And Now for Obligatory...

...New Years resolutions. I guess it's the last thing I can do before embarking on the New Year. People think it's a silly waste of time, and most of the time, it seems like they're right. But like my friend Kierra mentioned, if you actually give it some serious thought, have a concrete plan with specific steps and a time for when you're going to do them, your chances of actually achieving them increases. Plus I'm a sentimental fellow, so I also enjoy the notion of New Years Resolutions on an aesthetic level. It seems right to make goals at the beginning of a new year. To most of us it's more than just a unit of measurement; it's a symbol for change. Otherwise people would call it Following Year, not New Year. That being said, here are my resolutions:

-I'm going to observe Lent. Usually I just give something up, something minor like drinking or movies or whatever. This year I'd like to make a sacrifice of my time and energy, something infinitely more valuable than some small possession. I'd like to
observe this time a little more traditionally, as in going to Church, prayer and contemplation etc. I would like to try fasting on specific dates, but we'll see how that goes. The life of a student, specifically a student actor whose time is almost completely devoured by a mainstage, can't always afford the luxury of voluntary poverty and self-denial (in some ways, the job's already been done for me!) I am doing this for a couple reasons. First of all, I'd like to see if I actually can do it, after being estranged from religion for so long, to see if practicing Christianity still has any relevance in my own life. In light of the ideas I've been going over from Karen Armstrong's book, I've been inspired to seek some spiritual guidance if I ever hope to cultivate this aspect in my life, because I think without it I would not have the ability or experience to do it on my own. When people are initiated into Buddhism, they are required to take refuge in the Buddha, the Teachings of the Buddha, and the Sangha, which is the spiritual Community. In the Gospels Jesus Christ said that when "two or more are gathered in my name, I am there". Community is emphasized in all religions from east to west, so it seems like it would be counterproductive to make this effort alone. We are social animals after all. Part of a religious effort requires one to reach out, seek out and find oneself in the Other. Although there is a place for solitude, if a religion can't help you function properly among other people, it's not a very good one. and if nothing else, this is to see if I can sustain a routine like this for at least forty days and forty nights. There's a time limit to it, so if it doesn't work out, it'll be over and I won't be obliged to continue with it. I'm doing this as an experiment, essentially. The last time I went to church several years ago, it did absolutely nothing for me. But that could be for a number of reasons. What's to say it'll be that way now, after everything I've learned in that time?

-In the summer time, I am going to devote more time to my visual art, and writing. The winter at school is for the theatre and I don't want to take any focus away from it, so I've reserved Summer for painting and drawing, something which I've neglected for way too long, much to my own detriment. I feel like drawing feeds my imagination and complements my storytelling in ways that I could not do without it. So there it is.

-I will learn at least one new recipe from my More-With-Less cookbook. I think this is doable.

-I will use my bike. Now that I have a light and gloves for the cold I'm better equipped. Now if only I could find my helmet...

-as I said a few posts ago, if I'm not doing anything in the Fringe Festival, I'm going to try my hand at the 3-Day Novel Writing contest. You heard me. Anybody want to join me?


I'm telling you this, readers, not to show off so people will be all "ooo look at everything Liam's going to accomplish this year", (especially if I don't accomplish these things, and then won't I be a supreme ass?) I'm telling you this because you have a part to play as well. If I didn't say anything to my friends, I would probably be less motivated to do it. I haven't hammered out all the details for these goals yet, but I need people around me to support me so I don't give up, and actually follow through. If anybody has any resolutions they need support with let me know and I'll gladly do the same. I guess they're not so much new Years resolutions as they are things I've wanted to do for myself and this seems like the right time in my life to do them, and they just happen to coincide with the oncoming year. They're more like New Years projects than resolutions. The term New Years Resolution does smack of triviality nowadays, doesn't it? Well, there's no reason why it can't be reclaimed. After all, 2010 is the Year of Extraordinary Thinking: so what better time to start than now?

Have a good night, everybody!