I write this while nursing a far-too-expensive beer and paying for far-too-expensive wifi access at Los Angeles International Airport. My flight has been delayed over three hours, with no end in sight. The computer system which processes incoming international flights in immigration is broken. Thusly, they can’t let people off the planes for fear they may run into America and cause havok. And because of that, I cannot board my plane to Bulgaria.

Yes, i said Bulgaria. We’ll get to that in a minute.

The point is, I’m thinking about delays. They’re delaying my plane. And I’ve been delaying updating the site. So I can’t rightly get too mad at Lufthansa.

The thing is, I’ve been doing new things (albeit often lame, weak new things), it’s just that I’ve been so incredibly busy I haven’t often been able to write/post/edit video/upload photos regarding them. It’s something I didn’t really take into account - that the doing of the thing isn’t what would swallow my life, it’s the posting about it.

That being said, I am going to make a real effort to get up to date. This might mean that I will be posting some lean explanations of my new things for the past few weeks. But the sooner I can get that out of the way, the sooner I can get back on track. We’re coming up on the six month anniversary of All New Year - the halfway mark. I can’t give up now.

Oh, and I’m going to Bulgaria. Told you I’d cover that.

–opus

I harken back to that time in life where we learned all of our most important lessons: Watching the movie Summer School. This 80s romp about Mark Harmon as a cool, laid-back, reluctant teacher inspiring a bunch of burnout kids kids warmed all of our hearts - and had a lot of shots of girls in bikinis. But most importantly is the scene where he teaches them to get free stuff by writing letters of complaint.

Over the weekend in Phoenix, the weather was over 100 degrees every day. And our hotel room at the ironically named Quality Suites, crammed with four dudes, had no air conditioning. We complained five times. Nothing ever happened. In the end we just had to sweat it out in our dank, nasty little cave of a room.

So now I have taken pen to paper and written a suitably bitchy letter to the people at Quality Inn and Choice Hotels. It will be sent to all appropriate parties, and I expect nothing more than free stuff in return. If I do not get free stuff, Mark Harmon will have to explain himself.

–opus

This one has been a while in the works - with many thanks to Jason from Revver who helped me out. Now you can subscribe to a Video Podcast of my Taco Tuesday videos.

What does this mean? Well, grandpa, let me tell you. You subscribe via iTunes (or other podcast thingy) and once a week it delivers the Taco Tuesday goodness right to you. You can watch it on your computer, or your ipod, or your phone or via your neural brainjack. Whatever’s easiest. On your own time.

So why not join in the greatest time-suck of our generation? Click on the link below to launch up your iTunes and subscribe.

–opus

Well, I’m off to vegas for a wekend of drinking, debachery, and diminishing returns. I’ll do my best to log on and update the site, but the one-two punch of not having a working card and being too busy being in vegas may just put a damper on that.

Rest assured, though: Pictures will be taken, notes will be noted, and what happens in Vegas will be up on the site soon enough.

–opus

I think perhaps it was a great philosopher who said it. Or perhaps I saw it on a faded bumper sticker on a VW Microbus chugging its way down a freeway. But somebody, somewhere once said, “Try something new every day.” Literalist that I am, I’m going to try it.

Starting on March 5th, 2007 (my birthday) I am going to try one new thing every single day. Some will be small and easy - I have never had a Sloe Gin Fizz, for example. I look forward to that one. Others will be scary and difficult. I have never jumped from an airplane. I do not look forward to that one, and I may need a few Sloe Gin Fizzes in me to make it happen.

Regardless of the terror that clutches my bowels when I think of what’s in front of me, it will be an adventure. I invite you to come along, help me out, give me suggestions, and enjoy.

Embracing fear as tentatively as one would embrace a purfume-soaked aunt,

–opus

PS - I have a lot of ideas, and a lot of plans, but I can always use more, more, more. Please drop me a line at suggestions [at allnewyear [dot com to give me more ideas. Thanks!