Resolutions Take Two

I don't generally make New Year's Resolutions. Just like I don't usually give stuff up for Lent. I say silly things like "I'm going to give up running," but I don't ever give up chocolate or caffeine or anything - to me, that's just sacrilege. It's amazing I was ever able to make it through the first phase of the South Beach diet (never again).

But this year, I'll give it a go. I am keeping it general, and if I fail, I fail. But I am writing it here with the hope that it might make me somewhat more accountable. I don't want to have to finish 2008 with my tail between my legs. So here it is. My Resolution for 2008:

Finish What I Started

Pretty broad, right? I'll break it down for you. "Finish What I Started" includes, but is not limited to:

• Picking up the guitar again. It's been hanging out in the corner of my living room - just enough so that visitors can say, "hey - I didn't know you played guitar . . ." well, I kind of do. Just not lately. I am going to have to relearn that damn F chord at this point.

• Ditto for the piano. It sits in my basement just longing for the movie scores it once enjoyed at length - "Schindler's List" was its favorite. Depressing, yes. But beautiful, minor key music. Especially the song "I Could Have Done More."

• Finishing that shift dress. Jen and I had this great idea one time after trying on $200+ simple 60's mod shift dresses at a cute Dupont boutique. The great idea, of course, was "We could totally make these ourselves." Could being the operative word there. Not that we didn't try. What I made was barely wearable. My husband had to be totally honest with me and commented "the neck looks too high." He was right. It was jacked up. I vowed to fix it. Yeah right. The dress, pattern, material, notions, etc. are all sitting in a plastic bin (see "Wal-mart is My Nemesis") in my linen closet.

• Writing my book. I'm throwing this out there - again, for the accountability factor. I decided some time last year that I would try my hand at a novel. Not anything fancy. Nothing particularly moving. Just your standard chick lit fare. I've read tons of them, and I think I have some things to say. What I didn't count on was how difficult it would be to write dialogue. At this point, everything my characters say seems so forced. So I'm going to work on that.

• Returning the Net Flix Movies I Will Never Ever Choose To Watch. Why would I watch "Good Night and Good Luck" when there are reruns of "Project Runway" on? Or sanitized versions of "Sex and the City" on TBS? Heck, even "Two and a Half Men?" The answer - I wouldn't. This is why I have had this movie in my living room since January 2007. That's not even an exaggeration. Sorry George Clooney. It was nice knowing you. (Now I know this is not really finishing what I started. It's quitting. But I need to do something. And what I won't do is watch that movie.)

• Finishing my Christmas Cards. So what if you get yours on Valentine's Day? That's why I cleverly chose "Happy Holidays" and not "Merry Christmas" (in addition to not wanting to exclude my Jewish friends, of course). That's why I did not put 2007 on the cards. It's nice to get a little surprise mail, isn't it? Especially in February, when the weather is bad, and it's just kind of gloomy.