Monday, January 3, 2011

New Years Resolutions 2011


I spent my New Years Eve doing what I have normally done these last few years. Going to work, and then coming home and watching "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve." I don't watch it for very long. Just long enough to see the ball drop, and watch a very aging (and stroke affected) Dick Clark kiss his wife. It's kind of sad that they are still dragging Dick Clark out for these New Year's specials. I think it's time for him to finally step down and let these new buffoons like Ryan Seacrest take the mantle.

I've been mentioning going back to Taiwan for some time now, but it looks like 2011 will be the year that we do go back. Money has always been our biggest obstacle against going back. It still is, actually. It will easily cost us $5,000 for all four of us to go, but that burden has eased a little thanks to Christy's mom. She recently sold some items that her husband owned (including a car), and has offered to pay for a portion of our expenses. We've offered to pay her way to come out here to see us, but she doesn't want to, so now she is offering to pay for us. So, it looks like it's going to happen. Still, the idea of traveling for nearly 24 hours (plane, plus train, plus bus, etc.) with toddlers, to go to Nantou has very little appeal to me. It's kind of like flying from Japan to Flint, Michigan. But I know how important it is for Christy to see her mom again, especially after everything that happened last year, so I'll keep my grumblings to a minimum.

I'm trying to take better care of myself, especially now that I'm back under the American healthcare system. I decided to go in for a physical check up last month, and my doctor is advising me to have a colonoscopy. Yes, a colonoscopy at the age of 40. Normally, you don't need one until you are 50 or over, but because my father had colon cancer (in his 60's), they still want me to have one. I can certainly tell you that nothing makes you feel old more than a doctor telling you to have a colonoscopy. So it looks like I'll probably relent and get one this year, although the idea of having a camera shoved into my peegoo makes me very squeamish. I'm told the worst part is the preparation before the colonoscopy than the actual procedure itself, but that doesn't make me feel any better.

I expect this to be another year of me and my brother ignoring each other, and another year of maybe one or two emails to my sister. My sister, who lives less than 3 hours away from us, has ample opportunity to come and visit and see her nephew and niece, but she seems more inclined to spend her time in shopping malls and bars. As she approaches 50 (she is now almost 48), I hope she will eventually become bored of that.

So that's about it for 2011. Staying healthy and trying to visit friends and family members (although not my family members). Seems pretty simple.

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