Thursday, January 01, 2004

Be It Resolved for 2004 ...

New Year's resolutions: I don't have the best track record with them. Over the years, I've made, kept, and broken many of them -- do this, don't do that, stop this, start that, usw. I also tend to prefer to keep resolutions to myself: I don't like to brag if I do keep them, and it avoids the shame if I break them.

Evelin is the master of resolutions, however. Over the past few years, she has picked good ones -- floss at least four times a week, eat five fruits/vegetables a day, read a book a week -- and has stuck to them. I've been a bit less good.

Last year's resolution was to take at least one good (defined as more than 5 miles) hike a month. We started off New Year's Day 2003 with a loop hike through Greenbelt Woods. We also got to try our hand at letterboxing on that hike (it remains the one and only time we've gone letterboxing, although I still like the idea).

The February hike, because of the President's Day snowstorm, was covered by my snowshoeing to the Metro and Zoo in the midst of the storm. I figured that science must continue despite the weather. In all, I only marched about 3 miles or so through the snow, but given how much effort was involved (and the fact that the zoo was closed and I couldn't get into the Panda House) I counted it. Plus the rest of February had weather that wasn't conducive to hiking.

March, I don't remember if we made a hike that month or not. April was covered with a long hike in Las Vegas from Circus Circus to the Natural History Museum and Old Mormon Fort when I was trying to escape from a trade show. It was also supplemented by a long walk around Roanoke Island when Evelin and I took a long weekend down to the Outer Banks.

We did take a few other hikes though the year, including a nice trip out to West Virginia, but I don't think it totaled 12 good ones. Weather, work, and infertility treatments conspired against us.

This year, I have a resolution or two in mind (beyond the usual ones: eat less, exercise more, spend more wisely, give more to charity), but I don't think I want to reveal any of them, beyond a resolution to help ensure that Bush doesn't get a second term.

Last night was a quiet, sedate affair. Evelin made some very nice pumpkin ravioli, which we ate with a béchamel sauce, and we watched 40 Days and 40 Nights and Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫), which ended about 90 seconds before midnight -- perfect timing to watch the ball drop. This morning, we hiked Section A of the Billy Goat Trail. Right now, the cornbread just came out of the oven and the hoppin' John is almost done ... which makes for a pretty good start for 2004.

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