Tuesday, December 30, 2008

The new year is coming. Look busy, everyone!

This time last year I posted my list of resolutions for 2008. Naturally, I kept very few of them.

Did I read 50 books? I'm not sure I even read ten this year, and blogged even fewer than that (what is with the not reading thing? I don't understand it, I truly don't).

Did I get my week's work done in five days? No. And frankly, I'm shocked at how long my crappy work habits have been going on for. Over a year now! That's bad, and it needs to be addressed or, even more frankly, I could lose my job if jobs are around to be lost.

I also failed to write a new novel, although I did get about 30,000 words of a Nanowrimo novel written, and although it might not have been very good, it was sufficient to scare the bejesus out of me. So, possibly there's scope for another crack at it this year.

I did, however, manage to start volunteering again. I've been working in the bookshop on Thursday afternoons this year. It has been difficult, though, and maybe it's contributing to the not getting my week's work done in five days business. I also (well, we also) started dog fostering again, as astute readers will have noticed. And I love doing that. Somewhere in there I also tried to help this unfortunate crazy lady in the community, but it didn't work out. She is too far into whatever her particular thing is for me to help her, and she asked me for the key back because (I suspect) she was afraid I was going to take her cats away and give them to the rescue, something she's very afraid of. So I gave it back, and that's the end of that.

I have also been donating stuff to Oxfam, and will continue to do so.

So, do I have new resolutions for next year? They're more like revised ones. Here they are, look!

Two books a month
Get my work done in five days
Learn to play a song on the ukulele
(did I mention I got a ukulele for Christmas?)
Finish the zombie novel
Get a zine into every Franks mailing

That's it. Simple. Let's see if they're doable.

By the way, does anyone else notice just how hard it is to italicize and then normalize fonts on Blogger?

7 comments:

ian said...

on the italicise thing, are you using html code or something else?

Alix said...

This is music for the ukelele - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fathands/3003588109/

I would love to hear it played. Srsly.

Alix said...

Well, that was meant to be a link, damn.

Trish Byrne said...

>>on the italicise thing, are you using html code or something else?<<

I'm using the in-Blogger tool, which always puts things into italics fine, but then can't get them back out again. I don't get it.

Trish Byrne said...

>>Well, that was meant to be a link, damn.<<

I have responded on your flickr!

Queenie said...

I thought it was just me being stupid about the italics... must be a kink in the system. Sorry to hear about the old lady - but that's just her age making her paranoid I'm sure.

mylescorcoran said...

Damn, but I need to fix that book reading thing too. 2008 was crap for proper books.

I blame kids and the Internet in more or less equal measure.

I did manage to make 100 consecutive 'zines for the Alarums & Excursions APA so I was pleased about that.

Good luck with the ukelele and the zombie novel. The rest sound like something you'll manage handily (how's that for a vote of confidence?)

Sorry to hear about the situation with the lady in your neighbourhood. You made an effort.