Happy 2008, my friends

Again it's that time and it has me in knots
Perusing and filt'ring and sorting my thoughts
To attempt to rid all of my thoughts from pollution
And poetify my life through a new resolution

First off a big fat HAPPY 2008 to everyone who still takes the time to read my blog :)

So I was sitting with the Peginator yesterday afternoon after Emilies had left to go watch her husband's hockey game, and we were discussing new year's resolution. She asked me if I had come up with any ideas for this year, and we both laughed when I mentioned the "taking more pictures" resolution, because we both knew that this resolution has been unsuccessful for me for the last 5 new years that we've known each other. And to be fair to myself...I was actually doing pretty well before I lost my camera in Peru, but my parents gave me a new camera for Christmas, so I suppose I could do that...

...but we got to talking about how we've managed to drift a bit in the last 2 years or so. Reminiscing is wonderful, it's great being able to talk about years and days and weeks gone by with your friends, but we realized that we haven't made many new memories in the last few years. Partly my fault, because I was pretty much unavailable during 2006 and most of 2007 with my crazy life (which has since calmed down immensely).

So we thought we'd try harder this year to make some new memories, the four of us, try and reconnect.

I've discovered how difficult it is, as we get older, to take the time and (1) do things for yourself, (2) continue to chase your little dreams and (3) keep your relationships solid and sound. So the plan is to do all that we can to rekindle our relationship.

Sounds like a marriage, but I'm starting to realize that all relationships are like marriages in many ways -- because they require so much effort.

A couple of weeks ago I went out with an (unnamed) old friend, one of the kind which you can go for a year without talking to, and then get together and the conversation is always good. But I realized as I walked back home after this meeting that while I enjoyed our meeting, all we do these days is have coffee or have a meal together, and while it's nice to catch up, you can't keep a real friendship going, running on the fumes of meals alone.

I want to make some more memories, and stop taking the easy way out, of just meeting people for coffee or lunch or whatever. I want to do things that I can actually take pictures of...and I want to be able to look back at 2008 as a year when I reconnected with my loved ones, made some amazing memories, and feel like I'm still worthy of calling my life an adventure.

And, by the way, I'm going to Cambodia for the summer! That should add to the adventurosity. 10 weeks of researching the use of tetanus vaccine among pregnant women. Very excited!