My New Year’s Resolutions
It’s that time of year, time for New Year’s resolutions.
Some of the most common resolutions reported by Forbes Health/One Poll and the Cleveland Clinic are listed below:
- Eat healthier – lose weight.
- Work out more.
- Drink less.
- Manage stress.
- Quit smoking (or vaping).
- Cook more.
- Create a better work-life balance.
- Prioritize my mental health.
I normally don’t make resolutions for the new year. At my age, my primary physician is increasingly the one who makes them for me.
An estimated 44% of Americans set New Year’s resolutions to try to adopt self-betterment at the turn of the calendar year. But here’s the kicker: Come next December, only 55% of those people will say they’ve been successful in achieving their goal.
Most make good on their resolutions initially but fall off the resolution wagon within 4 months.
But what the hey, I thought a very little about it, knowing that lots of people do make resolutions, and decided maybe I could come up with some for 2024 – just for the heck of it.
After you see these, I ask you to query me at any time during 2024 to see how I’m doing.
Here goes:
- I’ll try to make the most beautiful woman in the world who married me even happier.
- I’ll enjoy my grandchildren even more.
- I will not climb a ladder. If I do, I won’t do it without someone steadying it, hanging on to it across the warning label.
- I’ll remember where I put my cell phone and avoid asking my spouse to call me so I can find it.
- I’ll also do better in remembering people’s names more than 60 seconds.
- I’ll work on further developing my ninja skills.
- I won’t increase the number of Belvedere martinis I annually imbibe, and I’ll remember that two’s not enough and three is too many.
- I’ll lower my golf handicap to below my age.
- I’ll read more of the Cormac McCarthy books my daughters have sent me for my literary edification.
- I’ll consider the political positions of any flagpole sitter running for office before I vote.
- I’ll play my first game of pickleball.
- I’ll use an emoji for the first time.
- As a white male, I will become part of an oppressed victim group and think about how much you and others owe me – and demand compensation promptly.
- I will no longer resist the temptation to demand you use non-binary personal pronouns when referring to me. I’ll accept your calling me the non-offensive “zie.”
- As a senior citizen in Florida, I’ll remember I don’t have to use my turn signals anymore when driving, and I can drive 35 mph in the left lane.
Ok, 15 resolutions are enough.
To be judged successful, how many do I need to accomplish?
Wait, I almost forgot one.
- I will not vote for anyone or consciously buy from any company that incorporates DEI in their ‘woke’ rhetoric or activities.
In the words ending the Looney Tunes cartoons:
“That’s all folks.”
Have a great 2024!!!
Have fun. It’s the same price.
*************
Have a great and prosperous week.
Hug somebody.
References:
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/common-new-years-resolutions
SPIDER Bites
This week’s trivia question: What notable astronomer penned the 1980 best-selling book “Cosmos?” The answer to last week’s question to name the highest-grossing holiday movie of all time? Home Alone. It proved so popular that it stayed in theaters well past the Christmas season and was the number one film at the box office for 12 straight weeks – from its release on November 16, 1990, through the weekend of February 1, 1991. Unadjusted for inflation, the final worldwide box office for Home Alone was $476.68 million. The Grinch is 2nd, Polar Express 3rd.
Michigan will play Washington tomorrow night for the national college football championship. Michigan is a 4.5-point favorite, but if I were betting, I’d take those odds and Washington – and their QB, Michael Penix, Jr. The over/under number 56.5.
Harvard U. President Gay submitted her resignation letter last week. Some are checking to see how much of the letter was plagiarized. Alumni are now calling for resignations from the university’s board as Gay will remain on the faculty at a salary of $900,000. It’s a big step down from the $3.6M salary as president. Right.
The Fed signaled last week we’re in for a prolonged period of high interest rates. Only one reason for that indication – they want to put a long-term lid on inflation at just about any cost.
The city of Washington D.C. has a Department of Energy and Environment. (Does your city/county have one of those?) Last week it adopted the California mandate requiring automakers to sell zero-emissions vehicles beginning in 2035. There’s something wrong with unelected people/bureaucrats making policy and issuing edicts. BTW, EVs make up less than 1% of registered vehicles in the US.
The national debt exceeded the $34T mark last week. The Congressional Budget Office estimates in its 30-year outlook that publicly held debt will be equal to a record 181% of American economic activity by 2053 – coinciding with the date/goal of eliminating fossil fuels to power our technology and industry.
The DOJ filed suit against Texas last week over a new state law allowing police to arrest illegal immigrants and state courts to order them to leave the country. Texas will likely lose the suit, but the overwhelming foreign invasion has the state at its wit’s end.
ISIS claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing in Iran last week. More violence in the Middle East as the tribes attack and maim each other. If we didn’t need the oil, we would care less. Too bad we do care caused by inhibiting potential domestic oil/gas production.
Swatting has become too popular among the hard core who could care less about anyone’s safety. It’s the word used to describe calling 911 to an address and reporting some illegal activity there. It’s harassment. Hoaxes are all too common.
The December jobs report showed a better than expected 216,000 jobs added during the month. The numbers were apparently buoyed by immigrants taking jobs. The labor participation rate fell, however, from 62.8% to 62.5%.
The Democratic Party ‘celebrated’ January 6, yesterday. Sounds like that will be a major campaign theme this year.
The first mission to fly under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services is set to launch for the moon tomorrow to test Astrobotic Technology’s Peregrine lunar lander.
