if music is the victim, then so am I

It's January 2nd, which I think qualifies as the dead of winter. I stepped outside to get something from my car and immediately noticed that it felt like early springtime. The temperature was 68F (20C), and it was still light out at 5:30 p.m. My mom was working in the garden, and I was wearing flip-flops, which maybe isn't as abnormal for Northern California as it seems. Instead, I think I am still using Copenhagen as my frame of reference.

To regress for a minute, New Year's Eve is a night like no other, and I'm not referring to the extravagance and over indulgence that marks the night. Instead, it's a night where people feel hopeful and have a sense of renewal. In the spirit of it being the first day of January 2007, I am coming up with some resolutions. Mind you, these are not New Year's resolutions, which I think are trite and (usually) lack sincerity. Instead, I usually make a list at the beginning of each month of things I would like to accomplish or work towards. These goals range from the cliche, like lose weight, to the more earnest. My more earnest resolution for January is to squelch my inner-consumer. I will remind myself that things such as the latest cell phone, ipod, laptop, and other suck gizmos do not define me or my worth. Instead, I am going to increase my donation amount to Oxfam!