I was very resolute in my resolve not to make resolutions this year. (Yeah, that was an awful sentence.) Why? Because I never really got the point. Like everyone, I have goals and dreams, and I work at them all the time. I want to get my books published and I work at that every day of the week (sometimes on weekends too). I want to learn Japanese and I work at that every day of the week. I want to get more fit… Yeah, I work at that when I’m not recovering from an injury. I don’t make resolutions about it because, as it turns out, I have a knack for getting hurt. As a side note, I’d like to give that away if anyone is interested. No charge.

If you’re going to do a resolution, I believe it should be something fun. Something you won’t beat yourself up over if you haven’t accomplished it by the end of the year for whatever reason. That never helps. So, after much thought, I came up with a resolution for this year.

Ready?

Here it is.

I resolve to listen to even more music.

I know, that sounds like a silly goal, but let me explain. I love music. Music runs through my head at all hours. Even my dreams have soundtracks. When I write, I often run Pandora because I have stations set up for the many moods I might want. If I need a fight in my story, I turn on my Angry station. If something sad is happening, I turn on my Melancholy station. Not only does this help set the mood, it has introduced me to many great new artists and songs and my music collection keeps growing.

: My beloved truck.

Another key instigator for this resolution is my Christmas present. Some very bad people conspired to enable the purchase and installation of a new stereo system in my truck (you know who you are and I love you – you will all be beaten when you least expect it). I love my truck. All I have to do to improve my mood is drive somewhere in my truck and things feel better. With the advent of my new stereo, I am downright giddy by the time I get to my destination (via the longest possible route).

Just for fun, a few off my enormous list of current favorite artists (who are now helping me go deaf in my truck – but with amazing clarity).

Johnny Hollow (dark, rich, and creative)
Acid Black Cherry (did I mention I’m learning Japanese)
Miyavi (Um, yeah, Japanese again)
Abney Park (Steampunk – gotta love it)
Professor Elemental (Steampunk gentleman rapper – ‘nuff said)
Stephanie Mabey (Honestly, I haven’t listened to much by her, but The Zombie Song is epic)

I could go on for pages, but I’ll stop here. Tell me, how can a person go wrong with a resolution like that?

I’d love to hear some other takes on New Year’s resolutions. What are some of yours? I’m also always on the market for more good music, so feel free to offer your recommendations.

Happy New Year!