Coming around again..

So this is 2008? Where on earth does the time go? Same place as my hair, I suppose*. It seems like no time at all since 2007 was knocking on our door looking to come in and now we've pushed it out the back door, taken out the good china and welcomed in a shiny new year. I've been avoiding putting up any kind of year-end list because, well.., because I just haven't been blogging at all lately. If I had the time in December, you would have read about how the best record I heard all year was Wilco's Sky Blus Sky, the best film I saw was The Lives of Others and the best book was Catherine O'Flynn's 'What Was Lost'. And Wilco's show in Vicar Street would have been taking home the prize in the highly competitive 'Best gig of the year that wasn't Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in December' category. Although Richard Hawley's gig (also at Vicar Street) was terrific. He's back next month. You should go.

Here's some other things that happened in 2007.

January: I passed my driving test.

February: I crashed my car.

March: I signed up, and started training, for the Four Peaks challenge.

April: Asked myself why I had signed up for the Four Peaks challenge.

May: I started this blog (a pathetic 86 posts in 2007. Must try harder in 2008).

June: I started jogging in the park.

July: I hurt my knee jogging in the park.

August: I turned thirty-bloody-five.

September: Finally gave in and bought so-called 'media wanker' glasses confirming
what people have been saying for years.

October: Endured first ever massage. Traumatised by mid-massage interruption,
disappointed by non-offer of happy ending.

November: Started jogging again.

December: Stopped jogging. Again.

So that was last year but what about 2008? Well I can bang out a few new year's resolutions as well as the next man. Apart from the same ones that everyone else has (lose weight, get fit, drink less, exercise more, watch less tv, finish Anne Enright's 'The Gathering', call home more often, start reading the news sections of the Sunday papers and not just the glossies and the tv guide, clear out the shed, go to church, help the aged, watch our carbon footprint and eat more vegetables) here are some of mine:

1. Blog more. I know - it's an obvious one, isn't it? The last few months of the year showed a bit of a drop-off in volume, if not the quality (he kidded himself!) of the posts. I really enjoy doing this and want to be doing it more so let's see how I can get on with increasing the number of entries. The lack of posts certainly isn't a reflection on the amount of things I'd like to post about so it's just a case of finding time and, let's face it, it's not like I'm rushed off my feet here at the Towers.

2. Stop buying stuff! I don't want to buy or receive another dvd or book until I've exhausted at least 50% of the things sitting on my shelf. Seriosuly, it's getting ridiculous. Another Christmas has passed and with it I'm adding to my collection of books and films. I could stay in for a year and still I wouldn't get through it all so this year I'm going ot make a real effort to get stuck into the backlog. Although you're mad if you think I'm going to get to the end of Guy Ritchie's Revolver (what was I thinking?!!) or finish The Gathering.

3. Take more time off. It's a hard life, isn't it? I'm carrying the better part of 2 weeks holidays over from 2007. That's becasue I didn't really get away last year at all. Hopefully that's going to change in 08. Already I have vague plans to go to France and New York this year and I'm overdue a trip to Prague too. I had hoped to have a long break last Autumn but it didn't happen and by Christmas I was running on empty. That's not going to happen this year.

4. Do more things. Even it means doing them alone. It's funny how few things we do on our own. By that, I'm referring to gigs, cinema, theatre etc.. I skipped a lot of events I wanted see last year because I couldn't find anyone who wanted to come along. Yet one of the reasons I loved the Wilco gig in November so much was because I was alone and didn't need to worry about whether or not the person with me was enjoying the show. Of course, nobody likes to be johnnynomates but if you can get over the feleing that everyone in the building is looking at you and things you're a sad case, it's really quite liberating!

5. Lose weight. Hey - I'm just like everybody else! Seriosuly,once again December has taking its toll on my waistline. I've always been quite fortunate in that whenever I try to lose weight I can do it easily. However, at the same time, I've always been quite unfortunate that those occasions are few and far between! But January is one of them and already I'm feeling better. Amazing the difference that eating vegetables and fish and drinking lots of water makes. The Government really ought to try to spread the word about that!

Happy new year to all of you.

*I think I've stolen that line from Bill Bryson. If not, feel free to correct me.