As the third month of 2008 fades into spring, it’s time to revisit my resolutions for the year.

Resolution 1: Write 14 hours a week, in one of two basic schedule configurations: Two hours on weekdays and four on Saturday. Alternately one hour on weekdays and the balance across the weekend. A bit more is fine if my calendar allows it, but fourteen is the absolute minimum.

So far in 2008: Averaging about six hours per week, mostly on weekends, a bit short of the intention. But writing is better than not, and I will reverse course and hit the original target soon.

Resolution 2: Complete the first draft of The Confession by July 1, 2008.

So far in 2008: Virtually all creative writing efforts have been funneled into this project thus far this year, though less energy than forecast. Because they are complementary goals, by staying on point with the resolution one, propels me naturally towards number two.

Resolution 3: Finish the screenplay started last summer by September 1, 2008.

So far in 2008: As it was in 2007.

Resolution 4: If necessary, resume whole scale querying for The Last Track.

So far in 2008: Query on! Quite a story behind the rationale for this resolution, which I will explain with considerable humorl at a later date.

Resolution 5: Follow the Abs Diet for 6 weeks–the initial length of the program. If the results are good, continue. If not, find another eating and exercise plan. Lose the ten pounds of fat gained since Thanksgiving.

So far in 2008: Except for brief excursions to Vegas and Kansas, which temporarily frustrated sound eating habits, I have stayed with the Abs Diet since early January. Lard shed thus far: 11 pounds, completely in line with forecast. I look a lot better, a point echoed by a number of people who have last seen me before the holidays.

Resolution 6: Review progress with these above goals every eight weeks.

So far in 2008: Forgpt the initial March 1 check-in, and instead conducted the oversight on April 5. Next check-in is May 4. Easy enough to address in May and July.

They play for keeps in Wisconsin. A woman jailed for not returning library books knows the struggle.

Irony: in checking my shelves this weekend, I discovered one book 21 years overdue, and another title 13 years late. Both are actually quite good reads, entertaining and informative. I’ve read them each several times. Still, that does not excuse my procrastination. I’m thinking about mailing them back with a short note and a check for replacement costs. That would one way to handle it. Maybe the right way.

But for now, there’s two states I’ll continue avoiding for fear of prosecution.

Diablo Cody is my new writing hero; she wrote a hell of screenplay that made for a great film and and netted an Oscar, too. Personally, I could care less if she was a stripper.

She might just prove to be the Shane Black of the aughties. Edgy, super-smart and capable of pumping out quality stories, Diablo has an eye for unforgettable characters. What Shane Black was to dick-lit–he created the Lethal Weapon series–Diablo does for coming of age. And she does it damn well.

There’s a lot more to come. She has two other script sales and a development deal with Showtime. Nice.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be back in force. An email came yesterday which explained a particular situation I had invested a lot of energy stressing about recently. Unfortunately the contents are not appropriate for public discussion. Therefore, I shall not do so here. What matters is there is a reason for the delayed answer I was expecting.

While the time for champagne is well off in the horizon, it’s far from curtains.

A brand new and shiny me. Thursday.