OK, my first post in, like, forever is a self-indulgent blurb from my iPhone. It seems pretty easy so far, so if this works you may be hearing more from me.

Well, it’s been nearly a year since my last post, which was a list of New Year’s resolutions that ended, ironically, with a resolution to “blog more.” Let’s see how I’m doing:

Get Organized

Well, I cleaned my office. Does that count? Of course, it’s a mess again. Just in time for New Year!

Get Efficient

I must say, I am managing my work a little better. When confronted with big project I have been attacking them and then fine-tuning, which is an improvement over the belabored trudge I’m used to. Could still use some work.

Get Domestic

This I have gotten better with. I still hide out in the office occasionally, but that’s mostly to keep from throttling The Boy.

Learn Japanese

erm… ahem… NEXT!

Draw More

um… well… what else we got?

Blog More

Oh yeah. That. Oh well.

It’s a good thing I didn’t have “Get Fit” on that list, although it secretly was. I think I was trying not to be cliche. Anyway, thanks for standing by! See you when I see you!

Well, it’s that time of year again. Each year, like many other people, I like to make promises with myself that I will never keep. Of course, at the top of the list is the promise that this year I will keep at least some of my promises. Here are some highlights of my 2008 New Year Resolutions:

Get Organized

What would a New Year be without the hope that the house will get cleaned up, the books arranged neatly in the shelves, expired items removed from the fridge, and the tags in the mp3 library straightened out. If I can get this done early there is a chance it could last until next January.

Get Efficient

Every January I tell myself to get my work done better and more quickly. It’s not that I lollygag or do poor work, I just know that I can get caught up laboring over things that don’t really matter, which takes time away from the things that do (including family).

Get Domestic

Which leads me to… spending more time with my family. As much as I love to work, I can use it as an excuse sometimes to get some extra alone time. I know that The Wife does not have the same luxury, even though I try to be around and occupy The Boy as much as I can. If I could manage my time better, I might be able to spend more “quality” time with both of them.

Learn Japanese

I do speak some Japanese, and I understand quite a bit, but I’ve pretty much committed myself to the long haul over here, and if I’m going to survive it means I need to speak and listen much better. I know that if I spend some real study time each week, my Japanese skills will benefit immensely. And if I would use Japanese more, instead of relying on The Wife to get my point across, I wouldn’t be so tongue-tied all the time. I’ve felt for a few years now that I am on the cusp of real Japanese comprehension and communication, but I can never seem to find the time to give myself that big push over that hump. We’ll see.

Draw More

I spend a lot of time reading illustration blogs, illustration magazines, and illustration-related books, but I rarely pick up pen or pencil to do any drawing of my own. I find my hand and wrist are so out of shape that any time I do doodle I’m feeling achey within minutes. It would be nice to produce at least a few finished drawings each week. Maybe I could blog them here.

Blog More

I’m certainly not at a loss for things to talk about. There was a time that I could get away with calling my day-to-day “uninteresting,” though that was never quite true. Now I have a little boy, a wife, a life in Japan, and a busy job that keeps me learning and creating daily. It might be that I write too much when I actually start typing. I need to learn that short posts are OK too.

OK, a pretty pedestrian resolution list so far. All stuff that I tell myself daily, and then ignore. If I can accomplish at least a few of these items in 2008, I will be delighted. Of course, I am pretty happy already, so if I find things are relatively unchanged in December, I think I will survive.

Happy New Year!