My New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions for Christina Gregoire

I haven't made New Year's resolutions for years and years, and that's because I'm the type of chick who makes lists on pieces of paper and loses them. Well, at least I'm being honest...and that's better than 95 percent of people who are writing online.

And, that is another thing I recognise about myself, I'm honest. I might use spin (every now and then) or tell a white lie (by omission), but I am one of the most honest people on earth. It hasn't always worked in my favor but I am able to live with myself.

Scammers and spammers must have terrible things going on in their brains. How the hell do they sleep at night?

Resolution Number 1 - Honesty

Hahaha. So, I'm cheating a little now. My first resolution for 2011 is to be honest...and I always am, so I have at least ONE resolution that I know I can keep.

Is it fair to make a resolution about something I know that I already do? I don't know...but it will make me feel good to know that I've picked something that is, certainly, possible. Well, I guess I'll give it a twist.

I am going to be honest, but not to the point of cruelty or viciousness, about products or services or books that I am discussing in my articles. I AM ALREADY honest, but I will go into detail even more about why something is good or bad, right or wrong, helpful or unhelpful for you.

And, this is something that is fun for me because, even though I am female, I have a somewhat analytical mind. I like to take ideas apart and put them back together in a new way. And, for you...I suggest doing the same. Writing something new and creative is just as important as SEO, which I am obviously not using here.

Resolution Number 2 - Focus

I want to stay focused on becoming a better writer. And, to do that, I need to write on different sites.

So far, I have been writing at one other site (well, also Examiner, but that wasn't for me). And, this year, I am going to focus on the interconnectedness of websites and learn more about backlinking and twitter and other techie junk that I don't really love analysing.

I'm also going to focus on branding myself. I know that I have a difficult name "Gregoire" for English-speaking people to remember, so I'll have to find a way around that.

And, I want to write about things that are relevant to my life. Without that connection, my writing sounds dry. And, I want to get back into music, just taking time to listen to it. Music of all kinds (except country, which I hate) is inspirational, motivational, and all the other ationals.

Resolution Number 3 - Write Every Day

My goal, which is possibly impossible, is to add an article or hub every day. Wow, just looking at that sentence gives me a tinge of a migraine. That's an impossible goal. So, I'm altering that goal to:

Write something each day. Even if it's just writing down a few thoughts for a future hub or article, I will count that as writing every day.

However, I will allow myself to have two days off each week, if I feel that I need it. Most religions call for one sabbath/Shabbat day. And, since I have family background in Catholicism and Judaism...and their sabbaths fall on different days, it seems like I have a logical reason to have two sabbaths.

This is funny because I am a spiritual chick, but I'm not really involved in any organized "church". I might be someday, but I have not found a church that feels right to me.

Anyway: I WILL WRITE EVERY DAY. Writing is part of my spirit...even though I am not a writer, I am an artist - as in oil paintings/acrylics/watercolors.

Resolution Number 4 - Write to Baby Boomers

I love to write to all audiences (including myself...haha), but I want to focus more on writing to Baby Boomers. Boomers make up the largest individual group on the internet. We beat out Gen X, Gen Y, Millenials, and whoever (whomever) I've left out.

Hey, what I lack in backlinking, tweeting, RSSing, and tech-ing knowledge, I make up for in my knowledge of Baby Boomers. I absolutely hate the phrase "Baby Boomers", but I haven't come up with any phrase or designation or encapsulation that stands a snowball's chance of sticking. However, "Baby Boomers" sounds much better than "Seniors", dontchya think?

So, my resolution number 4 is to write an article geared toward Boomers once a week, because, even though there are massive numbers of Boomers online, there is a dearth of kick-ass articles or bitchen websites or groovy posts for people my age. And, I'm talking about articles and sites that do NOT mention "fixed income", "rheumatoid arthritis", "silver-or-golden-freaking-anything", or "I hate Baby Boomers".

Resolution Number 5 - All Resolutions Are Flexible

All of the above resolutions are flexible, compliant, malleable, and may be changed at whim. However, I should change my resolutions on this hub...not just in my mind...so that I won't change any of these resolutions without good forethought.

Resolution Number 6 - Listening

I resolve to do my flipping best to "listen" and not just "hear" my oldest daughter, my youngest daughter, and my husband....even though this is probably the resolution with the highest chance of failure. Oh, I suppose I should use positive thinking. I'll tie a string around my finger to remember to learn how to glue my mouth shut and not interrupt or always offer suggestions, even though my suggestions are probably the right answer.

Resolution Number 7 - Reread the book, Class, by Paul Fussell

Classis an older book, but it is so funny that I laugh out loud every time I read it. Fussell is like a literate PJ O'Rourke. Also, I need to improve my vocabulary and style, so I'm hoping that some of Fussell's impressive talent will seep into my brain by osmosis.

Resolution Number 8 - Get a Tablet PC for Artwork

I have tubes of paint that are wasting away in my small second bedroom aka storage room, but pain in my neck and shoulder makes it difficult to paint in the traditional, three-dimensional way. (That's why I've decided to write...well, that and the fact that my job was eliminated.)

I have checked into tablets in the past, but they seemed so expensive. Now that I have procrastinated for a few years, maybe the prices are better. I'll take an older model. My brain is cutting edge so my technology does not have to be.

So, I need to research inexpensive tablets and styluses, and I might need to take a class to learn more about digital art. I've been meaning to check into this for two years, so writing it down means that I might do this sometime in the next two years. If anyone reads this and they have experience with PC tablets for art, let me know if you like yours.

Resolution Number 9 - Miscellaneous

I am going to eat better, go to sleep when the sun goes down, lose weight, exercise, read more good books, go to the dog park every day, email my friends, check facebook daily, read emails daily, delete emails once I've read them, send thank you cards, try to check the calendar daily, be on time for appointments, never nag, remember everything that my kids tell me, never snark at a loved one, call Pamela once a month, give the dog a bath, buy better makeup, wear that makeup more often, look for hat sales, paint some real paintings, play tug of war with Rocco (dog), stand up straight, remember to use spellcheck....yadda, yadda, yadda...

Resolution Number 10 - Creativity

I promise to avoid all cliches as much as possible. I hate using words and phrases like:
"Pop" - As in, "White really makes that color pop."
"Aha Moment" (horrid phrase)
"Silver Surfer"
"Presence on Facebook"
"Facebook Presence"
"Golden Years" - Unless referring to David Bowie.


I try as hard as I can to edit out crappy, meaningless, filler words. Sometimes I use cliches in a smart-ass mocking way, but it's easy for me to leave out most "pop-speak" because I stopped watching TV in 1967-ish, after watching an incredibly stupid episode of The Monkees at my friend's house. I have made exceptions from time to time, but I've lived for years without a TV, and that is what keeps me from being brainwashed like most Americans...or maybe it just makes me an outlier.

Resolution Update: January 2, 2011

 Here's my update.  I wrote an article yesterday, but I was bored and I couldn't think of anything different to write.  I must be ADD because I hate to stay on the same subject.  Anyway, I wrot an article title "How to Attract a Scorpio Man" because it sounded easy.  I am a Scorpio and I dated one when I was very young. 

OMG it was so long ago, it was before my first marriage...haha.  Then, my husband got a bit pissed off because he's not a Scorpio.  He thought the article meant that I was secretly talking to some online Scorpio.

No.  Anyway....you should read it because....I don't know.  If you're bored, read it.