SOY UN PERDEDOR... I'M A LOSER

In the immortal words of Beck, "Soy un perdedor... I'm a loser, baby, so why dontcha kill me". Ok, so that's my mantra for 2008. And it's not quite as morbid as it sounds at first blush. Precisely translated, "soy un perdedor" means "I am the one who loses". Sounds much nicer than "I'm a loser", don't you think?

But that's exactly what I hope to be this year. A major loser.

I don't want to lose any members of my family, course. I don't want to lose my job. I don't want to lose what little "smarts" I may have left. I don't even want to lose my keys. What I do want to lose, however, are pounds. And debt. Yep, the two big uglies that most of us are saddled with.

By now, you've probably realized I'm speaking of the ubiquitous New Year's resolution. Right-On. And in the spirit of making said resolutions stick, I've decided to go public with mine, right here in black and white... and by going public, I mean sharing them with the three people that actually read my blogs. I like the idea of accountability. But can we call it "support" instead? "Accountability" sounds like my VP will place a written reprimand in my personnel file if I deviate from the task, whereas "support" is much more cozy... like a well-timed rah-rah from an old friend. You know, just like the spanish "soy un perdedor" sounds prettier than "I'm a loser". Accountability / Support... ToMAYto / ToMAHto. Feel free to throw either at me, if you sense that I need it... Uh, accountability or support, that is. Not tomatoes.

So that was the wind-up... now here's the pitch: I resolve to lose 40 lbs and get out of debt in 2008. The way I figure it, I'm shooting to trim about 7 lbs and $1,000 a month. Those are pretty steep goals for me, I'll admit. I'm sure I'll hit it some months and miss others. But if I can basically adhere to this, within several months I'll be in much better shape-- both physically and fiscally. I'm viewing these two resolutions as "gateway goals"... a kind of starting point on a continuum to a better place before year's end. Now, I'm not quite sure what Resolutions 2.0 will be... but I'll have plenty of time to figure it out while I'm NOT eating ice cream. Seriously, I can probably reclaim three hours a week, just from DQ-abstinence alone! That's a lot of time for ruminating over where I hope to be at this time next year.

We're almost through January now, and I'm down 13 lbs and $1,200 so far. It's a pretty good start; we'll attribute it to my certitude and enthusiasm for new beginnings. Boy, am I a fantastic starter! It's the lack of staying power that always steals my thunder. But I'm grateful to have that little cushion, right out of the gate; it'll come in handy some month in the future when I want to take a vacation. Ever notice how travel wreaks havoc on both your waistline and your budget? I should probably strike vacation altogether for the time being... but frankly that's all I have to cling to, now that the carbs and shopping have skipped town!

I feel good... Determined. 2008 is off to a rollicking good start in Bethel Heights, USA. I hope the same for you and yours, whatever your goals this year. And I'll be back next month to let you know how it's going. In the meantime, I think I'll change my theme to "Soy un perdedor... I'm a loser, baby, even if it kills me". Wish me luck, friends!

Yo, cut it.

A LITTLE FENG SHUI IN THE HIZHOUSE

Well, I regret to inform everyone of the tragic news by posting it in a blog... but Sanjaya has left the building.

Yep, he lost his brave fight on the afternoon of December 30. Despite my hours of worry, insane homespun cures and useless purchases at PetSmart, the little trooper finally went belly-up. Sigh.

I have promised Mark that I won't post a morbidly detailed blog and prove beyond doubt that I'm not merely "the crazy cat lady" but also "the crazy betta lady"... So suffice it to say that: (1) Sanjers has received a proper burial and (2) I am now the proud caretaker of a jaunty little bamboo plant that perhaps I'm unusually attached to. I'm sure you'll hear more about the new, improved and reincarnated "Sanjaya #2" in the future. Undoubtedly, this plant will get some of his mojo. Until then, in the words of the Beatles: Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da, life goes on, brah...