In case you haven�t already spied it with your sexy eye, this entry is related to my last entry in regards to New Year�s Resolutions. To recap, I wrote a bit about how some resolutions, including some of my own I�ve made in the past, can be so lofty and grandiose that we almost doom ourselves to failure. If you take a look at one of my past NYE entries, you can see some of the things I took a stab at in the past.

The ones I�ve chosen for this year are things I know I need improvement on because I�ve specifically made a habit of NOT doing them, yet they are minor things that I can achieve with a bit of perseverance. Perhaps the most challenging of my resolutions, as I described in my last entry, is for me to get back into the dating scene. The Bombshell, one girl that I wanted to start the ball rolling with in this respect, hasn�t returned my call. I�ll try maybe one or two more times, but then I�ll have to move on, blindly into unknown territory.

I have a couple more resolutions, which aren�t quite as lofty. Both of them are related, sort-of. One of these resolutions is doing the dishes. You see, shortly after my divorce and the year or so of cohabitation with my ex-spouse, I religiously did the dishes, but it was not because I loved the act of doing dishes or taking satisfaction in a job well done, it was to avoid the wrath of my one time wife. After our separation and subsequent divorce, my mom, step dad and sister moved into my apartment. At the time, my mom was a stay at home mom and my step dad lost the full-time position that provided a house for them and took on several part-time jobs to make ends meet, so for almost a year, I was the breadwinner of the family so the last thing I thought about was the dishes and my mom who hasn�t really been there for me as a child was more than happy catch up on all those motherly tasks. Even when I moved onto my own place, I just let those dishes pile up until I ran out of things to eat and cook on and I had no choice but to do the dishes.

Yes, Derrick is a messy boy, but I�ve come to the realization that eventually I have to grow up and make a conscious effort to clean up after myself. I�m not going to do this whole �I�m suddenly going to be a neat person because I made a New Year�s resolution� thing, but what I am going to do is make a habit of at least doing my own dishes and cleaning up after myself. One thing I have discovered thus far when I�m doing dishes is that I go into a meditative like state as I focus on the task at hand. The rest of the world seems to melt away until there are only the dishes that are being washed.

My other resolution involves me making my bed. I told you I was a messy boy. I have to admit I�m slipping in this department, mostly because I�m living a nomadic lifestyle, staying with my step dad in the spare couch, in my former bachelor pad during the weeknights I have school and coming back to my grandfather�s building where everyone else lives (including me) on my non-school nights. So far the arrangement has worked well in terms of convenience and proximity to school, I just have to get the timing down and make sure my bed is made before I leave primary home.

Like I said, it�s nothing major just trying to break a few old habits in an effort to make a less messy version of myself. The major challenge for me this year is actually getting a date. I don�t know where to begin in that department, but I am going to make an honest effort and in the end, if a get a few amusing stories regarding botched attempts at dating then so much the better. I think that�s it for now. I do have a guest entry posted in Dom�s diary. You may want to check it out. Until next time...