Some links may be affiliate links. I may earn money if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these links on this site.

Rob Knowlan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Happy New 2022

Happy New Year to you and yours. I wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous 2022.

Short Attention Span

I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the years’. ~Henry Moore

I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. I find it’s better to plan on a daily and weekly basis.

Things tend to get a bit too fluid for long term plans.

Granted, I have goals that I’m not able to achieve in the short term but those goals consist of increments that are handled in the aforementioned daily and weekly timeframes.

Add to that the fact that I have a fairly short attention span.

I can set some vague long-term goals and steer in that general direction.

Five-year plans? Please…

I’ll be lucky if I’m still alive in five years.

The thing I’ve found is that the best approach for me is to simply take it however it comes. I can project to the next big milestone or holiday, but that’s about it.

It’s best to start the year with a sense of realism and the reality is that I can only do it in short increments.

New Year’s Kablooey

New Year’s Eve 2022: The best fireworks from around the world

There are a few holidays that the world seems to share in common. First among them (on the Gregorian Calendar, anyway) is New Year’s Eve. We collectively start the year off with a spectacular display of fireworks.

Hopefully, those will be the only kind we see this year. There are people doing unfortunate things around the world. It would be nice to see those matters resolved peacefully and amicably. We could definitely do without the alternative.

Pork & Sauerkraut | New Year’s Dinner

Something that’s a lot more localized to my home region is the tradition of Pork & Sauerkraut. It’s essentially a Pennsylvania Dutch thing. I’m not Dutchy at all. My German ancestors are from a different region than the Mennonites and Amish who define a large swath of Southeast Pennsylvania, but I grew up in the greater Duchysphere. Pork and Sauerkraut is the official thing and it wouldn’t be New Year’s without it.

PASADENA ROSE PARADE 2022 – DREAM, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE

Another thing that typifies New Year’s for me is the parades I slept through. Apparently, the Mummer’s Parade in Philly was postponed for rain. Yay, I can sleep through that tomorrow.

I grew up on the outer, Dutchy outskirts of Philadelphia. I was never an Eagles fan and I don’t much care for the Mummers. That’s a tradition that simply didn’t stick for me.

The Rose Parade was one we enjoyed watching when I grew up. My parents liked the Mummers. I’d go and hide until it was over but once the Tournament of Roses came on, I was back for the show.

I guess that’s a bit weird. The Mummers’ costumes were every bit as ornate and detailed as the rose work in the parade in California. The thing that the Rose Parade had over the Mummers is that you didn’t have to hear Golden Slippers a zillion times in one morning. I just can’t…

Starting From A Full Stop

Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Middle age is when you’re forced to. ~Bill Vaughan

Once I finished up writing, editing, formatting and posting Holly and Ivy, I put a stop to all activities.

It was Christmastime in the country and I was done for the year. End of story. Literally.

I needed the break. I needed the win, too. I had wanted to be done before Thanksgiving, but having missed that goal, I was adamant about being done by Christmas. Having done so, it was time for a long winter’s nap.

Well, that’s over.

I’ve got to make the cover for the paperback version of the story so I can get it published with the others.

Come Monday, I’m back to regular five-day weeks. I’ll still need to budget my mental energy so I can get back on The Sentinels.

That’s all there is. There is no more. Happy New Year to you. I’m sure it won’t be a bore.