This is exactly what I knew was going to happen. I start a blog, write entries like crazy at first, and then forget about it. I was horrified when I logged on this evening to discover that I haven't blogged in over a month. That's too long and I apologize and will try to be better at it.
That could be my New Year's Resolution. And yes, I know that we still have to go through Christmas before we should start making those, but why not start at least thinking about them now? I make them every year, and sometimes I stick to them, but like a lot of people, most times I don't. We all mean well when we make these resolutions and I'm sure some of you have been able to keep them for a full 365 days. I do well for about 3 months and then things tend to fall apart. Maybe Spring reawakens my senses and the fact that the sun finally shines again in Chicago, and green things start popping up out of the ground, or that windows can be opened again and we can put away the snow blower just makes me forget that when I was sitting inside, in the cold on January 1 that I had made resolutions for the year. I don't know. All I know is that I don't believe I've ever kept a resolution all year long.
This year, or in 2010, I have a feeling it's going to be a lot easier. Because this resolution I am going to make is probably going to take me all year to complete. Now as most of you know, I spend my days at work staring at a computer screen and when I get home on Friday, my eyes are pretty much red and itchy and I'm ready to not look at a computer for the next couple of days. Yes, I log onto Facebook during the weekend to play a few games, catch up with friends I haven't talked to, and check out how I did in my College and Pro football pools, but usually the computer stays off. Except for times like this. It's Sunday afternoon. The Bears are losing to the Vikings and Eric and I have decided to have some quiet time reading things off the computer. On Sundays I like to read the New York Times online. I enjoy being able to pick and choose which stories I am going to read without getting my hands black with ink. I read the Travel section, the Weddings/Celebrations section, the news stories that interest me, the sports stories that interest me, and, of course, the BOOK REVIEW. I love it online because they have a podcast and actual interviews with the authors, or readings from the books. They usually include excerpts and other things of interest.
This weekend, a full 7 days before the print edition comes out, they have listed their 100 Notable Books of 2009. Being the bibliophile that I am, I want to read all 100 books. I even scanned each title today and the short one sentence description they had and there is not a single one of those books that does not sound interesting to me. OK, maybe the one about the resurgence of Quantum Physics isn't going to be the first one I read, but even it is going to teach me something I didn't know. There are 45 fiction/short story/poetry books and 55 non-fiction titles on their list. I want to spend 2010 reading them all. Now I realize that may be a lofty goal. With 100 books and 365 days out of the year, I'm going to have to average a book every 3 days and I'm sure some of them are quite long. I only have a 15 minute commute on the train to work and back, and guess I will have to stop watching television in order to fit them all in. But I am a fast and avid reader. I read the Harry Potter books in one evening so I know I can do it, but its something that I am going to have to keep up with ALL YEAR LONG! I suppose I could cheat and start reading a couple of them now, in the last month of 2009, but I don't think that would be right. If it's going to be a resolution, then it has to start on January 1.
And maybe, just maybe, because I am determined to blog more, I should write a review of each book I read. That way, I will blog more in 2010 as well. There, it's November 29th and I've already made 2 resolutions. Now lets just hope March doesn't come in like a lion and blow these resolutions away. Happy Reading everyone!
