ONE DOWN, TEN TO GO...

I started 2007 with a list of eleven resolutions that would, most certainly, make me a better person.

At 1225 Zulu (GMT), I broke resolve number three: "Stop saying "fuck" and any of its variants."

The new year is off to an inauspicious beginning, especially since I was still in bed at the time that number three collapsed.

Me: [snoring so loudly I woke myself from a deep slumber] "Aw, fuck!"

I guess the upside is that I wasn't angry at anyone (other than myself) and I was not directing this at anyone in particular. I just can not believe how quickly my resolutions can be shattered as a consequence of old habits.

So, I started thinking about the other ten resolutions for 2007, and how long these will survive. With some exceptions, my resolutions are laid out below for all to see.

1) Stop procrastinating.
2) Be on time. (This is the one that I thought would be first to go since I am always tardy, thanks in part to my years in Miami, living on Caribbean Standard Time.)
3) Stop saying fuck, or any of its variants.
4) Be more patient.
5) Exercise for at least thirty (30) minutes a day (unless I am sick).
6) Eat more sensibly. (Cut down on my intake of red meat, eat more vegetables and fruits.)
7) Communicate more openly and honestly with my friends and loved ones.
8) Write for at least thirty minutes a day (including posts on "Lifeguard of the Jury Pool").
9) Write more letters. Rely less on the impersonal e-mail method of communicating.
10) Stop complaining.
11) Read at least one book a week.

Okay, they are kind of lame, and for the most part, I do many of these things, but I want to have a written guide for the coming year.

From the Jury Pool, I wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year.