I say, to hell with that. I’m not going to make any resolutions per se save for only one. And this singular goal will apply not only to the coming year but will also serve as a life-long quest.

Be better.

I know I should come up with something I could quantify because, after all, how can I determine I’ve gotten better than I was before?

Well, I can always tell when I’ve gotten worse so it begs to argue that I’ll easily be able to discern when I’ve gotten better. Keep it simple.

Plus, I acknowledge that everything is cyclical. So if I happen to falter in mid-stride, I’ll just simply pick things back up and be better.

That’s my goal. What’s yours?

Like many users of that popular social network, my “Friends” actually include family members, real-life friends, online “friends,” former/current work colleagues, former schoolmates, social acquaintances (i.e. people with whom I get drunk), friends of friends, friends of friends of friends. The list goes on. But, also akin to the conditions that afflict most users, I truly interact with maybe only a couple of dozen of them on a regular basis.

Such is life, you say? Of course. Then, why the hell should I have over four hundred of them saddling my account? It seems an unnecessary abundance– hundreds of people to whom I have nothing to say and vice versa. Hence, why keep them?

“You brought that on to yourself,” a good friend recently told me. Pointedly, I might add. He’s right, of course.

I thought about doing another “great purge,” and just systematically deleting people from my account, but then I thought that would seem heartless and insensitive. After all, most of these people sought me out, and I allowed the association. Simply deleting them would be the most blatant thing I could do. However, since 90% of them choose to not interact with me either, what would be the big deal? And, if they truly want to be my friend (sans quotation marks), they’ll seek me out again, right? Unless, of course, the act of deletion would make them blackball me from their “friends” lists. Am I making a quandary out of nothing?

I could make myself feel better by convincing myself that I would actually be doing those people a favor by purging them from my list, sparing them from having to see posts/updates from someone with whom they consciously choose to not interact regularly anyway. But, knowing myself, I would allow some version of guilt to overwhelm me, and I would wonder (for a long while) how many people’s feelings I may have hurt. It wouldn’t matter if those feelings weren’t hurt at all; I would still let it bother me.

Then, I thought a more brilliant idea would be create a new Facebook profile (which I already did) bearing a different, yet still somewhat related, user name. I would then strategically “friend” only the family members and friends with whom I truly want to interact frequently and genuinely. It would allow me to manage my “friends” list to a more reasonable number. Two digits, undoubtedly, and maybe even under 50. It would be very exclusive– borderline elitist– and I would summarily dismiss any “friend requests” from casual acquaintances. In other words, I would somewhat disappear from the masses.

The most radical thought I have is to just stop using Facebook altogether. After all, I’ll still have my Twitter account; not having a Facebook account would make it so that I’m checking one less thing for updates. And, if I truly needed an online venue to interact, I could explore Google+, which seems to be a promising platform for me to start over, so to speak.

In other words, I could simply delete my current account without any notice. No if’s, and’s, or but’s. It seems the most fair way to go about whittling my social (network) responsibility.

But, can I really do that? Can I truly walk away from that which I’ve built into a thriving element of my social life, however pathetic that may sound?

Thundercats

Silverhawks

Bionic 6

Mighty Orbots

And speaking of anime, here are some of my most favorite opening sequences/theme songs:

Flames of Recca

Gatekeepers

Sakura Wars

Bleach

Now, just a little under twelve hours before what many crazed people claim to be the End of Days, when the righteous, chosen 3% of the world’s population will supposedly be lifted up to heaven while those left behind are said to then face seven years of extreme trials and tribulations– including eventually dealing with the so-called Antichrist– I can’t help but find the humor in all of it.

Even further back in the day, I became obsessed with a literary series called “Left Behind”, an epic tale about the people who weren’t lucky enough to have been Raptured, and the situations they had to endure before the final days. There were sixteen or seventeen books altogether that it almost read like another bible. I was at once fascinated and terrified as I immersed myself in the authors’ fantastical work, and, convinced I will be among the unlucky who will indeed be left behind, began concocting survival schemes in my head when The Rapture comes to be.

Fast forward to today, when what many Christians would immediately label me as “wayward,” someone who has “lost his faith,” I laugh at reading about all these people who are rejoicing about and preparing for the Rapture that’s predicted to happen today, May 21st, 2011, at 6pm local time. “For reals” this time. Like the past predictions of the our demise– at one point to happen in 1999, and let’s not forget about December 2012– were clearly erroneous, and that we should really be ready for this one.

And I wonder: How many churches will be filled to the hilt tonight? How many “lost souls” will suddenly “find faith?” There are already reports of people stocking up as if for a nuclear fallout. It’s just nuts.

Tonight, at 7pm, I’m attending a “Rapture Party,” surrounded by like-minded realists who find the ridiculousness in all this. We’ll be reveling in each other’s company while not having the slightest worry.

But, I’m not going to kid myself. Before then, I know I’ll still have 6pm on my mind, and will be on the lookout for people to magically disappear around me, leaving all but piles of their clothes behind. And I’m going to sit back and watch the world go to shit.

I would hate to be wrong about this whole Rapture thing, but in the unlikely event that it does come to pass, at least it would be a great reason to drink again. This self-imposed sobriety has cramped my style.

Beginner Class
Beginner level Animate It! workshop for kids ages 7-11. Students will learn about the art of animation by creating their very own stop-motion animation video! Students who do not feel ready for an advanced Animate It! workshop are highly encouraged to participate. The class will incorporate various fun, DIY animation techniques building towards the creation of an animated sequence!

Dates: January 22nd and January 23rd
Times: 10am-1pm both days
Location: The Hollywood Theatre
Cost: $70, limited scholarships available

Advanced Class
Have you taken an animation class before? Are you familiar with how to use stop motion software? Join our new advanced level Animate It! workshop. Students will work with a professional animator to expand their technical knowledge, and learn how to incorporate audio into their films. Class size is extremely limited, so enroll soon! Animate It! workshop will be instructed by animator Dan Ackerman, Director of ‘Ackerman Films’ and owner of ‘Stage 13′ Production Studio

Dates:
Saturday, January 29th
Sunday, January 30th
Saturday, February 5th
Sunday, February 6th
Times: 10am-1pm each day
Location: The Hollywood TheatreCost: $200

Call 503-493-1128 to enroll

Here’s the link to their website:  http://www.filmactionoregon.org/educating/animate_it.html

What better way to enrich a youth’s life than through the arts!

I’ve really taken to the TV Show called No Ordinary Family (ABC, Tuesdays, 9pm) partly because, well, in all honesty, I miss Heroes.  But mostly because I’m beginning to really like the characters and what they go through to balance possessing extraordinary abilities with everyday life.

Jim (Michael Chiklis) is the head of the not so ordinary Powell family.  He is a police sketch artist who wants to do more.  He developed the ability of super-strength and invulnerability.  We already know Chiklis can play a superhero, so Jim is no stretch.  However, I like the restrained excitement with which he plays his character, tempered with an “all around good guy” vibe.  Stephanie (Julie Benz) is Jim’s wife, and is a very successful scientist at Global Tech, Stephanie developed super speed, which has come in very handy on more than one occasion.  (Fanboy Segue: Benz played the vampire “Darla,” one of my most favorite characters from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.)  Rounding out the family are Daphne (Kay Panabaker), the daughter who developed the ability to read minds as well as tactile postcognition, and JJ (Jim Bennett), the formerly not-so-smart son who ironically developed super intelligence.

Supported by “sidekicks” George St. Cloud (Romany Malco), District Attorney who also happens to be a good friend of Jim’s, and Katie Andrews (adorably portrayed by Autumn Reeser), Stephanie’s lab assistant, the Powells are able to evolve into a superpowered family you can get behind.  And now that new characters (both good and bad) continue to be introduced– not to mention that the character of Will/Joshua (played by Josh Stewart) continues to evolve into something more than just a hired gun for Dr. King– I’m making space in DVR to catch the Powells do their thing.

What I appreciate most about Family is that, unlike Heroes, they don’t seem to take themselves too seriously.  Of course, it helps that it’s family friendly (probably slated for syndication on ABC Family at some point), so it has that aw-shucks and a we’re-just-trying-to-be-normal-even-though-we-kick-ass approach.  It is perhaps this lightheartedness that makes me appreciate it more.  Oh, sure, there’s a badass villain who happens to be Stephanie’s boss, Dr. King (portrayed by Commander Decker! a.k.a. Stephen Collins) but even that character (for now) seems pretty harmless.

Let’s just hope they don’t jump the shark at some point by suddenly granting powers to the previously non-powered (*cough* Ando *cough*) or by doing something else that is purely nonsensical.  I’d like to be able to enjoy the Powells for a very long time.