So we’ve moved yet another year into the future, here’s hoping for flying cars and hoverboards (both of which I’d be too terrified to actually use). With the new year comes the inevitable promises to change which I will inevitably break, but this time, I’m going to put them here, for all to see. And I encourage everyone to come nag and bother me about actually doing these things, and then openly mock me if I fail. Without further ado, here are my five resolutions of the year:

5. Blog Twice per Week

My long time followers probably notice that I’m pretty bad at actually keeping to a schedule, and I thank you from the bottom of my easily distracted heart for being so patient. That said, I could probably keep you, my dear readers, a bit more interested if I actually updated this site a bit more often. I’m never going to get myself on a set schedule mind you, but I can and will remember to at least post twice a week. It occurs to me that many of my original readers, friends and family, have become less and less avid readers now as well. This is because since my writing critique of Mass Effect 3 went so well, I began to focus almost exclusively on writing conventions. Most of my friends and family, however, aren’t actually writers and have no interest in these topics. My writing breakdowns are also very lengthy and more difficult to write simply because of the complexity of the topics.

That said, I’m also not going to abandon the hundreds of followers that want to know more about writing and my opinions on different narrative works. So one post per week will be on writing and the other will be on whatever the hell I feel like talking about. For those who don’t want to read about my rantings about my life, I’ll be reorganizing the blog so that writing articles and random blog topics will have their own sub-pages and categories. The blog will still appear sequentially on the homepage, so for those of you who enjoy reading both, nothing will really change.

Also, don’t forget to request to cover different subjects or to review specific stories, it helps focus me. Half the effort of these articles goes into thinking about a subject to talk about!

4. Try to Learn Spanish

This one alone should give me plenty to blog about since learning a foreign language is supposed to be on the most difficult things to do. This is partially because of David Wong’s outstanding article and subsequent challenge to learn a new skill in 2013 and partly because there is such a big population of Spanish-speaking people in the United States now. In fact my mom not only has Spanish-speaking relatives but she herself speaks Spanish. Not fluently, but enough to have short conversations. Why then didn’t my mother speak Spanish to me as a child and have me absorb the basics of the language with the knowledge sponge of a brain that all children have?

That’s an excellent question, and one that mother still can’t answer! But I’m not bitter or anything. (Twitch)

3. Learn to Cook

This isn’t going to be anything fancy, like learning how to prepare one of those gourmet meals you see on the Food Network, just how to make ordinary things. Like eggs. Or spaghetti. Just standard fare stuff that I won’t actually starve when I move out on my own. Plus I’d have an easier time losing weight if I didn’t have to rely on eating prepackaged food and fast food all the time. My goal is to be able to cook chicken, beef and pork by the end of the year without giving myself food poisoning. It’ll be a risky business, and there will sure to be fires and many bouts of indigestion, but I think it’ll be worth the effort.

If I survive that is.

2. Leave the House for At Least an Hour Everyday

If I died tomorrow, I would have died having lived the last two years of my life almost exclusively inside my house. Other than the occasional outing, I’ve spent the majority of my time inside my house. No seriously, I sometimes go weeks, even months, without actually needing to leave the house. I’ve essentially put myself under house arrest for the crime of being a writer. Its just so easy to do everything from the comfort of my own home that there just isn’t a reason to go out and do things. I’m going to have to force myself to leave before the bed sores I’ve developed become infected! Most of this time I think will be spent exercising, and if not I’ll find something else to do with my time. Just so long as its outside.

1. Speak to One New Person in a Week

I talked my loneliness last month when I finally confronted just how isolated I’ve become, and this is my remedy, or rather one part of my remedy. I don’t want to end up being that scary person that talks to you at the bus stop at night when there’s no body around and you could swear you saw something metal in his hand and then suddenly…wait, what was I talking about?

Oh yeah, talking to people. What I’m saying is that I’m not going to talk to everyone like they’re my best friend, begging them to friend me on Facebook, but I want to strike up casual conversations with the people I normally don’t speak to beyond saying hello and “no receipt, thanks.” I’m not going to go out of my way to freak people out, any more than usual anyway, is what I’m saying. One new person a week will also ensure that eventually I’ll run out of cashiers at the local Bartell’s and have to actually put myself into new situations in order to fulfill my quota.

And that’s it. Coming next week there’ll be a review of the game Asura’s Wrath, as requested by commenter GraysonDrake! (Apologies for the delay GD, the holidays are an unpredictable time)