Looking Back on the Year

I can hardly believe that another year has passed, and we're into 2013 already! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve. I went to a friend's house and spent all night watching the BBC mini-series Little Dorrit (with Matthew Macfayden and Andy Serkis). That was fun. ;-) Now I have to start thinking about New Year's resolutions!

Last year, I said I would read 200 books; I read 211. I was going to learn 5 new fiddle tunes; I learned 4. I was going to finish buying all of the Alex Rider books; I bought 2, so I'm three books away. I figured buying the rest of Lloyd Alexander's Westmark trilogy made up for that. I said I was going to walk every day, rain or shine; well, we all know that exercise vows are the hardest to keep. To my credit, I actually did a pretty good job. I would do it faithfully for a good month, then take two off, and then do it for another month.

But now with 2013, it's time to make some new ones:

• This year, I plan to read 210 books. I was going to go for 250, but decided that I'll increase the number by ten each year.
• I will finish buying the rest of at least 3 book series.
• I'll go walking at least when it is sunny. The rain in my state is miserably cold, and it really is asking too much of a person to go walking in it, and not except to get a cold (and I personally don't want a cold).
• I'll learn a new bowing technique and refresh some of my old fiddle tunes.
• I will start work on one of my other novels. Hopefully I'll finish The Birthright this year, but I'm not going to count on it, so the least I can do is give another story some attention when The Birthright is being difficult.
• And most importantly, I will get a job! A paying one, that is. I do plenty of jobs for free, but now I need to get a "real" one. The job market is, not surprisingly, very slim right now, but I can try harder.

What are some of your New Year's resolutions for 2013?