In which Matthew resolves

It's embarrassing that I have become this maudlin. It's very unpleasant and itchy and I think I'm developing a rash. There was a part of me that froze in 2004 after the RNC held its convention in New York to capitalize on 9/11 (while the natives coughed 9/11 up into our bathroom sinks and then tried hopelessly to get back to sleep). I think that part of me started to thaw when I was canvassing for the DNC this summer and started actually thinking about [scarequotes] hope [/scarequotes] and I will always resent Grassroots Campaigns for that. And now I've set up a political Facebook group. It's sweet, and optimistic.

Yes You Can: Obama Years' Resolutions

It's like a New Year's Resolution, but you actually do it, and it lasts for four to eight years.

(I'm going to do one for myself anyway, so I figured I'd spread the idea around. It's a way of doing homage to what may really be a whole new chapter for all of us.)

It's your trade-off with fate, with God, with the Spirit of America, with whomever you please -- if Barack Obama wins the election on November 4, you will use that extra burst of hope/confidence in humanity to do something you've always wanted, or to change something about your life that you've always wanted to change, and you'll keep that promise for as long as Obama is in office.

AS SOON AS YOU CAN THINK OF YOUR OBAMA YEARS' RESOLUTION, POST IT ON THE WALL BELOW TO MAKE IT OFFICIAL! ...and then keep us updated about your progress after we win in November. I've posted my resolution already. And spread the word. Maybe Fate will put the right guy in office just to hold us to our promises.

Mine is to take my play-script ideas off the back burner and work on them for at least an hour on every morning that Barack Obama is in office. And if I finish them all, and he's still president... then I start on the novel.

Over a few days, the group has collected forty-three members and added thirteen resolutions to mine. The openings have strengthened from "If Barack wins" to "When Barack wins." Some have added resolution bonuses if Prop 8 fails. , Some are really intense; some are from people I've never met: to do more volunteer work and be more involved in my immediate community... [to] also continue my pathetic attempt to learn how to garden and grow my own food in my new back yard; to get my apartment complex to recycle and keep them from flooding their lawns every night (even when its raining, my god!) and I will hang out with my estranged father and my t.v. dinner grandparents... maybe I'll even tell my dad that I'm a vegetarian (going on 2 years); to devote at least one day per month to performing a Community Service; to keep my house clean all the time, and will do this by not overscheduling myself. I will not allow more than 5 days a month to have a schedule so busy that I have no time or energy left to pick up after myself; to take freelance work only if it has a socially important message, is artistically challenging, or has cultural significance. No more work on lame, Disney-esque children's shows, or comic palaver for adults just to make a buck. This will make me feel more fulfilled and give me more time to spend with friends, family and neighbors; to begin talking with people in my family that I don't get along with and currently ignore. I'll start every conversation with the phrase, "Let's start with what we agree on...."; to attempt to quit smoking; to get myself into better shape, manage my time and money more effectively, engage in my community, maintain at least one creative outlet, and strengthen ties with my family and friends every day he is in office; to sincerely compliment one person a day; to lose at least 20 pounds in the next year if Barack Obama is elected. I'll make that 30 if Prop Eight fails; to complete my 200+ hours yoga teacher training so that I will be healthier and more at peace every day that Barack Obama is in office; to drink the recommended eight daily glasses of water and watch VH1 celebreality every day Barack Obama is in office (that one was my little sister); to read through my copy of Diana Hacker's *Rules for Writer; Sixth Edition* so as to improve my writing skills for ever day that Barack Obama is in office (that one was a former student of mine).

Needless to say, if you're reading this and you haven't already, go make a resolution.