Utter Brilliance

Rather than publicly mourn the passing of Micheal Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, I thought I would post this instead. My education roots are in advertising, so I saw this as a beacon of light in all the confusion I'm feeling about the shattering of some of my childhood. Lest you think that I lifted the information and am not giving credit where credit is due, please visit this website.

The 100 Most Influential Taglines Since 1948

1. Got milk? (1993) California Milk Processor Board
2. Don’t leave home without it. (1975) American Express
3. Just do it. (1988) Nike
4. Where’s the beef? (1984) Wendy’s
5. You’re in good hands with Allstate. (1956) Allstate Insurance
6. Think different. (1998) Apple Computer
7. We try harder. (1962) Avis
8. Tastes great, less filling. (1974) Miller Lite
9. Melts in your mouth, not in your hands. (1954) M&M Candies
10. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. (1956) Timex
11. When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. (1982) FedEx
12. Reach out and touch someone. (1979) AT&T
13. A diamond is forever. (1948) DeBeers
14. Finger-lickin’ good! (1952) Kentucky Fried Chicken
15. The uncola. (1973) 7-Up
16. Let your fingers do the walking. (1964) Yellow Pages
17. There are some things that money can’t buy. For everything else there’s MasterCard. (1997) MasterCard
18. What happens here, stays here. (2002) Las Vegas
19. You’ve come a long way, baby. (1968) Virginia Slims Cigarettes
20. We bring good things to life. (1981) General Electric
21. Please don’t squeeze the Charmin. (1964) Charmin
22. Does she or doesn’t she? (1964) Clairol
23. Have it your way. (1973) Burger King
24. I can’t believe I ate the whole thing. (1966) Alka-Seltzer
25. Come alive! You’re in the Pepsi generation. (1964) Pepsi
26. The ultimate driving machine. (1975) BMW
27. The quicker picker-upper. (1991) Bounty
28. Look, Ma, no cavities! (1958) Crest
29. Pork. The other white meat. (1986) National Pork Board
30. Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon? (1980) Grey Poupon
31. Friends don’t let friends drive drunk. (1992) U.S. Dept. of Transportation
32. Have a coke and smile. (1979) Coca-Cola
33. I love New York. (1977) NY State Dept. of Econ. Development
34. Betcha can’t eat just one. (1981) Lay’s Potato Chips
35. Think outside the bun. (1998) Taco Bell
36. The mind is a terrible thing to waste. (1972) United Negro College Fund
37. It keeps going, and going, and going... (1989) Energizer Batteries
38. Hey, Mikey...he likes it! (1972) Life Cereal
39. This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions? (1987) Partnership for a Drug-Free America
40. They’re gr-r-r-eat! (1950s) Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
41. The happiest place on earth. (1960s) Disneyland
42. Beef. It’s what’s for dinner. (late 1980s) National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn.
43. With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good. (1962) Smucker’s
44. Nothing comes between me and my Calvins. (1979) Calvin Klein Jeans
45. Is it live or is it Memorex? (1970s) Memorex
46. Because I’m worth it. (1967) L’Oréal
47. The few, the proud, the Marines. (1991) U.S. Marines
48. Our repairmen are the loneliest guys in town. (1967) Maytag Appliances
49. Put a tiger in your tank. (1964) Esso (Exxon)
50. You quiero Taco Bell. (mid-1990s) Taco Bell
51. How do you spell relief? R-O-L-A-I-D-S. (1970s) Rolaids
52. This Bud’s for you. (1970s) Budweiser
53. When EF Hutton talks, people listen. (mid-1980s) EF Hutton
54. It’s everywhere you want to be. (1988) VISA
55. I’ve fallen and I can’t get up. (1990) LifeCall
56. We make the money the old-fashioned way—we earn it. (1980s) Smith Barney
57. Intel Inside. (early 1990s) Intel
58. Don’t get mad. Get GLAD. (early 1980s) GLAD
59. Like a rock. (1990) Chevy Trucks
60. It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken. (1972) Perdue Chicken
61. We will sell no wine before its time. (1970s) Paul Masson
62. Fly the friendly skies. (1966) United Airlines
63. Lifts and separates. (1960s) Playtex Cross-Your-Heart Bra
64. Thank you for your support. (1985) Bartles & Jaymes
65. Try it, you’ll like it. (1970s) Alka-Seltzer
66. Think small. (1962) Volkswagen
67. We answer to a higher authority. (1975) Hebrew National
68. Get a piece of the rock. (1970s) Prudential
69. The world’s favourite airline. (1983) British Airways
70. Nothing runs like a Deere. (1972) John Deere
71. Leave the driving to us. (1950s) Greyhound
72. The world’s online marketplace. (late 1990s) eBay
73. Quality is job one. (1979) Ford
74. Drivers wanted. (1995) Volkswagen
75. Think outside the box. (1990s) Apple Computer
76. Bayer works wonders. (1960s) Bayer Aspirin
77. The relentless pursuit of perfection. (1990s) Lexus
78. The king of beers. (1950s) Budweiser
79. Hertz puts you in the driver’s seat. (1961) Hertz
80. Cotton. The fabric of our lives. (1989) Cotton Incorporated
81. I want my Maypo. (1956) Maypo
82. RAID kills bugs dead. (1966) RAID
83. Fosters—Australian for beer. (1990s) Fosters Australian Beer
84. Catch our smile. (1970s) Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA)
85. Pepperidge Farm remembers. (1970s) Pepperidge Farm
86. Solutions for a small planet. (mid-1990s) IBM
87. For those who think young. (1961) Pepsi
88. My wife, I think I’ll keep her. (1971) Geritol
89. Never let ‘em see you sweat. (1980s) Gillette
90. I’d rather fight than switch. (1960s) Tareyton Cigarettes
91. For fast, fast, fast relief. (1950s) Anacin
92. A silly millimeter longer. (1970s) Chesterfield Cigarettes
93. Take it all off. (1960s) Noxzema
94. The spirit of ’76. (1960s) Unocal
95. It’s not a job. It’s an adventure. (1980s) U.S. Navy
96. Did somebody say McDonald’s? (1997) McDonald’s
97. Ring around the collar. (1968) Wisk Laundry Detergent
98. It’s not your father’s Oldsmobile... (1980s) Oldsmobile
99. The toughest job you’ll ever love. (1970s) U.S. Peace Corps
100. Share moments. Share life. (1990s) Kodak

Honorable Mention

It’s not just for breakfast anymore. (1980s) Florida Orange Juice Growers Assn.
I liked it so much I bought the company. (1978) Remington
Sorry, Charlie. Starkist wants tuna that tastes good, not tuna with good taste. (1961) Starkist Tuna

Celebrated Taglines Prior to 1948

Only you can prevent forest fires. (U.S. Forest Service) 1944
The beer that made Milwaukee famous. (Schlitz Beer) 1940
Look sharp, feel sharp. (Gillette) 1940s
Better living through chemistry. (DuPont) 1939
The breakfast of champions. (Wheaties) 1935
The pause that refreshes. (Coca-Cola) 1929
When you care enough to send the very best (Hallmark) 1934
Good to the last drop. (Maxwell House) 1926
Ask the man who owns one. (Packard) 1925
Always a bridesmaid, but never a bride. (Listerine) 1923
I’d walk a mile for a Camel. (Camel Cigarettes) 1921
Say it with flowers. (FTD) 1917
When it rains, it pours. (Morton Salt) 1911
The champagne of bottled beer. (Miller High Life) 1906
America’s most famous dessert (Jell-O) 1902
His master’s voice. (Victor Talking Machine Company) 1899
57 varieties. (H.J. Heinz Co.) 1896
All the news that’s fit to print. (New York Times) 1896
99.44% pure (Ivory Soap) 1882

The 30 Most Influential Jingles Since 1948

1. My bologna has a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R. (1960s) Oscar Mayer
2. Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is. (1970s) Alka-Seltzer
3. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. (1971) State Farm Insurance
4. Double your pleasure, double your fun. (1959) Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum
5. Be all that you can be. (1981) U.S. Army
6. For all you do, this Bud’s for you. (1970s) Budweiser
7. A little dab’ll do ya. (1950s) Brylcreem
8. It’s the real thing. (1970) Coca-Cola
9. Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man. (1970s) Ace Hardware
10. You deserve a break today. (1971) McDonald’s
11. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t. (1953) Peter Paul Mounds/Almond Joy
12. I’d like to teach the world to sing... (1971) Coca-Cola
13. I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener. (1965) Oscar Mayer
14. Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun. (1975) McDonald’s
15. Things go better with Coke. (1963) Coca-Cola
16. In the valley of the jolly--ho-ho-ho!--Green Giant. (early 1960s) Green Giant
17. There’s always room for J-E-L-L-O. (1950s) Jell-O
18. I’m a pepper, he’s a pepper, she’s a pepper... (1970s) Dr. Pepper
19. Just for the taste of it, Diet Coke. (1986) Diet Coke
20. See the USA in your Chevrolet. (1950s) Chevrolet
21. Nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee. (1972) Sara Lee
22. Nothing says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven. (1957) Pillsbury
23. What would you do for a Klondike Bar? (early 1990s) Klondike Bar
24. Winston tastes good like a cigarette should. (1954) Winston Cigarettes
25. If you’ve got the time, we’ve got the beer. (1980s) Miller Beer
26. You’ll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent. (1953) Pepsodent Toothpaste
27. Here’s to good friends. (1978) Lowenbrau Beer
28. Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco treat. (1961) Rice-a-Roni
29. Away go troubles down the drain. (1956) Roto-Rooter
30. Maxwell House coffee pot percolator theme (1961) Maxwell House

Honorable Mention

Meow, meow, meow, meow... (1976) Ralston Meow Mix
I am stuck on Band-Aids ‘cause Band-Aids stuck on me. (early 1980s) Band-Aids
Intel inside logo -- four-note theme (1994) Intel

Celebrated Jingles Prior to 1948

I’m Chiquita banana and I’ve come to say – bananas have to ripen in a certain way... (Chiquita Banana) 1945
Snap! Crackle! Pop! Rice Krispies. (Kellogg’s Rice Krispies) 1940s
You can trust your car to the men who wear the star. (Texaco) 1940s
Call for Philip Morris. (Philip Morris) 1934
M’m! M’m! Good! (Campbell’s Soup) 1930s

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It's a Sad Day When St. Louis is the Lead Story on CNN.com

I did not write the following. John King, chief national correspondent and host of CNN's "State of the Union" did. I heard a representative from Metro speak at a Board of Alderman meeting last Tuesday and was completely blown away by the fact that my mayor and the board accepted his words with little comment. I wanted to scream that the world as we know is about to alter completely for many more people than we will ever be able to comprehend. As Joni Mitchell sang, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone."

BALLWIN, Missouri (CNN) -- For Stuart and Dianne Falk, it is a two-bus, 45-minute trip into downtown St. Louis to head to the gym and to volunteer at a theater group.

And it is a lifeline that ends Friday.

"To be saddled, to be imprisoned, that is what it is going to feel like," says Stuart Falk. "It is going to feel like being punished for something we didn't do."

Stuart and Dianne Falk are confined to wheelchairs. And the bus route that takes them downtown, and to one of the few tastes of personal freedom they have, is being eliminated because of a funding crunch.

In all, two dozen bus routes are being eliminated outright effective March 30. Numerous other routes have been shortened or otherwise modified, including less frequent runs. Light rail service schedules also have been scaled back as part of an effort to close a $51 million funding shortfall.

The reasons for the funding crunch have little to do with President Obama, or the federal government at all for that matter. But there are several connections to the big national political debates of the past several months, stretching back to last fall.

It was then that St. Louis County voters were asked to vote in favor of a small tax increase to add funding for bus routes and other mass transit operations in the bedroom communities surrounding the city of St. Louis.

Backers were optimistic, but then saw the mood change as the struggles on Wall Street mounted, and dropping 401(k) balances made voters more stingy. It didn't help, these backers contend, that anger at the first installment of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout also was festering on Election Day.

Now, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley worries the cutbacks will have an adverse effect on an already struggling area economy.

"The worse case scenario to me is this, if we don¹t get people to goods and services, that means businesses will close their doors, that means more jobs are lost," Dooley told us in an interview on a light rail platform in Clayton just outside the city.

Dooley also said mass transit cutbacks make it harder to attract new businesses.

"We're talking about economic development and entrepreneurship: Who is going to come to St. Louis if you can¹t get people back and forth to work?" Dooley said.

Efforts to get the state to help close the budget gap have failed. And while many of those affected see it is a perfect use of the federal stimulus funds the president says are meant to create and save jobs, such spending is not allowed.

Stimulus money can be used for new mass transit capital projects, such as building new stations or buying new buses. But the money cannot be used for operational costs, meaning it cannot be used to keep existing routes open.

"No, I don¹t think that is right. Of course, that is not right," is Dooley's view. "I mean at the end of the day, it's about creating jobs and opportunity. ... Could the stimulus bill be of a great help to us? No question about it."

Without any cash infusion, Metro says it has no choice but to cut back from 9,125 bus stops to 6,801, significantly cutting back its reach into the outer ring of St. Louis County.

Riding the buses this week offered a glimpse at the impact.

At one stop Wednesday, a handful of developmentally disabled passengers boarded outside a local facility where they work. One told CNN she optimistic "something will get done about it" but said she isn't sure how she is supposed to get around after Friday.

Kimberly Barge is a staff attorney at Paraquad, the gym where the Falks and other local disabled residents attend classes.

"People are frustrated, angry -- almost to the point of hopeless in some cases because there aren't many other alternatives for the disability community as far as transportation goes," Barge told CNN.

Jean McPherson boarded the bus with her infant daughter. The 20-year-old is going back to school to get her high school diploma and though short on cash, she says she is now forced to explore buying a used car.

"I might end up losing my job or not being able to take my daughter to day care," is how she sees the consequence of her bus route being shortened so that it no longer stretches out to her community. "You can't afford a car; that is why you use public transportation. So a lot of people are going to be in a bad situation."

And the impact goes beyond Metro riders. Some 200 drivers also are slated to lose their jobs

Shaking her head, Dianne Falk offers this analysis: "That doesn't seem like what (President) Obama wants."

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Kinda Cheating...

I've been neglecting my blog and my writing of late due to the exhaustion that comes with a new job. But the itch to write has come back, but I saw this and thought it expressed my thoughts better than I could.

Taken from CNN.com.

(CNN) -- As the country frets about extricating itself from the financial mess, there is one group of Americans to whom the rest of us owe the most sincere words of apology.

That group consists of the oldest of our fellow citizens -- the men and women who went through the Great Depression when they were young, who fought and endured World War II when they were just a little older, and who had hoped for a sense of peace and tranquility in their final years on this earth.

They don't deserve what they are going through. You hear it again and again from money experts: Take the long view of the economy. If you don't need cash from your stock market accounts in the next five to 10 years, leave it in there. Time will heal our current woes -- the economy, even when it's in tatters, runs in cycles. Just wait it out and be patient. Especially young people -- fiscal stability will arrive again in your lifetime. You'll see.

Nice words. Yet they leave out that one group of people -- the people who have a right to be terrified when they are told the economy will only be brutal in the short term. They leave out the people to whom the short term is all they have: our parents. Our grandparents. The men and women who never should have had to worry about their personal security again.

It's never wise to generalize, yet it is safe to say that, as a group, the men and women who endured the Depression and World War II played it straight when it came to putting their trust in financial institutions. They didn't try to game the system; they didn't believe in esoteric money schemes. As a group, they were cautious, because the two defining national events of their lives taught them that you can never really count on anything. They watched their own parents suffer during the Depression, they went overseas for years on end when our nation asked them to save the world, and when they came home, to the prosperity of the Eisenhower years, they crossed their fingers and hoped the good times were not an illusion.

The mistakes and tricks and reckless gambles of the supposedly sophisticated masters of Wall Street have wounded these men and women, many of whom, before the last year, had never even heard the names of the men who ran the biggest investment banks and brokerage firms. Which is why what those oldest Americans are going through is so unfair. Once more, in a lifetime that has been filled with sacrifices, they are having to pay the terrible price for decisions in which they had no say.

For a while, after Tom Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation" focused belated attention on the quietly heroic lives of our parents and grandparents, it finally seemed that the oldest Americans were being allowed to take a victory lap. One of the points Brokaw made was that, for all the pain those men and women lived through, they seldom complained. They just soldiered on.

That appeared to be the elegiac theme of their final chapter: a warm acknowledgment by us, to whom they gave a better world, that we understood and honored their steadfastness -- that we appreciated and were moved by the uncomplaining way they had made it through their hardest years.

We didn't realize that they would be asked to do it again, in 2009 -- we didn't realize that our parents and grandparents, the vestiges of their retirement income suddenly diminished and threatened, would be asked once more to stoically accept hardships they had done nothing to bring upon themselves.

Think of the disdain they must feel for the Wall Street titans who have hurt them. When they hear about a brokerage executive who spends $1,400 on a wastebasket, their first thought undoubtedly is not that the man has taken advantage of his shareholders, or of the federal government. Their first thought -- remember, these men and women were children of the Depression -- is that the man must be a fool, a complete and utter sucker, to pay someone $1,400 for such an item. If you grew up having nothing, your contempt for such an idiotic expenditure is just about absolute. And you wonder about a society in which a person who would spend money that way is expected to prudently handle the money of others.

All that the oldest Americans asked for, in their final years, is a sense of safety, of stability. Twice in the nation's history, they knew what it was like to go to sleep night after night with their stomachs knotted in fear. What we as a country owed them was nights, at the end, when they never again had to feel that dread in the darkness.

Now they are feeling it, and there is nothing that we -- their sons and daughters, their grandsons and granddaughters -- can do to convince them that their fear in the night is groundless. What they are being forced to go through now is -- in the most elemental sense of this word -- a shame. I hope they know how sorry we are.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.

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Welcome to a New America...

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night.

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Words Sometimes Seem Superfluous...

"I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure, that it will prevail, that the dream of our founders will live on in our time."
~ Barack Obama
At the Lincolm Memorial concert on National Mall in Washington, January 18, 2009, two days before his inauguration as US President.

What an amazing time we live in. The world is a very volatile place right now with wars spanning the globe and our economy -- as well as nearly every other country's -- teetering on the brink of collapse. But Barack Obama stands as a beacon of hope in the darkness. And as I watch the events of today unfold on CNN, I am saddened that I am not standing on the Mall with the approximate 1.2 to 3 million people enduring the freezing cold, but I am beyond thrilled to be witnessing this moment in history regardless of where my seat is.

While these times are uncertain and frightening, it seems as if the whole world love Barack Obama. Not only is he the new leader of the United States of America, but it seems as if he will be bringing the world towards the light.

God bless you President Obama. It's a great day for all Americans.

And all our fellow human beings.


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History is Written by the Victors

On Sunday afternoon, I had lunch with my friend Tom. We ended up at a little neighborhood coffeehouse, Murdoch Perk, where we discussed politics over the most decadent chocolate cheesecake I think I have ever consumed. And I've indulged in some cheesecake therapy in my day...

Part of the discussion was about the history of impeachment... but most of it was about how history looks back on former Presidents.

The impartial eye of history magnifies the accomplishments, and debacles, of former Presidential administrations, but it also takes the emotion out of the events.

Now, as some, most, or -- most likely -- all of you know, I am not George W.'s biggest fan. In fact, I have said on more than one occasion, I expect the person holding the highest seat of power in the land, nay the entire world, to be smarter than I am.

Which really isn't that great of a feat.

In fact, I am embarrassed that George W. Bush is not only our President, but that the American people elected him a second time.

But Tom argued that historians might look back with a more objective eye and see things differently. That if the war that I think is idiotic and completely unnecessary (and that Tom seems to concur on me about) takes a turn that will only underscore Bush's reasons for having a U.S. Military presence there, then the history books will be kind to him.

I protested vehemently, arguing that there is no way that Bush could pull out of the tailspin of his disastrous 8 years. But Tom returned with how FDR and Truman were vilified at the time, but look at them now...

Of which, I couldn't really dispute. Truman was practically vilified by the American public when he left office and now he is practically revered by historians... and Americans alike. What a difference a generation or two can make.

I was suddenly sweating if my animosity was misguided or, at the very least, a little too rabid. (<--Note, word use is a tip of the hat to Maggie. She'll understand.)

But then I saw this on CNN and it occurred to me that while things might yet turn out better for Bush than he will ever deserve, Katrina will forever remain a blight on his record. There is no amount of spin that can rectify turning his back on his own countryman.

None.

Now, there are those who can argue that it was Congress that didn't allocate funding to help out the devastated areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, but my God... If the leader of the free world is not at the forefront of helping the people who elected him, then what is wrong with this picture?

My same argument stands for 9/11. I may think that Mayor Giuliani was (and still is) nuttier than a fruitcake, but who was the one person that rallied a broken and terrified country to stand tall once again? Not the President of the United States of America, whose very country was attacked. It was the Mayor of New York, who had been battling tabloid stories and genuinely bizarre behavior. Rudy Giuliani was not made Time Magazine's Person of the Year because he was a good mayor to New York. But he was the best non-elected President of the United States we could ask for.

I could also argue that the first term of George W. was not one that he was elected to, but I'll spare you that diatribe for another post.

So Katrina... A horrific natural disaster that occurred in August 2005, of which the effects are still felt by the residents in the path of the hurricane. And not just irritations and annoyances are felt by those displaced for a period of time, then tucked back into their lives. We're talking about people who are still homeless. Why has George W. Bush not moved Heaven and Earth to help these people?

This was not a rhetorical question; I really don't have an answer. Maybe you know?

I hope that he has a few answers on Thursday night when he gives his farewell address. I have no real interest in hearing his convoluted phrasing of not only the events of his administration, but his infamous ability to butcher simple English grammar. But at an estimated ten to fifteen minutes in length, I think I can stomach the speech for that short duration of time.

Then, Super Tuesday! TRUE history in the making. And unless Obama totally falls out of step with his proposed changes, I think that his highlights will cast a serious shadow on the previous administration.

And, to be completely catty, it won't take too much work.

Maybe Tom and I should rendezvous in 20, 30 years and revisit the conversation. Because at this point, it's all conjecture.

And plus, I'm always up for any reason to have chocolate cheesecake.

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To-Do List...

Okay, so I'm a little late with my first posting of the new year, but after the gluttonous gorging I had over the holidays, I got a little sleepy.

The holidays are difficult for me at times, and being unemployed this year didn't help the matter any, so I'm going to skip over the highlights of the season. Instead, I'm going to look forward to a bigger and better 2009!

And with the new year comes new resolutions. But rather than call them resolutions, I'm going to make myself a "To Do" list. If I give myself goals to achieve, rather than tasks to accomplish, I might actually be able to cross some of the items off my list...

1) Bike 100 miles this year. I know people who can crank this out in a weekend, so why can't I get it done over the course of 12 months?

2) Walk Lance at least 5 days a week. It doesn't have to be far, but it has to be done.

3) To go hand-in-hand with the walking of Lance, I need to walk at least 10 miles a month. It might not seem like much, but it's better than nothing. Which is sort of what I'm doing now.

4) If I can't afford to replace my kitchen cabinets, I need to at least paint them. I have lived with them for 34 years, but I vow by my 35th birthday that they will no longer look like faux-woodgrain Formica covered cabinets. They will be a solid neutral, like white.

5) I will rearrange the bedroom for optimal flow (pardon the pun) to get to the bathroom. Right now, Lance's dog bed sits in front of the Master bathroom door.

6) I will spend more time with my friends actually DOING things, rather than spending money. Some of the activities might require spending money, but let there be something meaningful that comes out of it. I already have two friends who want me to teach them to knit, one who wants to teach me how to purl and a few others who just want to 'create' when we get together.

7) I will write more... and hone my drawing skills. I set aside drawing for numerous reasons, but sometimes when I try to convey an idea through words, all I can do is visualize it my head -- and not be able to adequately describe what I'm thinking. I realize now that what I see in my head, I need to put down on paper.

8) I will my ass up off the couch more and live my life, rather than hide behind my laptop during my free time. It's a bad habit that I got into and I need to find a good habit to slide into instead. I am open to suggestions.

I could have been cliche and put that I will get a job (which I will) and lose weight (which I hope), but I thought if I gave myself small projects and goals, then I'd accomplish more than if I looked at the big picture, which is kind of scary.

Happy New Year to you and yours. And happy New You!


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