It's a whole new year, baby...

In just a couple more days, it will officially be 2015. Exciting, right? Doesn't that sound like a year out of science fiction? Like back in the 60s, they thought we'd have flying cars and children grown in vats by now.
New Year's, of course, is the time when everyone starts thinking about self improvement. It feels like a great time to shed the old, dead skin of the last year, and emerge a radiant new you - sometimes figuratively, sometimes quite literally. Although one day in the middle of winter is much like any other day in the middle of winter, I still think it's useful (or at least fun) to take a chance to make a clean break from bad habits, or resolve, at least for a little while, to create some better ones. Here are my resolutions for 2015.

1) Push my boundaries a little more.

I can be a little complacent. No, that's a lie - I can be really complacent. It's probably my biggest failing in the life, that I never put the effort in to be great when good, or even just ok, will do. On the one hand, it means that I'm not a worrier. The stresses in life don't really get to me, because I've set up my life to be relatively stress free. I don't really want to coast through life anymore, though. This year, I'm going to really push myself, professionally, creatively, and socially. If I want a fulfilling job, I have to go out there and prove to people that I should have it. If I want to publish a short story (or hell, a novel), I have to start with at least finishing a rough draft of something. If I want to make new friends and have a more active social life, I have to go out and meet people in the real world.
These aren't new thoughts, but they're ones that I'm determined to put into practice this year.

2) Save some money.

I've never been great about saving. I have a tendency to feel like any money that I have is there to spend; so long as I don't spend more than what I have, I'm doing ok. Of course, that ignores the reality of living paycheck to paycheck, and I try not to think too much about what would happen if I had a massive, unexpected expense, or got hurt, or lost my job.
It can be hard to resist that siren song of a new dress or pair of shoes, and I am hellaciously good at convincing myself that I should buy things that I want to buy. When you're young and bad with money, people kind of laugh at it. At least when I was in college or had just graduated, I had the excuse that I didn't make enough money to be good with it. I don't really have the excuses of youth or poverty anymore, and it's kind of embarrassing to admit that you can't hold onto a dollar when you've got a good job, reasonable bills, and are edging up near 30. Especially since I'm contributing more towards joint expenses in my house, I really need to buckle down and start setting some money aside for a rainy day. Looking towards the future, Brian and I still want to take that trip to Japan, and someday, we might need a down payment towards a house. Me right now is the same person as me of the future, and me of the future is going to be pretty pissed that I didn't figure any of this shit out when I had the chance.

3) Explore different fashion eras.

While I would describe my style as "vintage/eclectic," a lot of the vintage that I currently own is very much in the 50s/60s New Look mode. I tend to find those styles flattering, and I don't see myself ever leaving them behind. However, lately I've been craving different silhouettes, different styles, and the different attitudes that come with them. I would love to channel the jazzy flapper, the languidly sensual 30s dame, the 60s pop art girl, even the 70s bohemian. This year, I want to make some serious inroads into those different styles. Maybe some of them won't work on my body. Maybe I'll put a new dress on immediately realize that that look just isn't me. Or, maybe, I'll discover a new favorite era or silhouette, and wonder why I didn't give this look a try ages ago. As the saying goes, you never know unless you try.

So that's me. What are your resolutions going into the New Year?