It's a Wrap: Good riddance 2006, mostly due to events on a personal level that I keep private, but even on a public level I feel like it was a wasted year. I shouldn't feel that way, but strangely, I do.

I did a good bit of traveling. Had a great trip to Tahoe. Turks and Caicos was disappointing. Was sick for practically the duration of my desert spa visit. And there were the various weekends from Chicago to DC to Orlando (see below), and of course, Vegas.

I was not able to restart writing fiction in any meaningful way, which is a huge disappointment. But I did get a ton of hotel reviews out, and of course, the football column. So it's not like I did nothing but stare at a blank Word document either.

But now with the football column over (except for the Superbowl Special edition coming at the end of January), I am once again vowed to get back to fiction. There will be no more criticism or journalism. Apart from my monthly updates here, I MUST get focused on Misspent Youth. (I also have to get Business as Usual away from its current publisher, who are dirtbags, and try to get Apple Pie's publisher to take it on. It's a long story; I may share it once it's resolved.)

There are other goals, which might be called resolutions if I possessed anything approaching resolve. I need to get my investments in order, take some losses, re-work some winners. I need to re-decorate my home office. Last year I did my bedroom -- got the room painted, some new furnishing, had some minor misadventures in getting a custom brass bed delivered -- this year it's the office, which is currently full of all sorts of crap; it looks like a big storage closet. Oh, and I need to redesign all my web sites. Just the usual kind of stuff. I will likely get about 50-60% of it done.

I suppose I should be grateful that I don't have anything truly daunting to do like, oh, "survive cancer" or "file for divorce." I don't even have the usual things like "get in shape" or "find a new job." And yet, I have no sense of satisfaction in that.

I have, however, learned the importance of not giving in to negativity, especially unwarranted negativity. Despair is a sin. 2007 here I come.