The real New Year's Post

I've had a quick scoot around some of my favourite blogs and people are talking about resolutions and stuff. Some people are even looking back at last year's resolutions and seeing how they did.

So how did Queenie do?

Queenie didn't have any resolutions in 2007 that she wrote down.

I had to go back to 2006, and it's not even a list of resolutions, it's more a stream of consciousness about various aspects of my personality and life, some of which I really should improve if possible, and some of which is beyond my control completely.

http://sadpercy.blogspot.com/2007/01/in-response-to-my-previous-post-when-i.html

However, having looked at it, there's been some progress, so here is my new dictat.

New Year's Resolutions should run for TWO YEARS. That way, you get to faff around for a year not doing them, then get your act together the second year.

Much easier.

Which means less possibility of feeling bad because you've 'failed' in some way. Which I have always felt is the Achilles Heel of New Year's Resolutions.

So.... how did I do?

Sitting around feeling sorry for myself in November.

Many many Novembers have been spent this way. It was something that really really annoyed me about myself, but not something I ever felt I could change. However, this year I didn't sit around depressed and feeling sorry for myself. Instead, I bought a house and gave up smoking in November, which meant that I was very stressed (very very stressed) some of the time and my sleep pattern went to hell in a handbasket.

But I got shit done in November. For the first time ever.

December, I did some weeping. But that was due to tiredness, the crappy weather, and the lack of a trip home. And the continuing stress of moving, not smoking, etc.

And it was nothing like the depression that used to floor me in November years ago.

(I have a confession to make by the way, I fell off the smoking wagon over Christmas, but in my defence I can say: I was being driven demented by the karmic activities of the world, I didn't buy any cigarettes, I didn't smoke a daytime cigarette, I am back on the smoking wagon again, and 2009 is the year I won't smoke any cigarettes, so I am okay about it).

Wean myself off television.

We still have a television. When Kitty was here it was necessary, because she needed to have the tv on all the time, being a member of the reality tv generation. But now Kitty is gone, there's no need to have a tv package, which incidentally costs $54.95 per month plus tax.

Which is $745 a year.

Which is a tank of furnace oil.

Or a new laptop.

Hmmm, I wonder whether we should have a tv service this year. I should talk about it to the man who uses the service. The only shows I watch are News at 10 in the winter, The Tudors and The Border. That's nine hours a week for twenty four weeks. Himself only watches about another hour a day in the winter.

That's $3.10 per hour of television watched.

Christ, it's cheaper to park downtown.

Although, if you add in the NHL play-offs in the spring, that would come down some.

Needing other people's affirmation to feel good about myself.

Much better. Much much better.

Fuck other people. I mostly don't care what they think anymore.

Although I must say, the reader who made anonymous comments about how boring and self-indulgent my blog was really needled me and has me second guessing my writing a bit. But, then again, if it's that boring, move the fuck on.... Having said that, I suspect it may have been someone I have the joy to know, who has the personality of a thirsty rattlesnake trussed up in a plastic bag, which would make it less hurtful.

Also, I got my Permanent Residency last year, which meant I could get a better job, which meant I got away from a lot of negative stuff, which was great. Of course, there's negative stuff in my current job, because there always is negativity in a paid working environment, but I don't care about it, because it's just other people.

With regards to my appearance, getting a proper job meant all kinds of exciting, albeit really basic health and dental activity this year, which improved my confidence a lot.

Also, I have started using NeoStrata's Oil Free Smoothing Lotion, Level 3, which is one of those AHA type products, and it has taken about five years off my face (even before I stopped smoking).

The beauty manager in the Shoppers Drugmart on Herring Cove Rd. deserves a big shout out. She worked with me until we got a moisturiser that dealt with all my issues, and she didn't charge me a penny until we got the right one. She just gave me a bit in a little jar and got me to report back in a few days. Then onto the next one until we hit paydirt.

That's what a beauty manager should do. She's an older woman of course, so she understands its not about the packaging or the price, it's about pushing back against the inevitable as cost effectively as possible.

I went into her yesterday and showed her the bags under my eyes (which are gignormous right now) and she sent me off with some products to try out for a week.

If she sorts out the bags under my eyes I am going to nominate her for the Order of Canada.

Fuck the novel.
Well, this resolution went exceedingly well. I have had two guilt-free years where I can read whatever I want now without having to think that I should be trying to write something myself.

In 2007, I sold a lot of photos and photo cards, but 2008 did not go well at all, because I didn't have time to work on my photography at all. I didn't even take many interesting pictures this year. This year's third resolution is to take the Digital Photography course in the NSCC. I will leave it till the spring though, as I have too much on over the next two months.

I have enough things.
So I went out and bought a house to put them all in and a car to drive them over there.
Well done, Queenie. Nice bit of non-consumerism there.

Although, to be fair, I did save like a bastard this year, in order to afford deposit on said house.

But I have not stopped buying books. The African tribal art collection is growing apace. I made a few trips to Biscuit this year for some new clothes. And I invested in a couple of pieces of furniture so that we can have people to stay, a table to eat on, etc.

However, I think Himself and I do pretty well on the recycled, frugality stuff, so I'm not going to sweat this. And next year I will have no money at all, so I guess I will achieve the non-consumption resolution pretty easily.

Auld Dog column
That went pretty well, and I loved the stuff people wrote in their columns. I still treasure them. I was hoping to put them together with some photos and publish a little book of them, but we never got to the magic number (I can't remember what it was now), so I never got round to it.

Maybe this year....

So.... what is my resolution for 2009?

Apart from the three or four I've already listed, my main resolution for this year is to innoculate myself better against the irrational, self-obsessed rage that has pounded us for too many years now.

I hope this year is a good one for everyone, and that all the panic and mayhem settles down and we emerge from it feeling more like neighbours and less like consumer capitalist spending units.

And if you are in trouble, cut up your fucking credit cards.
It's the most liberating thing you will ever do, trust me.

Bless xx Queenie