A cleansing ritual to self-assessment and repentance

On New Year's day we had a fantastic meal with my girlfriend Fiona's brother, his wife and her family. This family have a tradition of setting aims for themselves over the year, and ajudging their progress at the beginning of the next. This judging also includes a prize giving and, presumably, bragging rights for the year ahead.

Myself and Fiona have become involved in the project this year, and I intend to recount my progress via this blog. Hopefully this will give a bit of impetus to the Valves and mean I can find something to write about on a more regular basis. Be warned, however, this will mean more rambling, more unjustifiable views and more florid language!

Anyway my aims, and my progress so far are as follows:

1. A weight loss aim, I must lose 3 stone before the end of the year. So far I have only had one weigh in, so I know where I'm starting from, but progress is difficult to measure thus far.

2. A work aim, to have at least 9 reports published this year. I'm not a fool so I can't reveal the nature of my work (part of it demands confidentiality and my reports are necessarily published anonymously) but Fiona will be the adjudicator for this. I have one report already at second draft stage and two more have been approved for publication internally (there is an external opportunity for comment also) so I think I'm well on the way with this.

3. A home aim, to sell all the stuff I have earmarked as being for selling on eBay. I have not done anything on this aim since the New Year.

4.A creative aim, to post at least once a month on the Valves. I'm doing it now! Well done me!

5. A cultural and money-saving aim - to see fewer shows at the Fringe this year than the arts editor of the Scotsman. He saw 28 last year, and I saw more, and as an ordinary punter, I paid for all mine too. In order to wean myself off the Fringe and to save money I will attempt to see fewer.

You will notice the absence of any mention of The Macca Project there. Maybe in 2008?