I Have New Year's Resolutions Too!

I won't do a year in review, except to say that I had a great year packed with fun and adventure.  This doesn't mean that I don't have resolutions (goals) for this year.  Unlike many others, I actually like the idea of a fresh new year/fresh new start that allows one to consider what changes need to be made.  A brand new year seems like a good time to actually put them into action.  I therefore hereby do for declare that I plan to:

1) Return to being mindful about my meat consumption.  For awhile I was vegetarian due to my disgust at factory farming and all that, but resumed eating meat upon moving to Montana and experiencing a bizarre blood lust while cooking elk for my parents who were visiting.  My return to carnivory involved promises to myself about only eating meat under X or Y conditions but that quickly devolved into just eating whatever (mostly in restaurants, I don't buy grocery store beef and such).  Well, I need to return to being mindful.  And, I have quite a bit of bison from my local ranch and friend at Spring Brook Ranch -- I know (or have access to) information about all the details of the life and death of my food and it's sourced about 5 miles from my house.  Jim, my rancher friend, is good to his animals and cares about the world a whole lot.  There's no reason why I should ever eat red meat other than this bison or game that my friends share with me (or maybe this fall I will obtain myself).  I want to totally cut out pork (again), just because I think pigs are smart and cool.  Chicken is easy to be less principled about because I think they're weird animals... Anyhow, you don't have to think any of this is rational but it will make me feel better.

2)  Keeping a training log again.  I'm basically already failing at this but always enjoy having a record to look back on and see what works for me and what doesn't.  I stopped because I was becoming so OCD about my running mileage that it was controlling my exercise life in a negative way.  I think I'm now past that and do so many other things that I can get back to it.  But I'm really quite out of the habit.

3) Drink less.  I'm not a raging alcoholic or anything but I probably don't ever *need* a third glass of wine.  It just seems like such a good idea after two.

4) Get the dogs out more.  With the addition of Rhino to our family it's tougher to take the dogs running since he doesn't do well on leash (it's the totally wrong pace for him and seems to make him gimpy).  So the dogs have been getting short shrift and it's probably why we have so many problems with them lately.  I've resolved to get them out at least three times per week (ideally every other day at least) when I'm in town and take Rhino to daycare on his "off" days so he can run and play with his friends.  So far this is going well but it gets tough when I'm just not home (I'm on the road a lot).

I think that's all.  Happy New Year blogosphere!