I'm not much for superstition, but I'm all for bragging, and bragging is easier when you can prove you've exceeded expectations. Even when they're your own. I'm also a big fan of guilt, shame, and fear as motivational tools. So for all these reasons and more, welcome to this year's edition of Cormac's New Year's Resolutions for a 12-Month Span Roughly Equivalent to 2008!

First up, this year(ish): fitness.

I've let things slide a bit in the last 12 months. Quite a bit, actually, so just getting back to where I was will do.

1. Weight: 165 or less
2. Bench Press: 210+
3. Mile: 5:45

Here's the trick: I have to hit all three targets in the same week. The mile, actually, will be the toughest one for me. I am just not a fast runner at all. And yeah, I know 5:45 isn't exactly speedy, but "baby steps," people. Baby steps.

While I'm at it, let's throw in:

4. Hand stand

Just because.

Moving on, a very conservative target:

5. 6 open chords on the guitar

That should be enough to establish a baseline so I can get interested enough to keep playing. Also on the creative tip, but somewhat less conservative:

6a. One full-length play, submitted to a festival or workshop

or

6b. One pilot, submitted to the person to whom you submit pilots

plus

7a. Three short stories, submitted to journals / magazines

or

7b. One novel, submitted to a publisher of some sort

That's it for now. We'll see how that goes. Updates coming in a month or so.