Resolutions Dos

Every New Year's Eve my family gathers on the beach on Amelia Island where my aunt and mother live (at least part of the time) to watch the fireworks and hunt for shark teeth by flashlight. We all pretty much think there is one in this picture. Can you find it?

Okay, on to my resolutions for 2006. Feel free to hold me accountable.

1. Be friendlier. I generally tend to think that social friendliness is way overrated. You know, the small talk (Where are you from? Oh really, I have a cousin who lives there.) crap that pervades and wastes so much of our lives. So I generally try to avoid engaging in this activity at all costs, because I think people can sense when it isn't genuine. For years, people (my wife) have gotten on to me for not participting in pleasantries with someone who was just trying to be nice. I tend to be aloof and non-responsive in these situations when I'm at my best, and disdainful and arrogant at my worst. I really have no problem with this. What bothers me is that over the years I've allowed this behavior to get in the way of me stepping outside of my comfort zone to talk with people I am really interested in, and that needs to stop. So I resolve that this year I will get back to starting up conversations with complete strangers whom I have some reason to believe are interesting.

2. Exhibit this photography in a public space. Sure, the blog is public, if you count the dozen some odd visitors per day as public, but something more accessible to critics and other photographers would be good for me...and scary. And that's a good thing, too.

3. Passion through simplicity. My life is too cluttered, and it's sucking away my energy from the things I care about. In short, I'm spread too thin. I hereby resolve to eliminate, as much as possible, those things not having to do with art, books, school, and music. I can hear my Xbox whimpering as I write this.

4. Read more. Graduate school ruined me on reading for much of the last three years, but I'll be damned if that's going to continue. This necessitates #5.

5. Watch less T.V. Really about the only thing I watch right now is sports. Am I seriously resolving to watch less sports?

6. Dunk a Basketball. I swear, this is the year.