New Year's Resolutions

Well, I wanted to get 2007 off on the right foot by getting on here and fulfilling my commitment to myself from last night. Although it was hazy when I openly declared my intentions, one of my New Year's resolutions for 2007 was to blog more.

Paul, God bless him, has done a great job keeping My Dogs afloat for the last year. And he's done so with literally zero help from me. Following my move from NYC in November 2005 and starting a new job at roughly the same time, I really haven't had the time to blog with the regularity, much less the intensity I had previously. The combination of the new job replete with big projects and travel, enjoying being around family for the first time in a decade, a re-commitment to some interests that I had not pursued in some time, laziness and a new relationship have all contributed to my pitiful blogging performance. But kudos go to Paul for sticking it out and keeping the darn thing going.

What some of you non-bloggers might not recognize is what a commitment it is to post something every day. It requires even more commitment when you wonder if anyone is actually reading or not. One thing that lightens the load somewhat is to collaborate with a partner. You're motivated to keep things flowing if you have someone contributing at the same time. You also know that if for some reason you can't get something up, your partner will be out there making it happen in your absence. And that's the way it generally worked here for a long time. But in mid-2005 when Paul took a leave of absence to move to Cali, I took over much of the posting. I was glad to do it. I got into a regular routine and while it was sometimes challenging I managed to do pretty well with it.

When it came time for me to take some time away, we flipped roles and Paul became the de facto Dog at My Dogs. As the days stretched into months and the months into a year, poor Paul had to listen to my empty promises about "getting back into it" or "posting something on Monday." Sure, I had the best of intentions. But with all of the changes in my personal life and simply falling out of the habit, it's been really difficult to climb back on the bike and start pedaling. To his credit, Paul has shown remarkable commitment, consistency and patience with me during this interlude. And at times, I think we readers have sensed his frustration in wondering why he bothers. Well, Paul, on behalf of all of the readers let me say thank you. You consistently submit interesting, well-written posts and as you get linked by the big time bloggers, I think you have to feel good about that.

With that as background, let me say that it truly is my intention to write more in 2007. Writing is a great passion of mine and something I want to make greater use of in my career. Plus, my "fanbase" gives me lots of encouragement and compliments. They've often griped at me over the last year, asking "when are you going to post again?" Who knew they were such loyal readers? So, there you have it. Look for more from me in 2007.

Now, I'll start off by saying I might be a little slow getting started. I have to deliver a big project for a client in Monterey, CA on the 9th (and I'm way behind due to the holidays), then the next day fly to NYC for a meeting with another client, then on the 12th fly to San Diego to catch the Chargers first round playoff game. So blogging will surely be light over the next couple of weeks. But I'm going to try to get some stuff out at least every couple of days during this period. So be patient with me.

Here's hoping that all of our readers will stick with us in 2007, that new ones will join us and that all of us enjoy a safe, happy and prosperous new year.