Resolution #2 NAILED

Do you remember my 2nd New Year's Resolution? It was
"Explain why I am replacing flights with videoconferences."
Well, I hereby declare this one fulfilled. You can read the paper here
Nicola (the second author) suggested we go to Goleta Beach Cafe on Thursday when Ken's back to celebrate finishing what turned out (for various political reasons) to be quite a stressful project. I was, of course, unable to say no!

NYR update #2

Oh boy, it's been a while but I'm here....! I've had mixed performance on my resolutions - I can't help but learn more about carbon emissions; I'm on pace with my fiction (at the expense of news - but I knew that would suffer going in); I'm not really eating any beef whatsoever (though I'm not really talking about it either); and the rest I have trouble remembering on a regular basis. Except for signing out of e-mail every morning. I remember that, and then consciously decide that I'm going to stay on e-mail. Especially now that I'm considering career options, sending e-mails and networking seems particularly important.

I'm doing pretty well at every one else's resolutions, though. Ken and I have had quite a few dinners at the house; we planted a garden in the backyard (the radishes are ready!); and I went to get Phil's golf clubs with him. I'm not sure that I get oneyearplan points for other people's resolutions though.

Fresh air and moules

Having rounded up a few likely suspects of fellow walkers/chefs/traffic-bravers, this past weekend was spent on Popenguine beach (Resolution number 4 ). A walk in the bird park, fresh air, beautiful coastal views, good company, beers at sundown, house on the beach, meal cooked together with fresh moules ordered from a lovely old lady in the village... It could only have been topped by not having worked till 5 am before leaving town and my computer and ECHO proposal not accompanying me for the first day of it.... But the time spent relaxing out of the city that was worth it. And I learnt an awful lot about Canada from their version of trivial pursuit (not exactly what I had in mind for resolution number 8/the one about improving my mind but its a start). Fascinating.

Driving Range

I made some progress on a resolution this weekend by first spending my birthday money (thanks Gill, Brian and Auntie Jean!) on a second-hand set of golf clubs, and then ging to the driving range and hitting 100 balls on Sunday. Having the clubs will a) save me $30 a time in rentals(!) when I play at the Santa Barbara course, and b) remind me I should be playing (at least) 4 rounds this year. I have 3 golfing chums here, two of them went with me on Sunday. We are comparably inept, although Eli can hit the ball much further than Patrick and me. We decided that in April (when Patrick has finished teaching) we would bunk off school one morning and play a round. Watch this space.

PS. On Monday I got a late birthday parcel from another aunt, Shirley: it contained a gold towel, driving gloves and a bag of tees! Game on.