New Year's Resolutions 2025

Who's ready for New Year's Resolutions? 

Before we begin, we as always recap how I did with last year's resolutions:

Met: 1, 2 (finally!), 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13

Missed: 12

Pick 'em: 11 (does avocado count?), 14 (stir-fry isn't exactly "new", but its position was solidified this year).

Wow -- if I didn't know better, I'd almost think 2024 was a good year! Now, what to strive for in 2025?

* * *

1) Bring a healthy baby boy into the world.

2) Get said baby boy his polio vaccine, and all other recommended* vaccinations (*RFK Jr. not a valid source for recommendations).

3) Submit my book manuscript.

4) Travel abroad.

5) Take baby to some sort of event at our synagogue.

6) Have accepted for publication at least one academic article (book does not count).

7) Publish at least one non-academic (popular) article.

8) Win a lot at a "real" art auction (i.e., not eBay or Goodwill).

9) Frame all or most of my art collection.

10) Take and share an appropriate amount of pictures and videos of baby's growth and various milestones.

11) Learn to swaddle the baby, preferably before he grows too big to swaddle.

12) By the end of the year, sleep adequately (I accept the first half of the year will be a lost cause).

13) Be financially secure after adjusting for new child-related expenses.

14) See friends who don't live in Portland.

15) Survive one year of fascist leadership.

New Year's Resolutions 2024

It's The Debate Link's longest tradition: New Year's Resolutions! The whole series is here, but we begin as always with last year's resolutions.

Met: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 (and how!), 7, 9, 12 (it's BlueSky though), 13

Missed: 4 (but we might be getting close?), 8, 10, 11

Pick 'em: 14 (it was "fixed", but not really, and then I just got a new one).

* * *

1) Get promoted to Associate Professor.

2) Get a book contract (they can't run forever!).

3) Successfully negotiate terms of leave and/or course release for the 2024-25 academic year.

4) Reach 1200 rating in blitz chess.

5) Attend a non-law academic conference.

6) Complete a Lego set.

7) Visit Las Vegas.

8) Attend a Winterhawks game.

9) Get feedback on my TV script.

10) Continue using my recumbent bike regularly.

11) Incorporate two semi-new vegetables into my diet.

12) Resolve my evening post-nasal drip to my satisfaction.

13) Reach 1000 followers on BlueSky.

14) Create with Jill one new meat-based entree successful enough to enter our dinner rotation.

New Year's Resolutions: 2023

It's that most wonderful time of the year: Debate Link New Year's Resolutions! Last year's resolutions are here, and here is the entire series. As always, we begin by reviewing last year's performance.

Met: 1, 4, 5, 6 (damn straight: 1522 -- over 300 points higher than my peak last year!), 8, 9, 12, 13, 14 (this reminded me to do that: I just donated to the Oregon Jewish Museum!).

Missed: 2 (it's been "under review" for almost a year and a half!), 3, 7, 11, 15.

Pick'em: 10 (does Salem count as a "sight"?).

Great job, 2022! Now onto 2023!

***

1) Host a successful conference on law and antisemitism. (Met)

2) Fully recover my vision post-surgery. (Met)

3) Go through the year with no other surgeries. (Met)

4) Get a book contract (it's been "under review" for almost a year and a half!). (Missed -- but we might be getting close?)

5) Improve my teaching. (Met)

6) Do more physical activity. (Met -- and how!)

7) Visit my friend Joel in Eugene (or have him visit me). (Met)

8) Attend my 15 year Carleton reunion. (Missed)

9) Go to a sporting event with friends. (Met)

10) Attend a boxing match. (Missed)

11) Find a reliable bagel place. (Missed)

12) Make Mastodon (or something not-Twitter) my primary social media platform. (Met -- it's BlueSky though)

13) Seriously consider one significant home improvement project or modification (including converting any room into a different purpose). (Met)

14) Get my laptop fixed. (Pick 'em -- it was "fixed", but not really, and then I just got a new one)

New Year's Resolutions: 2022

Everyone's favorite Debate Link tradition, coming to you live from Christmas Day! Here are the 2021 resolutions, and the whole series can be found here. As always, we begin by seeing how last year's resolutions went:

Met: 1 (knock on wood), 2,  3, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15

Missed: 4, 7, 9, 14, 16

Pick 'em: 8 (no RingFit, but I have been semi-regularly doing sit-ups).

Onwards to 2022!

***

1) Get any recommended COVID boosters that are released in 2022. (Met)

2) Get a book contract. (Missed -- it's been "under review" for a year and a half!)

3) Submit a sample chapter for the antisemitism textbook. (Missed)

4) Buy a house(!!). (Met!!!)

5) Make a new friend in Portland (if at first you don't succeed...). (Met)

6) Reach a new rating high on Chess.com (current peak rating: 1214). (Met, and how -- a new peak of 1522, over 300 points higher than last year's peak)

7) Go for walks on a semi-regular basis. (Missed)

8) Buy a new video game (not a repurchase of an old game). (Met)

9) Go to a sporting event. (Met)

10) See a sight in Oregon that's not in Portland(Pick 'em -- does Salem count as a "sight"?). 

11) Publish another column in The Oregonian. (Missed)

12) Successfully manage an RA. (Met)

13) Visit at least one of the following places: DC, Las Vegas, Bay Area, or Seattle. (Met)

14) Donate to at least one new charity. (Met -- I was actually reminded by this post to donate to the Oregon Jewish Museum!)

15) Go to a local comedy club at least once. (Missed)

New Year's Resolutions: 2021

 It's New Years Resolution time! Everyone's favorite annual Debate Link tradition!

The series is collected here, the 2020 resolutions are here. As you might expect, last year was not the greatest year for nailing one's resolutions.

Met: 1, 3 (in the nick of time!), 9, 10 (in February!), 14, 15, 16 (and for the happiest of reasons!)

Missed: 2, 4 (got distracted and then our Switch became 100% Animal Crossing), 5 (2020...), 6 (2020...), 8 (can't blame 2020 for this one), 11, 12 (2020!!!), 13 (seriously, 2020 can burn in a fire),

Pick 'em: 7 (I'm being generous)

What will 2021 bring? Will it be better than 2020? It has to be, right?

* * *

1) Survive. Kind of dark, but if ever there was a time that this is a resolution worth making.... (Met)

2) Get vaccinated. Arguably an auxiliary to #1. (Met)

3) Successfully move to Portland. (Met)

4) Make a new friend in Portland. (Missed)

5) See my brother in person before we leave Chicago. (Met)

6) Finish a draft of a law review article. (Met)

7) Find a restaurant in Portland that can credibly (if perhaps only temporarily) hold down the label of "our favorite spot". (Missed)

8) Use the RingFit Adventure (or do other forms of exercise, but let's be realistic) semi-regularly. (Pick'em -- I haven't kept up with RingFit, but I have semi-regularly been doing sit-ups)

9) Get a crossword puzzle accepted for publication. (Missed)

10) Unlock all the characters in Spelunky 2. (Met)

11) Begin the processes of revising the dissertation into a book. (Met)

12) Confirm you actually have a doctorate. (Met)

13) Be scheduled to give a talk at a conference or workshop (not including Loyola). (Met)

14) Establish contact with someone connected to the Biden administration. (Missed)

15) Have an inkling of where you might want to live permanently in Portland (Met)

16) Attend a professional sports game in Portland (minor leagues count). (Missed)

New Year's Resolutions: 2020 Edition

Or is it New Decade's Resolutions? It'd take the pressure off to have ten years instead of a measly one.

The 2019 resolutions are here, and the series is collected here. But we start with how we performed last year:

Met: 2, 6 (absolutely!), 7, 9 (just a few weeks ago!), 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.

Missed: 1 (it's crawling along), 5, 8, 10.

Pick 'em: 3, 4.

Forward unto the dawn of 2020!

* * *

1) Submit one political theory article to a journal. (Met)

2) Complete a draft of a new law review article. (Missed)

3) Have a complete draft of something that could pass as a dissertation. (Met -- in the nick of time!)

4) Become, to my own satisfaction, passably good at Super Mario Maker 2. (Missed--got distracted and then our Switch became 100% Animal Crossing)

5) Travel to one new city I have never been to before. (Missed -- 2020....)

6) Present at a conference (any field). (Missed -- again, 2020....)

7) Regularly do the exercises recommended by my physical therapist. (Pick 'em, to be very generous)

8) Write at least four articles published in the popular press. (Missed, through no fault of 2020)

9) Seek out candid career advice from people, even when it hurts your pride to ask. (Met)

10) Attend a professional sporting event. (Met, back in February)

11) Make substantial headway at organizing a conference. (Missed)

12) See old friends at a time other than the annual new year's get-together. (Missed--2020!!!)

13) Attend a Jewish event that is not a religious service (Seder not included). (Missed--seriously 2020 can burn in a fire)

14) Donate to a political candidate who is not running for President. (Met)

15) Write an unsolicited note to an academic figure whose work I like just to say I like their work. (Met)

16) Unlock my Twitter account. (Met, and for the happiest of reasons!)

New Year's Resolutions: 2019 Edition

It's that most wonderful time of the year -- New Year's Resolutions! The 2018 edition is here, and the entire series of prior years are collected here.

As always, we begin by seeing how we did last year.

Met: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 (steak farm reopened!), 12, 14, 15 (and how!).

Missed: 6 (but I should be doing something early 2019), 13 (I think?)

Pick 'em: 4 (definitely an improvement on last year, though!)

Damn, I sure am resolved -- and/or, am good at picking resolutions I feel confident I can meet!

Onward to 2019!

* * *

1) Have completed drafts of at least three dissertation chapters. (Missed -- unless you have a very generous definition of "completed")

2) Complete a draft of a political theory article (it's okay if it draws from a dissertation chapter, but it has to stand alone as an article). (Met!)

3) Attend a hockey game. (Pick 'em -- I might have attended a Sharks game, but I can't remember)

4) Have a permanent plan of attack regarding at least one of the following bodily ailments: knee pain, sore calves/shins when walking up hills, cholesterol deposits around the eyes, and/or cross-link surgery for keratoconus. (Pick 'em -- the cross-link surgery got hung up thanks to insurance-related incompetence, and I've stopped worrying about the eyes, but I'm in regular physical therapy for knees/shins/calves)

5) Do one Vegas trip with friends. (Missed)

6) Have one fantastic honeymoon in Hawaii. (Absolutely met!)

7) Read a political theory book (broadly defined) by an author whom you've never read before. (Met!)

8) Read a new political theory book (broadly defined) by an author whom you have read work from before. (Missed)

9) Publish an article in a non-Jewish "popular publication" or appear on a television segment. (Met -- The Atlantic)

10) Organize one visiting speaker somewhere at UC-Berkeley
(Missed).

11) Get over 2,500 Twitter followers (current count as of December 24, 2018: 2,298) (Met -- a year later I'm at 3,127, and that's with my account private!).

12) Add a new home-cooked meal to our regular rotation. (Met -- chicken and orzo!)

13) Find a new binge-able TV show (Met -- Lucifer!).

14) Host a Passover Seder (Met -- and it's the social event of the Berkeley season, if I say so myself!).

15) Put up the Mezuzah (Met!).

New Year's Resolutions: 2018

It's time for New Year's Resolutions -- the only time of year half of you ever read this blog.

2017 edition is here. As a bonus, I've gone back to prior years' posts and added whether I met or missed (or "pick 'em'd") each resolution! This is a feature long requested -- work your way back and relive the memories (this is a work-in-progress).

• Met: 1, 2 (borderline, but let's be glass-half-full), 3, 4 (just came out!), 5, 6 (JTA and Forward), 8, 9(!), 10, 11, 12, 14
• Missed: 13 (kidney stone is gone, but we've got no clear idea of why it formed in the first place), 15
• Pick 'em: 7 (I've been a decently consistent gadfly in the ear of my local ADL representative)

Solid performance! Now for this year:

(1) Get married to Jill. I'm feeling optimistic about this one. (Met!)

(2) Complete my prospectus. (Met!)

(3) Publish or have accepted for publication an academic article. (Met! And it's already getting citations!)

(4) Exercise a non-trivial amount. (Pick 'em -- but I'm proud of myself for even that much)

(5) Attend a conference I have never attended before. (Met -- WPSA!)

(6) Present a paper before the Berkeley Law faculty. (Missed -- but I'm scheduled to do something early 2019)

(7) Meet with all of my advisers at least once (prospectus defense excluded). (Met. I'm 99% confident this is true, at least over the course of the whole year)

(8) Buy new pants. (Met! And they're super comfy)

(9) Buy new shoes. (Met! And they're super stylish)

(10) Have a successful Bachelor Party. (Met! It featured Peking Duck and an Escape Room -- which we escaped from!)

(11) Find a new steak guy (RIP, former steak guy's cattle ranch). (Met! The old steak ranch reopened!)

(12) Finish a draft of "Doctrinal Sunsets" (title subject to change). (Met! It was a brutal slog too, but the draft got done a few weeks ago)

(13) Contact an elected official about something. (Missed? I think? I might have written an email once)

(14) Contribute to a new cause or charity. (Met! I donated to HIAS after the Pittsburgh massacre. And many of my friends joined me)

(15) Convert at least one undergraduate student to Political Theory as a discipline. (Met, and she's jumped in with both feet. It made me super proud!)

New Year's Resolutions: 2017

It's New Year's Resolutions time, the longest-running feature of this by now truly ancient relic of the internet (twelve years is positively decrepit for a blog). Of course, first we assess our performance on last year's resolutions:

Met: 1 (95% positive, though I actually can't remember), 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10 (I really think I've improved here), 11 (ditto), 13, 14, 15 (this is going back on the list, though)

Missed: 8, 12 (a few, but not enough)

Pick 'em: 6 (What's "major"? What's "political thought"?), 7 (What's "regularly"?),

Actually, a pretty successful year on a personal level. Almost enough to make up for the impending collapse of human civilization. Almost. Anyway, onwards to 2017!

(1) Survive. Seems like a good opener. (Met)

(2) Thrive. Always good to have a stretch goal. (Borderline, but we'll say Met)

(3) Get over 1,000 followers on Twitter. (Met)

(4) Have an article accepted in a peer-reviewed journal. (Met -- see here)

(5) Publish at least one article each in Tablet and Ha'aretz. (Met)

(6) Publish in a new popular (non-academic venue) -- aka, expand beyond Tablet or Ha'aretz. (Met -- JTA and Forward)

(7) Continue to coordinate with significant Jewish communal groups. (Pick 'em -- depends on how you count "regularly prodding ADL reps to tackle the Jewish hard-right")

(8) Do a Vegas trip with friends. (Met)

(9) Add a non-trivial amount of vegetables to my diet. (Met(!))

(10) Finish my Ph.D. subfield exams and coursework. (Met)

(11) Read an important work in the history of political thought that was not assigned in a formal or informal class. (Met)

(12) Visit a part of America or the world I have not yet been to before. (Met)

(13) Get a clearer idea of what's causing/how to prevent my kidney stones. (Missed -- but the kidney stone is gone!)

(14) Go to the dentist. (Met)

(15) Regularly do some form of stretching, yoga, or physical therapy designed to address my ludicrously tight muscles. (Missed)

Could 2017 be worse than 2016? Probably! But here's to doing our level best!

New Year's Resolutions: 2016

It's time for everybody's favorite annual Debate Link feature: New Year's Resolutions! We begin, as we always do, by assessing our performance over the previous year.

Met: 1 (two articles? Try four articles!), 2,  4 (retitled), 7, 8, 9 (by the barest of technicalities), 12, 13, 14.

Missed: 5 (peaked at 11).

Pick 'em: 3, 6, 10, 11 (neither Jill nor I can remember if I bought any new pants).

That's a strong year! Can 2016 top it? That probably depends on how carefully I phrase the resolutions below:

(1) Win a bet on a boxing match (Met -- 95% sure, anyway).

(2) Successfully teach a course in Energy Law (Met).

(3) Take, or be scheduled to take, at least one subfield examination (Met, and solidly so).

(4) Have a dissertation committee (or have a clear idea of who will be on said committee) (Met).

(5) Submit an article to a peer-reviewed journal (Met).

(6) Read a considerable work on Mizrahi Jewish political thought (Pick 'em -- What is "major"? "What is "political thought"?).

(7) Regularly attend law school events and workshops (Pick 'em -- What is "regularly"?).

(8) Have Dismissal accepted for publication (Missed -- took me until 2019!).

(9) Attend a Sharks game with Bay Area friends (Met).

(10) Work on not assuming that, if I am unfamiliar with a person's or group's argument, they must not have one (Met -- subjective, but I really think I improved here).

(11) Work on listening to and considering arguments that I'd normally not listen to or consider (Met -- see #10).

(12) Hang or otherwise display my sports memorabilia (Missed -- a few, but not enough).

(13) Beat Witcher 3 (Met).

(14) Attend a party (Met).

(15) Do some form of stretching, yoga, or physical therapy designed to address my ludicrously tight muscles (Met -- but this will be a continuing priority).

Seems like a good set to me. Happy New Year to all, and here's to 2016!

New Year's Resolutions: 2015

Bender: Isn't it time you gave up all hope of ever improving yourself in any way?

Fry: I know I should but I just can't.

Another year, another iteration of my New Year's Resolutions. As always, we first review how I did over the previous year:

Met: 1, 4, 5, 7, 8 (I was having trouble confirming if I read all of any of the academic books I perused this year, but then I remembered the pulp Star Wars fiction I read on the plane ride to Berkeley. Count it!), 10, 11, 12, 13

Missed: 6 (that's on you guys), 9.

Pick 'em: 2, 3, 14 (I'm looking forward to it right up until about August, where things get very hazy).

Again, not bad! Better than I'd have expected, frankly. I think I do a good job picking resolutions I'm likely to meet. With respect to #3, I don't know if I'm being too harsh or too charitable vis-a-vis my knowledge of Indian law and energy law.

But ever forward we go! What are the goals for next year?

(1) Publish, or have accepted for publication, two articles (I'm feeling ambitious). (Met -- try four articles!)

(2) Have a solid plan for remaining in academia for the foreseeable future. (Met)

(3) Keep in touch with academic persons (not counting my advisors or former colleagues). (Pick 'em)

(4) Finish a complete draft of Dismissing Discrimination. (Met -- different title)

(5) Get a "ShoStreak" of at least 15. (Missed -- peaked at 11)

(6) Make a "move towards the basket" in terms of starting a book project. (Pick 'em)

(7) Eat at a steakhouse in the Bay Area. (Met)

(8) Successfully integrate the updates to my Constitutional Law course. (Met)

(9) Attend (or be scheduled to attend) an academic conference. (Met -- by the barest of technicalities)

(10) Take steps towards building a community of scholars interested in anti-Semitism issues. (Pick 'em)

(11) Get more pants that fit. (Pick 'em)

(12) Find a new (as in not-watched-by-us, not necessarily currently airing) television show to watch. (Met)

(13) Have positive interactions with a supermajority of the Public Law workshop attendees. (Met)

(14) Have a (medical) check-up. (Met)

Well, I think that's a good set. Wish me luck, and a happy new year to all!

New Year's Resolutions: 2014

I nearly forgot one of this blog's most venerated traditions: New Year's resolutions! Unforgivable (except that I did, in fact, remember). Previous installments here, and, like we do every year, we start with last year's resolutions:

Met: 1, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 13 (amazingly enough! I didn't find the books until I moved to DC), 14 (I honestly feel like this is true).

Missed: 2, 7, 8 (I think -- I don't actually remember), 9.

Pick 'em: 5, 6.

Not bad, all told. I think we can consider the resolution-side of last year a success, if nothing else. But time marches on, and so to we move to this year's resolutions!

1) Publish an article, or have one accepted for publication (other than Academic Freedom versus Academic Legitimacy). (Met)

2) Keep the frequency of anxiety attacks to "sporadic". (Pick 'em)

3) Feel decently competent in an additional area of law beyond my current speciality. (Pick 'em)

4) Attend a Devils game (cheating -- Jill already got me tickets for my birthday). (Met)

5) Spend money while still being financially responsible. (Met)

6) Get the blog's average hits back over 100/day. (Missed)

7) Stay in contact with my law advisers. (Met)

8) Finish a book. (Met -- pulp Star Wars fiction counts!)

9) Finish my secret project for Judge Murphy. (Missed)

10) Find a new computer and/or console game I like. (Met)

11) Attend the Carleton Reunion (again)! (Met)

12) Stay in contact with the academic community. (Met)

13) Work frequently with people whom I like working with frequently. (Met)

14) Be in a position where I am looking forward to next year. (Pick 'em -- looking forward to it right up until about August, where things get very hazy).

New Year's Resolutins: 2013

Just because essentially nobody can read it is no excuse for dispensing with tradition. It's my new year's resolutions for 2013! Previous installments can be found here. And as always, we start with evaluating my performance vis-a-vis last year's list:

Met: 1 (several times over!), 2, 3, 4 (not yet, anyway, as far as I know), 5, 6, 7, 9 (just this past weekend!), 10, 11, 14.

Missed: 8, 15.

"Well, technically I met this....": 12, 13.

Unfortunately, despite a frankly superb showing by the numbers, number 8 looms quite large and casts a big shadow over the rest of the list. So I come into the new year more demoralized than I can remember in some time. But it's the sort of thing I'll have to just push through. It will come.

Anyway, to the new year's resolutions:

1) Find employment post-clerkship. (Met)

2) Be at peace with the employment I have post-clerkship. (Missed)

3) Move the big screen TV into the living room. (Met)

4) Make significant progress on another article. (Met)

5) Keep the blog's blood pumping long enough so it can return in full force when the clerkship ends. (Pick 'em)

6) Feel decently competent in an additional area of law beyond my current specialty. (Pick 'em)

7) Watch either The Two Towers or Return of the King with Jill. (Missed)

8) Have people over to watch a boxing event. (Missed -- I think, but don't actually remember)

9) Present Our Divine Constitution somewhere. (Missed)

10) Try the cooperative multiplayer in Portal 2. (Met)

11) Attend the Carleton Reunion! (Met)

12) Crack the 200 follower mark on Twitter. (Met)

13) Find my copies of War and XPs and No Cure for the Paladin Blues. (Met -- amazingly enough, since I didn't find them until I moved to DC)

14) Don't be jealous of other people's successes, even when things aren't falling into place for me. (Met -- I can honestly say this)

New Year's Resolutions 2012

It's a Debate Link tradition: New Year's Resolutions! Here are my previous resolutions for 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007. But first, we appraise my performance on last year's resolutions:

Met: 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15.

Missed: 2 (through no lack of effort, unfortunately), 3, 10, 11, 14.

Pick 'em: 1, 4, 5.

And now, to 2012!

(1) Get at least one scholarly article published. (Met -- several times over!)

(2) Recover my copy of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. (Met)

(3) Successfully move to Minneapolis. (Met)

(4) Don't embarrass myself as a law clerk. (Met -- not yet anyway, as far as I know)

(5) Create more crossword puzzles. (Met)

(6) Go to a University of Illinois sporting event. (Met)

(7) (Continue to?) succeed as a teacher. (Met)

(8) Solidify post-clerkship plans. (Missed)

(9) Visit Carleton. (Met)

(10) Find a new television show to watch. (Met)

(11) Be more Jewish with Jill, wherever we are. (Met)

(12) Use my punching bag (or otherwise exercise) more. (Well, technically I met this...)

(13) Try to get some writing done while clerking (aside from that which is professionally required, of course). (Well, technically I met this too...)

(14) Read more books. (Met)

(15) Take this blog's upcoming involuntary sabbatical with grace and poise. (Missed)

That last one, of course, needs some explanation (unless I already made this announcement, in which case, sorry, I forgot). Once I start my clerkship, the canons of judicial ethics will severely circumscribe my ability to comment publicly on legal or political issues -- i.e., do much of what this blog does. Hence, I will in effect have to take a sabbatical from blogging.

This won't happen until right before I start in Minnesota (and I'll announce it in a proper goodbye post). And I still haven't quite decided on the logistics -- I might simply refrain from posting (or perhaps only on completely safe topics like boxing), or I might make the site "private" (password-protected). But regardless, this is quite bittersweet. The blog will celebrate its 8th birthday in June, which, when you think about it, is a very impressive run. It's been a very important part of my life for (wow) almost a third of my life, and it will be no small thing to not be able to write anymore. It really feels like I'm losing something very special.

You'll note that I'm calling this a "sabbatical", and I hope that makes clear my intention to return. Which is my intention, though of course a year long break can change many things. In any event, we still have quite a few months of posting before then. So no sense dwelling on it. In the meantime, happy holidays and happy new year!

New Year's Resolutions 2011!

It's that time of year: New Year's Resolutions! Here are the lists from 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007. And of course, we begin by evaluating my performance of the previous year's goals.

Met: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 (but I overcooked it), 7, 9, 10 (barely), 11, 12.

Missed: 13, 15 (but it wasn't a very good game anyway).

Pick 'em: 5 (I supposed I should never be satisfied with my performance on this one), 8, 14.

Again, I'd say a decent performance! But onward we go, to next year's ambitions:

(1) Succeed as a teacher (Pick 'em)

(2) Get Sticky Slopes published (Missed -- through no lack of effort, unfortunately)

(3) Solidify post-clerkship plans (Missed)

(4) Explore new facets of my love of Jill, and expand the horizons of our relationship (Pick 'em)

(5) Be more appreciative of the things Jill and I already share and adore about each other (Pick 'em)

(6) Enjoy my first foray into being a real adult with a real (well, "real") job (Met)

(7) Make friends in Champaign-Urbana (Met)

(8) Keep track of law school friends, and keep in contact with law school profs, after graduation (Met)

(9) Write at least a full draft of a new law review article (Met)

(10) Link up with the Jewish community in Champaign-Urbana (Missed)

(11) Tolerate awkwardness better (Missed)

(12) Finish law school strong (Met)

(13) Keep the blog posts flowing (but don't let it interfere with #9) (Met)

(14) Visit Carleton (Missed)

(15) Holistically speaking, look back in 2011 and feel content. (Met)

New Year's Resolutions, 2010 Edition

As is custom, we first reflect on how I did last year:

Met: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15

Failed: 4 (but that was the right call), 8, 9

Pick 'em: 7, 11

Not bad, I say!

Now, to this year's list:

1) Make law review board (Met);

2) Publish my comment (Met);

3) Continue to progress with "Sticky Slopes" (Met);

4) Land a clerkship (Met);

5) Work harder at treating Jill like the beautiful, delightful, love of my life that she is (Pick 'em -- I should never be fully satisfied on a resolution like this);

6) Get Gaston and Emily in a room together (Met -- but I overcooked it);

7) Don't blow my gainful summer employment (Met);

8) See a big chunk of my old high school and/or college friends (another wedding would help this) (Missed);

9) Take whatever steps possible this summer to see if I like and/or will be good at appellate litigation (Met);

10) Make sure the blog doesn't sputter out this summer (hopefully this doesn't conflict with #9) (Met -- barely);

11) Keep in touch with my Carleton professor-mentors (Met);

12) Solidify the Law & Society panel and, following that, rock it (Met);

13) Don't lose my green jacket (Missed);

14) Find some new albums to listen to (Pick 'em);

15) Beat Final Fantasy XIII (assuming it ever comes out) (Missed -- but it wasn't a very good game anyway).

That's One Down

New Year's resolution #15 ... accomplished. Holla atcha boy.

New Year's Resolutions: Take 2009

First, let's see how I did last year:

Met: 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11

Failed: 2 (but I have one that's nearly ready to go), 7, 8, 10

Pick 'em: 6

And now for next year's resolutions!

1) Put last year's "6" definitively in the "met" category (Met)

2) Make law review (Met)

3) Succeed academically in law school (Met)

4) Apply to graduate school (Missed -- but that was the right call)

5) Be more attentive to Jill (Met)

6) See Jill more often (Met)

7) Make peace with Hyde Park (Pick 'em)

8) Get the hell out of Hyde Park (Missed)

9) Learn to cook something new (Missed)

10) Write a publication-worthy paper (Met)

11) Have at least one major success with the blog (Pick 'em)

12) Find gainful summer employment (Met)

13) Don't ever again accidently start loudly singing in the middle of the law library because you have your headphones on (to add to the humiliation, it was Jay-Z and Beyonce's "Crazy in Love") (Met)

14) Score more converts to Firefly (Met)

15) Get at least one comment mentioned in the Comics Curmudgeon's "Comment of the Week" post (as either winner or runner-up) (Met).

Be safe, have fun, and hope everybody has a happy New Year!

New Year's Resolutions: A Recap

I just looked over my New Year's resolutions for last year. Amazingly, I actually did rather well. Of the 21 I listed, here's the break-down:

Met: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19

Failed: 13, 17, 20

Pick 'em: 4, 5, 8, 21

And, incredibly, though I haven't achieved #14 yet, I will before the year is out -- I have tickets to the Wild/Sharks game on New Year's eve.

***

Resolutions for the coming year:

1) Don't go crazy waiting for admissions decisions (I'm close to failing this one already) (Met)

2) Submit another article for publication in an academic journal (Missed)

3) Get into law school (Met)

4) Get into grad school (Met)

5) Make new friends after graduation (Met)

6) Don't lose track of old friends after graduation (Pick 'em)

7) See a boxing match, live (Missed)

8) Write something for a boxing website (Missed)

9) Keep up blogging as I move to a new school (Met)

10) Watch more hockey (Missed)

11) Finish more non-fiction (Met)

New Year's Resolutions

My resolutions for the new year (blog and non-blog related).

1) Write something that isn't published on a blog (Met).

2) Win something. Winnng must include some form of reward. Dorm poker night doesn't count (Met).

3) Take someone to the Midwinter Ball (Met).

4) Feel good about being a gangsta (Pick 'em).

5) Hate 20% less playa, 20% more game (Pick 'em).

6) Network (Met).

7) Actually do something with that BBC guy that I keep playing email tag with (hi guy!) (Met).

8) Develop as a person (Pick 'em).

9) Develop as a Halo player (Met).

10) Get a link for a top 10 blog that is not Powerline (knowing the daughters of one of the authors is an unfair advantage) (Met).

11) Ace the LSATs (Met).

12) Ace the GREs (Met).

13) Finish at least 50% of the books I start (Missed).

14) Go to a Wild game (Met -- before the end of the year but, amazingly, after I published next year's list).

15) Beat a video/computer game (Met).

16) Raise my GPA (Met).

17) Figure out a valid pronunciation for "TOETBD" (I may just say "tote") (Missed -- historical note: this stands for "Term of Endearment To Be Determined").

18) Read new blogs (Met).

19) Don't fail out of the Winter term (Met).

20) Make the new women's hockey goalie an all-star (Missed).

21) Rock the casbah (Pick 'em).

Happy new year everyone!