Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to one and all!  Whatever happened in 2015 I hope this New Year everything is better.  This is only my fifth blog post, not because I don't have a lot I want to share on a blog, but because my laptop died in 2015.  A Dell that has been inconsistent since I purchased it two and a half years ago, the hard drive finally went kaput.  Luckily the folks at Gadget Guru were able to recover nearly all of my data, including emails.  My entire life was in that laptop and it was a relief to be able to get that data back.  So, I sit here now after weeks without my laptop on a brand new MacBook Pro.   So far, so good.

I'm looking forward to 2016.  I'm not going to make resolutions so much as try to improve on what happened in 2015.  I have some vacations planned that should be fun and some around home activities that will keep me busy.  Alby and I will welcome a new foster on January 10th, the same day I'm planning to start attending a Yoga class.  Of course, I plan to exercise more and eat less in 2016, but then, don't we all plan for that?  I think if it weren't for the candy season that starts at the end of October I might be able to achieve that goal, but I have a terrible weakness for yummy candy and cookies and cake....well, you get the picture.

In 2015 I made the decision to stop eating all meat except for fish and I mostly did well, but there's a lot of room for improvement in 2016.  In fact, I have a post keyed up for talking about just how hard it is to totally give up meat.

In 2015 my Dad's vision took a turn for the worst and he was declared legally blind.  He's handled the whole situation admirably well.  He has had to completely relearn how to use his computer and of course he can no longer drive.  I plan to talk about that in a future blog post as well.  It's been a huge learning experience for our family and there's a lot to share.

In 2015 I had also wanted to spend more time reading books.  I felt that between my job and technology my attention span wasn't what it once was and that I hadn't been reading nearly as much as I used to.  I read some, but not as much as I had hoped to do.  In 2016 I'll see if I can work on reading more.

I joined the masses at the end of 2015 and went to see Star Wars on Christmas Eve and yes, I'm planning to see it a second time today.  I read that JJ Abrams thought of the original movie as a "Boys Movie".  I guess he never met any girls, because all of my friends loved Star Wars.  Even though the last three weren't that good, I still watched them.

Finally, in 2016 I'm planning to 'think globally and act locally'.  While all we see on the news is the spectacle of another presidential election, I think what happens in our own backyard has a bigger impact on our daily lives.

Here's to a fabulous 2016 for one and all!