A New Year

I'm an atheist - I was brought up as a catholic but as soon as I was able to think for myself (and was brave enough to tell my mum!) I chucked it all in - it made no sense at all to me. So I became a teenager and outed myself as a non-believer at approximately the same time.I love christmas - sure there is the religious aspect of it but that has been so watered down over the years that it doesn't muck it up - and there is the capitalism that's supposed to be ruining it but, frankly I never really saw it myself - capitalism is something that rubs away at us all year round - it may be a little more intense at this time of year but I've never let myself
be caught up in it (too much).

I had a great christmas - we did all the things that we ought to do more often throughout the year but christmas somehow forces it upon us. We get together with friends and with family - we sit around, eat, drink and watch telly, we go for walks and drives, listen to (and play) music and I do to Adam what my parents did to me - make him believe that all these things are good and should be cherished (and we spoil him rotten).

Adam will be seven this year - and while he enjoys the friends and family and walks and drives and listening and watching and eating and drinking - at six-and-a-half the most important thing about christmas is the presents - he did all right.

I'll be 40 this year - I too enjoy all of those things - and the presents - I reached a point a few years back where the giving was more fun than the getting - I guess that's way beyond the ken of a six year old. I can't remember ever before receiving no CDs as presents (maybe last year) but then I buy CD presents for myself all year round.

And then it's another year - as is quaintly traditional the start of a new year is when you make decisions that should change your life, but generally don't.

This year I will (try to)...

• Read more - I tried to put a list of good books I've read this year and could hardly think of ANY books I'd read - I love reading but for some reason over the last few years I just haven't been doing it.
• Lose weight - OK, this is an old chestnut that gets reeled out every year - hopefully this year will be different and I'll actuaully achieve something...
• (Try to) work out where my life can go now...I've stopped enjoying my job - it has spurts of interesting and challenging moments but mostly I just tick over - maybe this is the year I'll be brave enough to try and exploit myself.
• Improve myself - hopefully the reading will help this - but more than that I want to understand more and put that understanding to some decent use.

I suspect that everyone has long since given up on this self-indulgent bollocks - if anyone did make it this far, sorry there is nothing interesting at the end...just me saying... HAPPY NEW YEAR