Happy Ne'erday

We're feeling rather Gaelic around the McCord castle on this first of January, 2008. That doesn't meant we're celebrating Ne'erday in traditional Gaelic fashion (a midnight knocking on the door of a neighbor and presenting them with a gift, such as salt... we tried last night, but our neighbors pulled a shotgun on us and sent us running across the street in our one-piece pajamas).

Call it hope of a new year--pride in the year that's gone--or just indifference to the fact that some of our neighbors are moving, we think, and, well, that kind of newness about a fine January day is nothing short of happy.

We don't traditionally make resolutions in this homehold. It's typically not our scene.

But for you, we will. Let us now present to you a gift of resolute fashion.

First, however, it should be important for us to establish the tradition of the resolution. The origin is debated, but most would attribute the new year's resolution to traditions set in Yom Kippur, where those of Jewish faith would reflect upon their wrong-doings over the past year and both seek and offer forgiveness.

That being said, let us, in this castle, be most resolute in 2008.

We resolve to eat more popcorn. For Christmas we were given one of those caramel-butter-cheese popcorn tins... yum. We don't eat nearly enough popcorn. In fact, there's a popcorn store with all sorts of flavored popcorn within 2 blocks of our stead. More popcorn in 2008.

We resolve to make less small talk. This is the year that we no longer straddle the fence. Either we like you well enough to get deep and talk real talk with you, or we don't. But no small talk in 2008.

We resolve to take more photos. You never know when you might be in the right spot to capture the right moment. It's those priceless moments that can later be used in blackmail to take asunder large sums of money. More camera-time in 2008.

We resolve to watch more foreign films. They say that reading expands your mind. Well, why not combine reading and watching a great movie? En avant et en hausse say the French, and in 2008, we'll read it and watch it at the same time.

We resolve to withhold our judgments of others until they are not around. Nothing makes a relationship more messy than to snicker and say "Man you have terrible taste in tex-mex restaurants" or "Geez, you should really look into having better taste in movies/music/books/tv/jeans/friends." In 2008, we'll wait until people turn their backs to offer these oh-so-relevant opinions.

We resolve to not hold it against you if you do something after us. Sure, we've been blogging since April 24, 2005. And yeah, we picked up that CD before it was released to the radio. And yes, we know, we heard that so-and-so is now dating someone. But just because we have our ear to the ground on these things and you have yours somewhere else doesn't make us better than you--in 2008, we won't remind you.

We resolve to utilize the greatness of foodnetwork.com more. We just checked--there are 116 recipes for goat meat on this uber-site. 116. In 2008, we won't cook a single goat recipe, but we'll reference this wonderful world of culinary concoctions more consistently.

And finally, we resolve to celebrate whatever, whenever. According to chinese astrology, 2008 is the year of the rat. Awesome--let's party. Let's have a rat-party. January 25 is Opposite Day--let's not do something fun, or let's? We're confused. Either way, 2008 is the year of the party for us. Party on.

Whatever your resolutions--fun, fictitious, fatty or filled with fudge, we wish you and yours the best (or worst on January 25).