Soon it will be time to party like those guys...well, not exactly like those guys...but in whatever way you do whatever it is you do. But first it's time for a little navel-gazing, and a little look back at some of the issues that caught my attention over the past year as I skim through the archives.

One of my resolutions last year was to "Write better, longer pieces on more frequent occasions." I'm not sure how much better they are, nor if there are a larger quantity of them, but I did write a few multi-paragraph pieces as the year wore on and the ideas batted themselves around my cranium. My trouble is that I'm perpetually torn between wanting to paste-up pointers to interesting items and waiting until I have something to say about them. Not sure which is "better," or if it really matters. I'd like to take my time, collect my thoughts and maybe craft more items that could stand alone as column-type pieces and be published in some forum that publishes...uh...columns, but really, is that going to happen? And I'm a bit of a pack-rat. I like to use the blog as a sort of "notes to self" collection. Finally, I like to try to make it so that visitors will be likely to find something new when they visit. So, some combination of linking and thinking will be likely to continue.

What goals did I set for myself last year?

Set up Solomonia so the reader can choose different skins (I know some people prefer a light background, for instance).

Check. Set up a bunch of skins. I'm sure I'll create more, too.

Write better, longer pieces on more frequent occasions.

Maybe.

Play Center Field for the Boston Red Sox (*cough*)

Uh, no, but how 'bout them Sox?

Put up at least one post lauding the New England Patriots

Check.

Exercise and eat better (*coughcough*)

Failure. Maybe this year.

Defeat Naziism, liberate a concentration camp

Working on it.

Hire an editor

Fugetaboutit.

Let's have a gander at the archives:

In January:

Demonstrators rally against Koizumi's visit to war shrine, Spacecraft survives close encounter with comet, Guest Blog - Of Terror, Hard and Soft Power and Nicolo Machiavelli (Still the most popular post in Solomonia history, and I didn't write it.), The peace marchers were out today, David Kaspar checks out Carnegie, Explaining Chomsky, Boston Mosque Coverage Continues, Other things to do with the computer aside from reading blogs, Now appearing: Pervez Musharraf as King Lear, (OK, Sol, stick to the much longer pieces or this is going to take forever!), State of the Union Quick Impressions, Dissecting the still-living corpse of Howard Dean, The Democrat Debate, The phone call Howard Dean hopes he doesn't get Tuesday night, Report: Honest Reporting, Relentless and Dershowitz, Burnt Offerings, Today's Bus Bombing, Gibson and the Holocaust

In February:

Adventuresome middle-aged female seeks companion - back hair and tail a plus, Tom Friedman - Ho Hum, Why I hate politics and politicians, The Clinton Qatar Address, Tom Friedman Redux

In March:

That darn "T"-word again, Manufactured Outrage and John Kerry's America, Now appearing: GWB as Otto von Bismarck, Robert Spencer: An Important - and Dangerous - Man, President Bush a Divider? Be real., Ernie Pyle is dead., Bat Ye'or and "The Silent Exodus" Update, Bureaucratic Sour Grapes, Report on Lecture by Bat Ye'or - 'Eurabia', Report on the Lecture by Bernard Lewis - "The New Antisemitism, First Religion, Then Race, Then What?"

In April:

Hamster Case, Word from the Front, Spanish Jihad Continued, Victory Lies Outside the City Walls, Fisking Ignatius, Spengler Musings and Spring Cleaning, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Time for me to Shnor! The Liberty Alliance!, The sense of belonging - a thought on a Saturday, "He won the war for us."

In May:

'Tony Martin law' is blocked, The Monkey's Paw, Responsibility, Free-Iran Update: SAY NO to Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Facilties - Find Out Why!, Spring Pictures, The Globe Publishes Porn, and Rumsfeld backs the Iraq interrogation techniques?!, The more I get to know you...the less I think I like you, Life is [not quite that] Beautiful, UNWRA demands Israel retract false accusa...DOH!

In June:

The LA Cross, D-Day, March for Darfur. March to protest Kofi. The report. (With pics), The New Threat, Boston for Israel Rally - Jerusalem Bus #19 - Report with Pics [Part 1], Boston for Israel Rally - Jerusalem Bus #19 - Report with Pics [Part 2], Boston for Israel Rally - Jerusalem Bus #19 - Report with Pics [Part 3], Boston for Israel Rally - Jerusalem Bus #19 - Report with Pics [Part 4 - Final], Holy Shmoly. I just watched a turtle lay eggs in my lawn. (People still Google in to that one.)

In July:

UN looks to Israel for nuclear disarmament, Oliphant: Milosevic trial = legit. Saddam=illegit., Gross-out story of the day, A bomb in Israel, Apollo 11, First to Fight, Doctors Without Borders leaves Afghanistan

In August:

Outgoing Consul Pinkas: I've learned nothing from FM Shalom (Check out the wicked combover.), Kerry woulda done better?, Back from the hills! (Updated), Kerry, Cambodia and the SwiftVets, Is Vennochi trying to float or sink Kerry?, Fisking a World-View as old as Harry Truman, Holy Shmoly! Bats in the attic!, Holy Shmoly! My Saturn is a Submarine!, Who does Oliphant think he's kidding?, You won't be able to sue our nation's enemies, Mr. Senator, First Fenway Frank, Live blogging the RNC...

In September:

The Old Stomping Grounds, A little live blog of the RNC, Live blog of The President's Speech, 'The unique depravity of modern Islamic terror.', Holocaust Denial in Real Time, Diana West: Memo to Spielberg: We're facing a 'War of the Worlds', A Thousand Coffins, Truth is Essential - "The Mideast Conflict Through the Eyes of the Media" Report, I'm not the one that's screwed up, the rest of you are. (In which I discover I'm insane.), Legal or Illegal?, "John Kerry...is attuned to the ethical complexity of this war narrative.", "Concern Surrounds Whether Power Shift Is Too Late" - But who's concern?, Kerry's Quagmire, Wag the Dog, Live Blogging the Debate

In October:

Shouldering the Burden, They're out there, Vice Presidential Debate, Thoughts on the Mosque, How's things in London Towne?, The Debate...and the ball game, A Class with Robert Spencer - Report, Dead Before Dawn - A tale of woe, The Solomonia Endorsement, Friedman at his most foolish, The weak pro-Israel case for John Kerry, Flummoxed

In November:

A class with Robert Spencer - Session 2, Now We Know Why Dick Cheney's Daughter is a Lesbian, Divestment in Somerville, Death of a Terrorist, The New Dutch Boy, The Froggy on the Fallujah/Marine Video, A class with Robert Spencer - Session 3 with Concluding Thoughts, The International Jew, 'Columbia Unbecoming' - Report

And finally, in December:

Somerville Divestment Update, Excuses and quick movie reviews, "Yes, as a matter of fact we do favor them over you. Let me hip you to why...", Theo Epstein, You Want To Impress Me? (Rant.), Mahmoud Abbas's Serenity Prayer, Dore Gold on the UN - Report, The Battle of the Bulge and a Tea Party, "A role for three 'wise men'", Taking the info where you can get it, Lies My Ambassador Told Me, In the Red Zone - Book Review, Treating Our Own, How about we send some NEA money over to Asia? (Hey look! That's last night!)

Phew. That's a lot of links. Why I did that, I'm not sure.

Anawho...if you've been a reader, thanks very much, and let me remind you - please don't hesitate to leave comments on posts. I don't have a tip jar, so comments have to do.

Here's hoping you all have a happy, healthy New Year!

I salute you!

"When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was the contents of your best friend's stomach, you'll know what to do."

Now party hard!