rabbi.author

2013 REVIEW OF 2012 NON-RESOLUTIONS

A year (plus 2 days) ago, I posted here a list of  non-resolution resolutions that seemed possible for me to keep. It’s now January 3, 2013, and I’m finally taking a look at the list to see how I fared.

1. Update this blog weekly. Okay, monthly. Well, more often than every six months. I’m already off to a good start, as today’s Jan. 1.

It’s now Jan. 3, 2013. I did update fairly often, and did some guest blogging as well. But it’s a good thing “stop procrastinating” wasn’t on the list.

2. Work regularly on the third Rabbi Aviva Cohen mystery, Yom Killer. Then, when Unleavened Dead is published (from my mouth to God’s ears; kenahora;tu-tu-tu), the next book will be ready to go into production.

Unleavened Dead is now published, and selling fairly well. I do need to do more readings and signings – hint, hint. But Yom Killer is still in the same state it was a year ago: unwritten.

3. Go birding more often. I’m already off to a good start on this resolution, too, as I spent the day at the Forsythe NWR (aka Brig). And I plan to take a detour to Corkscrew Swamp and Ding Darling NWR on Sanibel Island when I drive from my parents’ house in Boynton Beach to Orlando for Sleuthfest in February.

I did get to Corkscrew Swamp and Ding Darling. But I also had arthroscopic knee surgery a few months later. The torn meniscus is gone, but so is all the cartilage. And the shots didn’t work this time. Walking on uneven surfaces is not the best therapy for arthritic knees. And my favorite spot – the above-mentioned Brig, an 8-mile drive through loop, was decimated by Hurricane Sandy. It’s open for walking only; I don’t think I’ll be doing it any time soon. I haven’t even filled my feeders for a while.

4. Don’t buy any more books about birding until I read the ones I’ve already bought.

Yeah, right. I’ll stop buying them when they stop publishing them.

5. Don’t buy any more Kindle books until I read all the ones on my to-be-read list.

See above comment re: birding books.

6. Don’t buy any more DVDs until I watch all the ones that are still shrink-wrapped.

The box set of the entire series of The Prisoner is still shrink-wrapped.

7. Don’t TiVo any shows or movies unless I am really going to watch them within the next six months.

Done. We got a free upgrade on our TiVo (all it cost was the price of a new HD TV), and all the taped shows were deleted.

8. Place resolutions 4, 5, 6, and 7 into the unrealistic category.

Done.

9. Watch season 2 of “Homeland” and “Game of Thrones.”  (Try and stop me!)

Done.

10. Read Game of Thrones. All 5 volumes. Or 6 or 7 or how many are published by the time I get through the ones already in print.

Done. Next task is to download them all onto Kindle so I can re-read them without getting cramps in my hands.

11. Get to Israel this year. It’s been too long. And try to go during the height of the bird migration.  I’ve already started googling “birding tours in Israel.”

See above note about arthritic knees.

12. Stop obsessing about my ranking on Amazon. It’s meaningless. Except when it’s a high ranking.

This was written before I had a new book published. But I am down to checking only 2-3 times a day. Except when it’s more.

So, no need to write new non-resolution resolutions this year. I’ll just keep plugging along. And I will definitely get moving on Yom Killer.

Happy 2013 to you all.