Another sign our education system is failing

Spotted on Twitter today:

There's really no defense for that.....

Abba's "Happy New Year"

Yeah, I admit it: I was a fan of Abba growing up. Hey, I needed to hear the joy in many of their infectious lyrics, even if they can make me wince at times now.

Anyway... here's wishing 2012 brings you much joy.....

The double-edged sword of resolutions

The arrival of a New Year seems to compel so many of us to make resolutions - i.e., changes - to improve our lives in some way.

Folks work out regularly joke about the crowd that swarms the gyms in January, intent on losing that weight, fitting into that swimsuit, putting on those 'skinny jeans' again. They know that in a few weeks the crowd will thin out as the "resolve" wanes.

And the remorse/self-ridicule mushrooms.

Why do we do this to ourselves? It's good to want to make improvements and to set goals. But so many resolutions merely set us up to fail. It's almost an exercise in masochism.

I guess the answer is moderation: set goals you know you can accomplish - and then build on them. Yet we seem to have as much trouble with self-control when it comes to resolutions as we do when it comes to holiday banquets.

An empty canvas

It's a new year.......not a new decade, as so many people suggest.....but at the moment 2010 is an empty canvas awaiting the painter's brush.....a field of newfallen snow poised for the first footprints.

What will the portrait of this year look like when the brush is placed back in the easel for the last time 364 days from now? Will it be one we want to hang on the wall, or put in the corner of the garage with other years we'd rather not think about?

That, of course, is a trick of the mind. Our years are not separate entities, but a collage of sights, sounds, experiences and events.

Nevertheless, a sense of curiosity is unavoidable ---- and good, for that matter.

I realize I haven't been blogging as much in recent months. Part of that is I'm so busy with work these days. I'm also trying to get some writing done on the family history.

But primarily it's because when I've had an inspiration for a blogpost I haven't been in a position to write it; or it's something I decide not to do for a variety of reasons.

I'll try to devise methods which allow me to store those ideas and tap into them when time allows.

In the meantime, here's wishing you a wonderful New Year!