It’s that time of the year again: It’s the new year’s resolutions! I started this year with four resolutions. How did I do?

• Run more this year than I did in 2012. Last year, I ran a total of 125 km according to Endomondo. In 2013, the distance I ran was 156 km. Not that much more, but it’s still more. So mission accomplished. In 2014, I’ll have to run even more to stay reasonably fit.
• Spend more time with friends to make sure they know I’m still alive. This didn’t start out too bad, but I’ve still failed miserably socially. Of course I see my friends from time to time, but I could do a lot better.
• Go to more concerts. In 2013, I didn’t go to more concerts than I did in 2012 - but I did go to all the concerts I really wanted to: One gig with Biffy Clyro. And, man, it was a great show. But apart from that one concert, Oslo didn’t really get visited by any other artists I wanted to see this year.
• Take a picture a day. This resolution went really well, and I summarized the project in another entry. I’ll continue taking a new picture every day in 2014.
• Smile more. I don’t know how well I did on this one, but I’m guessing it started out pretty good, then I probably forgot about it. I’ve had this as a new year’s resolution for two years now, and it’s about time to face the music: I’m not a smiler. It’s not that I’m that grumpy guy who get people down - I even get people to laugh from time to time - I’m just not a born-again-Christian-type-of-smiler. All in all, I think I did all right with my 2013 new year’s resolutions. What do I have planned for 2014?

I feel than to run more and take a picture every day are things I will do, even if they are not new year’s resolutions. The resolutions should be something that’s actually a bit hard to follow through, something you have to struggle a bit to achieve; like stop smoking or finally finish that doctorate. Now, I don’t smoke and a doctorate is way beyond my intellect, but I do have my addictions.

1. Stop buying games on Steam sales (or other game sales) that I’ll never have the time to play anyway. My main excuse for buying games on sale this year is a silly one: I can play them when I retire. But that’s at least 30 years from now. I’m going to be so bold as to exclude Kickstarter campaigns and indie games from this resolutions. The (somewhat shaky) reasoning behind this is that by pledging to Kickstarter campaigns and buying indie games, I’m supporting someones life long dream of making computer games for a living.
2. Spend more time with friends to make sure they know I’m still alive. This is obviously something I struggle to achieve, so I’m giving it another try in 2014. Whenever someone invites me to something, I’ll say yes, even if staying at home seems like a much better idea - granted I don’t have any prior commitments, which, historically, I usually don’t.

Two new year’s resolutions. Not too ambitious, but to be honest, I think I’ll have a hard time with both of them. I have, for instance, I’ve bought way too many cheap games this year, it’s so bad I even managed to buy two copies of the same game, Magicka. If you want a late Christmas present, drop a comment and I’ll send you the extra Steam key.

So good luck to me and by new year’s resolutions.