I love New Year’s Day!! Yes, I’m running on three hours of sleep (big nap in my future) and yes, I am sort of regretting what I ate last night (pate and lobster – really, it tasted good at the time) but there is something so fun about the concept of the FIRST DAY of the New Year.
It’s like everybody gets to call a giant do-over. Wipe the board clean and start fresh. Excellent.
The two biggest resolutions on my list are to write every day this year – every single day, no matter what – and to try to run 20 miles every week.
I also resolve to win the lottery.
What promises did you make to yourself?
So the day after Christmas I went back into seclusion at a secret Marriott location that offered free bagels and coffee each morning. (It wasn’t fair to make the kids home on break maintain worshipful silence just because I had a deadline.) The writing went so well I had a headache most of the time, and am well into the second draft. (This is the draft that is supposed to transform the chaos of draft one into something resembling linear storytelling.) One day when I was out running, BH stopped at the hotel and dropped off this plant and some Red Bull. You can also see the miso soup I drank gallons of, and some of my notecards.
After 5 days at the hotel, it was very nice to come home in time for the New Year’s celebration. BH cooked up masses of seafood on the grill and we ate way too much of the stuff that we now have to sweat off at the gym.
The Creature With Fangs brought a date to the party.
He was all over her all night long.
Things got a little wild when CWF broke out the party hats.
This is when she started dancing. She was an absolute animal, I swear.
What did you do last night? What are your resolutions?
I started the new year by writing and staying up waaay too late.
I love the dog in the hat.
Happy New Year, Laurie! I’m glad 2007 brought me the chance to meet you, and read Twisted. May 2008 bring more blessings of that sort!
I didn’t make any promises to myself. I just want to work on being more positive and productive.
Happy New Year, Laurie!
Here’s to lots of writing this year for both of us!
Small world — I plan to write every week and run 20 miles a year.
Here’s to much writing and publishing success in 2008!
new year
I have decided to write this year. I write in a journal just like I encourage my students to do but I have a character that wants to come out. So I am going to try my best to let the character out this year. It will probably never become a book but I want to see what happens.
Happy New Year!
Can I tell you how much I love the Creature with Fangs? What an awesome furry friend!
I spent New Year’s Eve at home, watching movies, knitting, chatting with friends online, hanging with my daughter. This was Molly’s first year to stay up to see the ball drop at midnight, and she, like me, was disappointed.
Resolutions for 2008? I want to read more – I’ve missed it – and my new librarian job (Central in Syracuse) affords me easy access to loads and loads of good stuff! I want to get healthier. I want to create some semblance of order out of the chaos of my life. And I want to knit more socks.
*hugs* and all the best for 2008 to you and yours!!
I spent New Years eve getting proposed to 🙂 My boyfriend took me out to a fancy shmancy dinner and popped the question halfway through the meal.
So now my resolution is to plan a wedding!
Congratulations!!!!
I loooooveee your dog!!! haha Happy New Year, Laurie!
I hope you accomplish all that you want…..and write another great book for us to read! : )
I spent New Year’s Eve talking to a good friend that hasn’t been on in a while and then I watched fireworks from midnight to about 12:30. It was really awesome, just hearing the exploding sounds surround you and still no being able to see everything (houses block out the view).
My resolutions are to write more, read a lot more (already well on the right path for this one), and to do my schoolwork more often. I also hope to stick to a healthy eating and workout plan.
Keep my eye on the ball. Constantly assess and respond to the extent to which each thing I do does or doesn’t make my kids better readers and writers.
Keep taking small steps toward work-life balance — when I can, eating well, sleeping, working out, spending time with family and friends, doing stuff I enjoy outside of work. It’s not going to be ideal this year, but I don’t want to drop it entirely.
Thank you so much for all of the positive energy you have given us this year, here and in the book world. Cheers, fresh and new you!
P.S. Drat. We only had those noise-makers and confetti poppers at my party. Clearly, the place to be and be seen was busting a move with The Creature With Fangs and his date. How’s he doing today?
Happy New Year, Palsy.
Happy New Year!
Happy new year!
I spent last night with my roommate and a few good friends, watching TV, having a few beverages, and just enjoying each other’s company. Also, we decided it would be best if we all dressed formally, so that made it just that much more fun 🙂
My one resolution: track all my finances. Every income and every expense. Frankly, I’m just kinda curious exactly how I spend my money. Hopefully it helps me as I’ve recently discovered the ability to pay off my debts and actually have money to work with (read: I got a job). I think this will get off to a nice necessary start, as I lost my wallet 2 days ago. Maybe when you win the lottery, you can help me out 😉
My non-resolution which I am going to do anyway: get back to running. I’m going to start once it warms up a bit, so I’ll be a lot more likely to stick to it and not get disheartened if I have trouble. As I’m sure you’re aware, running after not running regularly for a couple years is incredibly tough.
–Brian
Are you a member of? Good for finance-tracking-software links and the like.
I am not, but I think I’m about to be! Maybe they have stuff which beats my Excel spreadsheet and ledger book. I really want to go at this hardcore in a way that I’ll be able to do it for the rest of my life. Thank you, and the best of luck to you with your no-alcohol resolution. It sounds like a good one 🙂
–Brian
Thanks for this tip – it’s a terrific blog!
How cute is CWF?? SOOOO cute!
The hotel gig sounds productive and good. Hooray for progress!
Happy New Year!
http://babymowgli.livejournal.com/598652.html
Happy new year!
I liked reading all the stuff about the hotels. Congratulations on having it all work out. 🙂
This year my resolution is i want to (read: think i ought to) learn how to cook.
Happy New Year! 🙂 I hung out with the old folks for New Years.
First resolution: finish my homework before I go back to school on the 7th.
Little Quirk
happy new year! i’d like to win the lottery, too. i’m not big on resolutions – they always seem to fail, even the easy ones – but i suppose i resolve (again) to lose weight.
I resolved to at least try to drink no alcohol in 2008. Not because I think I’m an alcoholic, but there are different degrees of dependency, beginning with habit, and I wish to renew my connection with other ways to relax. Kinda like touching all the bases, y’know?
I love the pics with CWF. I miss having a doggie around but at least my kitty has forgiven me for going to college and is sleeping in my bed again.
20 miles a week? wow. I really wish that I loved running but I don’t. At all.
Thanks for making 2007 more fun by blogging. I love reading your blog as your writing gives me inspiration for life. And I like getting to read about life in New England, I really want to live in Vermont someday.