Gung Hay Fat Choy/Gung Ho

So, it's Chinese New Year (or Korean Seollal​, Vietnamese Tet, Mongolian Tsagaan Sarand, or Tibetan Losar)​: the lunisolar calendar turns over and we move (in Chinese tradition, anyway) into the Year of the Red Fire Monkey, who apparently is the monkey-est money of them all.

I'm not big on making resolutions at Gregorian New Year, but I have been known to set an expectation or two at the Spring Festival, so I feel comfortable doing so again. These are actually pretty concrete: I want to establish some ongoing intentions.

Once a month, we'll make a visit back to Seattle. This doesn't include Coco's trips to Bothell to teach - this means an actual social call or event down in the Emerald City. We want to keep in touch with folks who matter to us.

Once a month, we'll take a trip to Vancouver. We're so close, it would be a shame to let this resource go unvisited. We are even in the process of getting our beat-the border Nexus passes.

Once a month, we'll go to see live theater. This one is mostly for me: there was a period of about two or three years in my life when I was going to the theater oftener than once a fortnight, and I'd like to get back to something close to that.

Once a month, we'll go to the movies. This one is mostly for Coco. After a long spell at the epicenter of a very active movie group, I have certainly settled in to the Netflix and Amazon streaming scene, but I know Coco really enjoys getting out to the cineplex, so that's going on the list too.

Once a week, we'll take a good walk. This is as much about exploring Bham, our new home, as it is about exercise.

Once a week, I'll read a book for pleasure. I read enough work stuff and enough screen stuff - I need to stay in touch with long-form prose.

Once a day, I'll do my exercises. I have broken out the old Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plan and actually have been at it for about a month already. Once I have stepped it up to maintenance level, I might switch to the New York Tines Scientific Seven-Minute Workout. In any case, something every day.

There we have it: a blueprint of sorts for some directed activity. We'll check back in regularly to see how this goes.