Kimberly Emerson

Hello, 2012!

The year dawned bright and sunny in the City of the Angels.  I know this for a fact because my cat does not understand the concept of weekends, and woke me up at 6:30 to fix her breakfast tuna.  (Correction: my cat does not appear to understand the concept of weekends.  One could speculate that she actually has my work week all figured out, she just sees no reason why my lack of consistency should intrude upon her schedule.)

Having acknowledged the clear, beautiful morning, I promptly went back to sleep for another couple of hours.  I am not much of a night owl, but since the previous evening was New Year’s Eve, I had been awake until 1:30 talking and watch TV with a friend.  Of course, I am not really a morning person either, so I had no qualms with sleeping until 10:00 a.m., when opening my eyes and facing the day seemed like a more reasonable idea.

New Year’s Day actually hit 81 in my neighborhood before the day was out, forecasting the beautiful weather that accompanied the Rose Parade the next day.  The first having landed on a Sunday this year, the world’s slowest but most well decorated car chase took place on January 2.  (Once again, the car that started the traffic jam got away scot-free.  Other people may not have been so lucky.  According to the Glendale News Press, anyone who gets in the way of the floral gridlock risks a $1,000.00 fine and a six-month prison sentence.  The Rose Parade – it’s not just a good idea, it’s the law.)

The parade is never held on Sunday.  Some say it’s a deal the Rose Parade organizers made with God, so that it never rain on the parade.  If so, it’s been a reasonably successful bargain – only 10 instances of rain in 120+ years. (One of my co-workers said it was a deal with the devil, but I can’t really see where the Prince of Darkness would get anything out of it.)  The San Francisco Examiner ran a story with a convoluted explanation about avoidance of frightening the horses posted outside churches.  I’m thinking avoidance of picking up extra horse poop probably had more to do with it.  The S.F. Examiner has one up on me here – the paper was around in 1893 when the decision was made, and I wasn’t, so maybe they’re right.  Of course, William Randolph Hearst was running it, and from what I understand he and the truth had at best a long-distance relationship, so maybe not.)

As we sat last night toasting the new year while watching Warehouse 13, my friend Diana and I discussed what we wanted out of the coming 366 days.  (It’s a leap year, so everyone will have an extra day to make Mayan prophecy jokes.  Relax, everyone: according to a webpage on the Mayan paraclete, 12/12/12 is meant to be the end of an age, and probably not the end of the world.)  We made a few resolutions.  I don’t like that phrase anymore than anyone else does, because most resolutions made on January 1 have lost all meaning by January 31.  (Ask the manager of any gym in America.)  It’s up to Diana to tell you hers, but I will share mine.  I expect you all to hold me accountable.

1.  Step outside my comfort zone.
I’d like to succeed this year, in some of those areas where I have previously failed.  According to Albert Einsten, “The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.”  Rumor has it that Mr. Einstein was a pretty smart guy, so I’ll trust him. That means I will have to try some new things this year, if I want new results.  What new things will this be?  I don’t know.  I did have breakfast New Year’s morning at L’Epicerie, my favorite French restaurant, but I ordered the bacon wrap instead of my usual Belgian waffle.  You have to start somewhere.  (The bacon wrap, by the way, involves more than just bacon – it is eggs, potatoes, cheddar cheese and chipotle aioli coming together in a passionate, tortilla-wrapped embrace.  Food this good could stop a war.  I am sure of it.)

2.  Give precedence to writing my book.
I didn’t finish my third novel last year, for all kinds of reasons.  Some of them were good, and some of them were not.  This year, I intend to cast those reasons aside, drop-kicking caution out of my path whenever it threatens to obstruct me, and finish up my latest book.  In order to do this, however, I will have to establish some new priorities.  For the past couple of months, I have cranked up my blogging to two columns a week.  While this has been great fun and has gotten increased hits on the website, it has also cut down on the time I have for other endeavors.  You know – coffee with friends.  Exercise.  Regular hygiene.  Oh, and writing my third book.  Thus, in order to make time for some of these things, I’m going to cut back to one post a week.  Please understand, it’s not that I don’t love you.  It’s just that if I’m going to end up friendless with blocked arteries and clogged pores, I’d like to think you all are getting something longer than a blog post out of it.

3.  Publish my 2nd book this year.
Whatever transpires, I am going to find a way to get my book Perfectly Acceptable Woman out there for sale.  If I can’t find anyone else to publish it for me, I’m going to self-publish it.   This scares me some, because it means entering the world of self-marketing.  While passing through the talent warehouse picking out my allotment of gifts,  God skipped clean over this aisle.  As a firm believer, however, in the proportionate response of way to will, I am just going to have to exert a lot of will and hope for the best.  If God wants me in the self-publishing camp, God will give me the tools I need.  (Repeat to self ad nauseum, until onset of belief.)

There you have it, my literary companions, the Kimberly Compendium for 2012.  What wishes do you have for the coming year?  Go ahead, shout them to the universe.  We’ve all been quiet about our aspirations for far too long, for fear of being laughed at.  Let’s make 2012 the year we all dream out loud – and make those dreams a reality.

Kimberly wants to know your dreams for this year.  She also wants to know who Scot is, and how it is that he’s managed to get everything free for so long.

Tags: 2012, Albert Einstein, Glendale News Press, L'Epicerie, Mayan paraclete, Mayan prophecy, New Year's Eve, Rose Parade, San Francisco Examiner, William Randolph Hearst