I got busy, and I miss it, for the community, the exercise, the catharsis, and all the other great things I get out of it.
4. Send more of my work out, in hopes of having it published.
5. Travel to places I've never been, within the United States.
   

5 Things I Don't Want to do in 2009

1. Stop writing again.
2. Try to be something I'm not.
3. Refuse to admit it when I'm wrong.
4. Cry more often than I smile.
5. Hurt anyone I care about.
   

I've been tagged!

I've been prompted by Melissa to tell you seven random/weird facts about me:

1. I hate to be wet. Aside from the obvious, necessary personal hygeine, I only make one or two exceptions a year to go swimming if it's really hot outside. The only thing worse than being wet is being cold and wet.

2. I am allergic to guinea pigs--not rabbits, mice, hamsters or any other rodents I've encountered, but learned the anaphylactic way that guinea pigs are not my friends.

3. I started off as a music major at Christopher Newport University (principal instrument cello) and ended up with a B.A. in English/Professional Writing from Old Dominion.

4. I am exactly six feet tall and have no talent whatsoever for basketball or volleyball.

5. I have nearly 30 first cousins and after trying just now, can name 21 off the top of my head.

6. I don't eat red meat. There's no deeper reason than simply losing the taste for it after working a fast food job in high school.

7. I love technology when it comes to communication and media (definitely addicted to my iPod), but am practically a Luddite concerning writing. I love to send actual letters (though my local branch of the postal service is adept at mangling and misdirecting things); I write first drafts of stories with a fountain pen; I print out things I have to edit so I can mark it up. This does tend to create more work, but it's a lot easier to carry a notebook than a laptop, and there's just something satisfying about holding the pen and seeing my words come out of it to stain the paper in whatever color I've chosen.

Anyone who wants can consider themselves tagged. I don't usually do these chain-lettery things, but thought this was kind of a neat getting-to-know-you exercise.