New Year's Resolutions

First off, let me wish you all (you know, both of you) a Happy New Year. I hope 2007 is as great a year as it can be (especially for half of you...you know which half I'm talking about).

Second off, a belated Merry Christmas! I was beset by in-laws and wrapping (Oh, the wrapping!), so I didn't post much. Or at all. I am happy to report that Santa Claus was very good to me, despite me being a naughty boy and all. I figured the removal of a cantankerous semi-vital organ was gift enough (you know, the gift to eat whatever I want, the gift of shitting like a goose, the gift of not waking up in the middle of the night feeling like Azrael has just buried his flaming sword through my chest...). However, I got some absolutely splendid presents, including moose moccasins, made of real moose. They're very warm.

Thirdly, a belated Happy Channukah to anyone who might stumble on this who is of the Jewish faith. I have much respect for the Chosen people (despite laughing uproariously at several anti-semetic Monty Python skits...see the "naughty boy" part above), and so I wanted to be sure that they are well-represented on my blog.

Now, onto the important stuff: My New Year's Resolution

I could be a cop-out and say "I resolve to lose weight". I was planning on that, anyway. I want Dr. Clowse to be very happy with me in April when I go to visit him. I don't like disappointing people, especially people who might be useful to me later in life (you know, by writing prescriptions for things that will keep me alive). Plus, you know, healthiness and all. I figure if my fat ass can get up off the couch (or out of the chair) and do something, this will be a shot of inspiration for my children to also not get into the corpulent state in which I find myself.

Actually, seeing some of the people from around here at the local Mc Donald's yesterday, I don't feel so bad about my size. I'm large. That I'll admit. I could stand to shed some excess weight. I am, in no way, approaching Huttian proportions yet, which is good because the repulsor-sled technology is a little lacking in this sector of the galaxy.

No, I'm shooting high on this one. My resolution is to finish The Boar War and submit it for publishing and/or agent representation. In addition, I resolve to streamline and finish King of Shadows (the bastard child of King of Thistles) and prepare that for publication, as well. Mostly this will involve the streamlining of the story. There are a few odds-and-ends I need and want to insert into the new story. I have a half-dozen characters laying around that got excised out of the old story who could play important roles later on in the whole of the story. In fact, they were going to be there, but mostly just mentioned. Now they're going to be...not stars, per se, but something a little less. Definitely in the roll-players-slash-supporting cast category for most of these ladies and gentlemen. It's not going affect that story in any great capacity; it's just going to make it more complete in my viewpoint. Whenever I get picky like this, I always remember that Tolkien kept revising the Lord of the Rings until the moment he died. In fact, he's probably sitting at a big table in the sky with C.S. Lewis murmuring something about he regretted making most of the elves out to be incredible pusses.

This might seem like a cop-out, itself, as I've been working on this since last summer. However, setting myself up a real reason to finish it (you know, a real reason, like a phony New Year's Resolution...everyone always keeps theirs, right?) should help me to finish it. I dream about it everyday while standing in front of my hood, but at night I come home and am most times too exhausted to write. No more. Mental fortitude starts one block at a time. Er, something like that.

(By the way, my resolution last year: to get my gall bladder removed. Hopefully, the follow-up tales of keeping this year's resolution won't be so...graphic...and poop-smeared).

Oh yeah, and I'm going to lose weight.