New Year's Resolutions

Yup...it is that time of year where everyone feels the pain of looking at their waistline or their packs of cigarettes or their finances or their loved one's or their chocolate addiction and decide (or not) to make changes for the next year.  Yes...very painful indeed.  I don't know about you but dark chocolate is here to stay in my house buddy so back off.
There is so much pain associated not only with the New Year's Resolutions but the holidays in general, especially if you were raised as a guity catholic such as myself.  "Did I buy enough gifts?"  "Will they like them?" "Did I send everyone a card?" "Am I giving Mom this year's fruitcake or LAST year's?"  ...and it is all a ferocious mess of visiting the mall, checking lists, racking up the credit card until Christmas Day.
Then finally...silence, peace and quiet for a week.  I was lucky enough to be with my family up in CT for the last week enjoying everyone, eating too much and, ah-hem, drinking my share of wine.  Lovely.  The gifts were cool too.  I got one of those fancy 80GB iPod Classics.  Not sure what to do with it yet but I do feel more hip and cool now through osmosis.
Anyway, I digress.  Back to the pain of self-evaluation.  Questions about one's life comes up: Where am I now?  Where have I come from?  Where am I going?  All good questions but if we had any sense, we would ignore them because they can lead to anerysms and unneeded stress especially 7 days after a mad rush fueled by catholic guilt.  Should one only take stock once a year?  Probably not.  It should be a weekly or even a daily ritual.  But today and tonight, I will have a brick of chocolate in my left hand and a beer in my right and friends all around me.  Life is good.
Happy New Year, folks!