it is 2am and my brain is numb and my thoughts are murky. the best time to make foolish vows are when the mind is suffering from lack of sleep or under the influence of alcohol. i make mine now:

i vow to lose 12 pounds by the end of the holiday season.

i vow to become a full-time teacher, a writer, or a graduate student (or all three at once) within five years.

i vow to pass level 2 of the japanese language proficiency exam in december of 2002 (level 1 is the highest, and is pretty dang fluent).

i vow to win the writers of the future contest or to disqualify myself by getting several of my stories published in well-circulated periodicals within two years.

i vow to build a full-featured kanji dictionary site by the end of this year.

i vow to play a number of tunes on the bagpipes proficiently by next summer.

i vow to serve my family, friends and strangers while fulfilling the vows i mentioned above. this includes working with my children on a daily basis to help them to love themselves and others, and to reach their divine potential, and to help jana achieve the marvelous goals she has set for herself.

i am so tempted not to post this. i feel like if i do, i am so committed. but i will post these vows and i will fulfill them. goethe said, “whatever you dream you can do, begin it. boldness has genius, magic and power in it.” well, here goes::