Well, it’s that time of year again – the time where everyone looks back on the year that was and decides they need to lose weight.

Sure, I probably could stand to drop a few pounds. But that’s just one of the reasons that I don’t like New Year’s resolutions – if I really needed to lose weight, why wait until Jan. 1 to make a change in my lifestyle? But even a New Year Scrooge like myself can’t escape the allure of listing off a few of the things I’ve resolved myself to do sometime within the next few months.

But rather than focusing on the negative – increasing waistlines, decreasing bank funds – I’d rather make a list of resolutions that I’m happy to oblige. So here are a few of my resolutions for the next 12 months:

• I resolve to watch all of the 30 episodes of “The X Files” that are clogging up my Tivo’s memory right now, and to get the number of saved episodes of that show down to zero.
• I resolve to see each of the five nominees for the Best Picture academy award before the awards show airs.
• I resolve to discover or rediscover at least one musical group, so that by this time next year I can consider myself a fan of a band that I’m not a fan of yet.
• I resolve to learn to play the piano.
• I resolve to read more books in 2008 than I did in 2007.
• I resolve to write more in 2008 than I did in 2007.
• I resolve to delete at least two season passes from my Tivo.
• I resolve to color in at least one new state this year. (By way of explanation, I keep a map of the states that I’ve visited. When I visit a state that I’ve never visited before, I color in that state on the map in my attempt to visit all 50.)
• I resolve to see the Packers win the Super Bowl.
• I resolve to add seasons two and four to my collection of "Quantum Leap" DVDs. I already own seasons one, three, and five.
• I resolve to watch all three "Lord of the Rings" extended edition DVDs in one sitting.
• I resolve to have my socks rocked off by the premier of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls."

What are you going to do next year that's fun and exciting?