I saw a new twist on the new year resolution thing. It was over at my brother’s blog. Of course it might just be new to me. Anyway, listing 101 specific things to get done in a 1001 days is a great idea. it’s sort of like a resolution to do list. I think the specificity of it will be to my advantage, not to mention the deadline. However I’m gonna start off with something smaller, as you might have guessed from the title of this entry. So here goes:

1. Learn CPR.

2. Not buy lunch or snacks at school for two weeks.

3. Get 8 hours of sleep for a week in a row.

4. Really listen to my kids when I’m playing with them and not try to read or do other stuff.

5. Floss everyday for a week.

6. Write out a will.

7. Practice the guitar at least two times a week for two weeks.

8. Draw at least one sketch every week.

9. Keep up with and do my fair share of the chores.

10. Do something romantic for Ann that is not for a holiday, (i.e. birthday, anniversary etc…)

So there it is. We’ll see where I am in April. I’ll keep you updated.

Neil LaBute came to campus way back in October. When we were doing our playwright’s festival. We did a full production of the Shape of Things, as well as readings of The Mercy Seat, Fat Pig, and This is How it Goes. He was a neat down to earth kind of guy. I of course never really talked to him beacuse I don’t talk much. Not that I was star struck, well a little, more just my reticence to talk to people. I would even take failing grades on speeches so I wouldn’t have to do them. I was always like this, grade school, high school you name it. It’s funny that I have a job where I have to talk to groups of people everyday.

Is that irony, or just bad planning on my part?

Now my family is not known for thier musical prowess. in fact, one might say the opposite. One thing I always joked about with Ann was my future rock star career. Well, last Christmas she bought me a guitar, and I was very excited. However I never really got around to playing it. So for my recent birthday she got me lessons. Which as it turns out is exactly what I needed to get me to practice and play.

Now, my family is thinking, “what Owen playing guitar!” You see, in the Collins family mythology there are some events that get repeated endlessly at family gatherings and holidays. Usually first in line is my brother Jon’s complaining about seeing every Gothic Cathedral ever made during a trip to France. A couple of steps below that is little Owen playing the violin in the 5th grade. “And Owen’s bow would go down when everyone else’s was up…..”

So since then my musical abilities have been limited to whistling and singing along to the radio. But now I have jumped back in the music arena with the guitar. I’ll keep you updated with my progress.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) has posted about agroup of artists in berlin that use a Mac mini and a digital projector to create a portable video installation on a moving subway train. The coolest thing I have seen in a while.