To prove that I have learnt something from all those team away days, I have decided that for 2003, my resolutions will be limited to five, and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Limited), though I don't plan to go through a full planning exercise. Look ma, bullet points!

• Reduce the quantity of books, toys, junk and stuff in my house by 25%.
• Prioritise my active/pending/planned project list and completely dump the bottom 25%.
• Consolidate the comic collection and dispose of our least favourite/overly duplicated 25%.
• Increase general calmness, a mellow outlook and stress-defusing behaviour by 25%.
• Reduce self-destructive behaviour, habits and thought-patterns by 25%.

I considered adding giving up drinking to the list, but then I remembered that they were supposed to be realistic and achievable. Ho hum. Number five will include some stuff about drink.

So I said I was trying to get another strip done this week, and I managed, despite Damian's best attempts to distract me with his new Gorillaz DVD (thankyou tinyjo) and Tivo's provision of that first episode of Enterprise we missed. It's another "well obviously it's in colour" episode (panel 2 should tell you why) so I'm feeling horribly knackered now, but I think it was worth it -- it's a christmas present strip, one for my friends.

Notes:

In Panel 1 I'm wearing my new scream t-shirt from Jenny (Damian's Mum). Oh, it makes me look very sane. Also featured the "SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER" sloganned alpha-t, and old fave the shopping trolley shirt (a gift from jinty.

The little brown bird is imaginary, but partridges do make a sort of "oh oh" noise. The cat is not imaginary -- believe it or not, tinyjo trusted me to look after Cassie while she was off with her folks for Christmas -- though she's more of a purrer than a mewer, really.

Fun fact! Barbie as Rapunzel is what Mainframe, the creators of landmark CGI series Reboot, went on to do next. I suppose we all have to pay the rent.

Christmas isn't christmas without the Queen's speech, but the real Queen bores me and none of the alternatives looked good. Thank heaven for dickon_edwards's christmas post, the perfect substitute.

Yes! I now own about 50 tiny plastic zombies! They came with a game called, wait for it, Zombies. The rules were a bit sketchy and the game-play frustrating and sluggish, but the actual stuff is beautiful, and I'm sure we can jig the rules to speed it up. In that same panel (7) Damian is holding a lucky waving cat, which my sister brought back from Hong Kong for me. It has a battery up its arse, so it waves for just that little bit longer.

The last two panels illustrate having loads of ousfg friends round to watch anime, really fun. I made them all watch Cardcaptors while we were waiting for Zac (applez) to turn up. Which made me happy :)

Which covers about everything, I think.

Happy New Year!