This marks my first official post of 2009, and we’re already four days into the year. I’m such a slacker.

I see a lot of people blogging resolutions for the new year or recapping 2008, but I’d like to not start the year by lying to myself or bringing up the crap memories of this past year. Instead, I choose to look at the things that are making the transition to the new year with me.

I’ve spent more time and put more effort into Tango Smileys Extended than any other project I have undertaken. It has also proven to be something that I am pleased to work on, and has made me happy by being so much more than just something to do. I’ve had moments where I have considered calling it quits and releasing a final version, but those moments very quickly disappeared and were replaced by the satisfaction of taking another step forward. As each version is released, there is yet more to do, and I look forward to crossing off another item on the to-do list with the next release. The releases continue.

This blog has been an excellent output for me, and has given me a platform to do the things that I have discovered that make me happy. Without this blog, I would not have undertaken the TSE project, and I certainly would not have learned so much about PHP and SQL. I learn best by doing, and everything I have done thus far has taught me a lot. Perhaps this is the one thing I am meant to be great at doing, while everything else floats in the ether of mediocrity. I would be okay with that.

What I hope to bring to this new year is a continuous improvement of TSE, a new theme for this blog – which I’ve been rapidly producing, and a renewed feeling of accomplishment with every new post. I’m sure I will have a great year if I stay on track, which looks more and more likely every day.