New Year's Resolutions (that won't bore me)

Okay, I could round up the usual suspects:

Lose weight ~ Exercise more ~ Spend less money
blah, blah, blah.

But if I'm going to do this thing, I want it to be fun...and incentified. So, here goes:

• Write an iPhone App
  The more unusual, the better. Bonus points for anything over 100 downloads.
  
  
• Upload something to YouTube that goes viral
  Nothing's coming to me at the moment, but again, the more unusual, the better
  
  
• Sell a piece of artwork
  Granted, I haven't made it yet, but hey--it could happen. Any media qualifies, including a collage made using elephant poo paper. Bonus points here go to anything consisting of materials totaling less than $25.
  
  
• Compose something using GarageBand
  Not really sure where I'm going with this, but I do have the icon on my dock, so it should be possible, right? Bonus points for use of any non-virtual instruments played by me.
  
  
• Go SCUBA diving
  I love SCUBA diving. I'm putting this on the list to make sure I get in at least one trip. Bonus points here if I can figure out a way to bring an underwater camera this time.
  
  
• Grow something that can be used for food
  For those of you who need this spelled out, special brownies will not be on the list. I was thinking more along the lines of those upside-down tomato plants. In fact, bonus points for anything grown upside-down.
  
  
• Build a website using one of my existing domain names.
  

Bonus points if it makes money. Extra bonus points if the money comes from Google AdSense. As you can see, it's all upside from here...

• Sew a crazy quilt made from recycled fabric
  This one makes the list in honor of my wanna-be hippie niece, Hannah. Since she lives in Michigan on the UP, I should probably just give it to her if I succeed at this one. It's COLD up there.
  
  
• Learn to play a new instrument
  Right now, harmonica is a strong candidate. I know a guy who could probably give me lessons. Violin, guitar, and piano don't count because I already play them, even though it's with varying degrees of mediocrity. These resolutions aren't about "doing better" by practicing more, improving, or any of that. Boring.

There. Now that's a list I can live with, that might enrich my life and make me a better person, sans the brow beating.

So, what about those early rejects: lose weight, exercise more, and spend less money. Okay, okay. I resolve to lose at least one pound, exercise at least once, and use at least one grocery store coupon. Bonus points if I double my performance.

Happy New Year. Remember, the important thing is to have fun with it. At least, that's what my college instructor said, right before the final exam in my first Physics course.

Why I use facebook

If you're here, chances are you are probably already a part of a "virtual village." There was a time when most people were a part of a physical village, or a neighborhood, or perhaps an extended family that lived and farmed and worked together and helped each other.

Today, for all the ways we've found to connect, to communicate, we are more isolated than we were 50 years ago. In many ways, I suspect that our desire to communicate in new ways is born of losing the village, leaving the farm, and moving from the neighborhoods where people sat on porches and children played on lazy streets. Our desire, rather our need--to know each other, and to be known--continues to express itself.

A person may belong to many such virtual villages, whether because of school or work, or maybe because of a shared passion. By being here, you are a part of a loosely bound group of people, some who know each other well, some who have yet to meet in any sense of the word, whose lives intermingle on some level.

Welcome back to the village.