New Year's Resolutions 2012

It's a Debate Link tradition: New Year's Resolutions! Here are my previous resolutions for 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007. But first, we appraise my performance on last year's resolutions:

Met: 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15.

Missed: 2 (through no lack of effort, unfortunately), 3, 10, 11, 14.

Pick 'em: 1, 4, 5.

And now, to 2012!

(1) Get at least one scholarly article published. (Met -- several times over!)

(2) Recover my copy of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. (Met)

(3) Successfully move to Minneapolis. (Met)

(4) Don't embarrass myself as a law clerk. (Met -- not yet anyway, as far as I know)

(5) Create more crossword puzzles. (Met)

(6) Go to a University of Illinois sporting event. (Met)

(7) (Continue to?) succeed as a teacher. (Met)

(8) Solidify post-clerkship plans. (Missed)

(9) Visit Carleton. (Met)

(10) Find a new television show to watch. (Met)

(11) Be more Jewish with Jill, wherever we are. (Met)

(12) Use my punching bag (or otherwise exercise) more. (Well, technically I met this...)

(13) Try to get some writing done while clerking (aside from that which is professionally required, of course). (Well, technically I met this too...)

(14) Read more books. (Met)

(15) Take this blog's upcoming involuntary sabbatical with grace and poise. (Missed)

That last one, of course, needs some explanation (unless I already made this announcement, in which case, sorry, I forgot). Once I start my clerkship, the canons of judicial ethics will severely circumscribe my ability to comment publicly on legal or political issues -- i.e., do much of what this blog does. Hence, I will in effect have to take a sabbatical from blogging.

This won't happen until right before I start in Minnesota (and I'll announce it in a proper goodbye post). And I still haven't quite decided on the logistics -- I might simply refrain from posting (or perhaps only on completely safe topics like boxing), or I might make the site "private" (password-protected). But regardless, this is quite bittersweet. The blog will celebrate its 8th birthday in June, which, when you think about it, is a very impressive run. It's been a very important part of my life for (wow) almost a third of my life, and it will be no small thing to not be able to write anymore. It really feels like I'm losing something very special.

You'll note that I'm calling this a "sabbatical", and I hope that makes clear my intention to return. Which is my intention, though of course a year long break can change many things. In any event, we still have quite a few months of posting before then. So no sense dwelling on it. In the meantime, happy holidays and happy new year!