An Irresolute New Year

I have never been one for making heaps of resolutions.  Given that I have spent the past week hacking, wheezing and oozing, I am hoping that I got my annual illness (I tend not to get sick much) out of the way.  But hoping that I am health ain't much of a resolution.

I joked on twitter that I am resolved to self-promote less in 2015.  But that is not really a resolution as much as a realistic expectation.  I hit personal highs in self-promotion with the Dave and Steve book.  I visited many lands near and far, tweeted early and often, to get the word out on the book.  Since I don't have any books coming out in 2015 ...   Oops, I may have two or three.  The edited volume that is part of the Canada Among Nations series, which is the focus of my Dec/Jan; the new edition of For Kin or Country that is coming out in July; and perhaps the Canada and Afghanistan book that has been on hold while I have been working on other stuff.  Ok, 2015 will be chock full of self-promotion--just with three different projects rather than just one. 

I will be writing a bit less in 2015, at least as far as I can tell.  I will be in between books, as I will be starting up the next big project in the spring--researching the role of legislatures in civil-military relations.  That will require interviews, travel and interviews.  I will be writing far less frequently for Opencanada.org, as they are changing their way of operating.  I will have occasional posts but nothing like a weekly column.  I hope to use that energy to write a bit more for Political Violence at a Glance and Duck of Minerva.  I don't expect any of my posts to get as much attention as a certain few did in early 2014.  I am Spewing at a slower rate here over the past year than in previous years.  I expect that pattern to continue--not quite writer bloc-ed or exhausted--but not quite as energized as in previous years.  Of course, most of my blogging is reactive--reacting to the news (thanks, Putin!), to what I see on twitter and in the blogs of others.  So, if I get agitated enough, my output might increase.

I guess if I had to be resolved to do anything this year it would be to read more.  I am far behind in my reading of academic stuff--what has been published in journals and books over the past few years.  Once I clear my desk of the backlog of letters of recommendation, reviews, and that Canada/Afghanistan book, I hope to read more.  I remember being admonished by my adviser at Oberlin when I thought that life as a prof would mean reading to my heart's content.  He suggested that there would be other stuff that would crowd out the reading.  He was most wise. 

One thing I do not have to resolve--staying up to date with the latest in fun tv and movies.  2015 promises to be an amazing year, and I will be keeping on top of that.  One of the handy things about having the kid away at college is that I no longer have to wait for a time that is convenient for her to see something.  So, I expect to see every big superhero/space movie pretty close to the release date.  And, of course, the countdown to Star Wars 7 is now under 365 days!

I had an excellent 2014 as there was much skiing that came along with book promotion.  I hope your 2015 is just as much fun as I had in 2014.

Oh, I just need to get my 2014 holiday cards....