Two Days Left Until Your Entire Life Changes

That is because of this well-known phenomenon known as "New Year's Resolutions" wherein you make a list of all the things you'd like to improve or things to stop doing or start doing or do more or less often. I tend to do well with resolutions when they are fairly manageable. For instance, I have kept three promises to myself, all having to do with personal hygiene and health. I now take a multi vitamin every day, wash my face with soap, and apply face lotion (this last one is all due to Miss Liz McElroy, who persuaded me to buy Vitamin E lotion in the Body Shop or somewhere. I haven't looked back since and boy is my skin moisturized!). It's the more intimidating promises that I never keep. I believe that every year, I write "learn to cook." The closest I've ever come to meeting that challenge is consistently listing it as something I should do.

Meet up with KSK people at Ludwig's last night and I forced them to make their own lists. I wrote Shawn's myself. And you may notice that I have taken some liberty with these, adding other things to people's lists when I felt it appropriate:

Chris:

1. Smoke less or possibly even quit altogether.
2. Love Stuart (his cat).
3. Give Liz more $ (my addition).
4. Learn a new skill (he completed this resolution immediately by learning how to text message from his cell phone).
5. Be more social (I added that because while he was learning this new skill, he wasn't talking to anyone).
6. Do something risky.
   

Marty (he wasn't really into this, as you will see):

1. Exercise every day.
2. Buy a yoga mat rather than stealing Marian's.

Elizabeth:

1. Lose weight (she and her work friends have joined three months of Weight Watchers. She was already able to inform us that the piece of fried cheese or whatever it was Shawn ordered was probably worth 5 w.w. points).
   
2. Be more engaged in friends lives.
3. Learn a new language (I suggested Persian, but she narrowed it down to sign language).
   
4. Meet some deaf people (my idea).
   
5. Meet a man who appreciates you for you!!!!
6. Upgrade kitchen appliances--specifically by buying more Cephalon.
   
7. Teach others to appreciate country music.
8. Accessorize outfits with fringe more to get people excited about country music.
   
9. Learn to knit.

Frank:

1. Furnish new apartment.
   
2. Throw a housewarming party requesting gifts to furnish new apartment.
3. Become sane.
4. Get a kitten (my idea).
5. Go out on 5 dates with 5 different women.
   
6. Improve work Web site.
7. Beat up Marty.
   
8. Buy a new watch.
9. Don't go to strip clubs with credit cards.
10. Don't fall asleep on the train and wake up at the 69th street station.
11. Decide what to do with your life.
12. Travel but don't move away.
13. Buy new glasses (I suggested heavy framed tortoiseshell).
    

Shawn:

1. Brush teeth more often.
2. Clean the house.
3. Clean the litter box like once.
   
4. Be less stingy (Frank added that which I think hurt Shawn's feelings).
   
5. Calm down.
   
6. Be nicer to Aimee.

Me:

1. Save $.
2. Write every day.
3. Stick to a budget.
4. Birth the kittens.
5. Exercise 3 times a week or more.
6. Drink less.
7. Knit something not square.
   
8. Use my sewing machine.
9. Water plants.
10. Learn to cook!!!
11. Floss.
    

Shawn's list for me:

1. Get pregnant (though he didn't specify by whom).
2. Add two more cats to the house.
3. Get a promotion.
4. Be a better girlfriend (oh, okay, that's one down).

Look! A new kitty for us: