The holiday season is supposed to be happy, so that right there keeps me from writing anything about politics for 2024, at least for now.  Heaven knows, we can expect to be dealing with enough of that in this space in the year to come.

New Year’s Resolutions are A Thing.  Mine include slowing down with a few less classes this year, and taking more time with family. The Evil Princess and I haven’t spent as much time as we’d like with her mom, and with our kids, grandkids, and even great-grandkids. We hope to find a little more time for shooting matches, too, in 2024.

But, hey, enough about us. What are YOUR New Year’s Resolutions?

21 COMMENTS

  1. #1: Get out and shoot more! I haven’t done enough practice with either pistol or rifle, and I need to turn more money into noise and fun, as well as regain some skills.

    #2: Get out and shoot more! I got back into semi-serious photography this year, and bought some used digital gear to upgrade from my old stuff. In 2023 I took as many pictures as I did in the previous 3 years combined; I need to continue to learn some skills and regain old ones. Shoot more pictures.

    #3: Get out and shoot some more! A while back I bought what I call my “Frankengun”; an LAR-47. It’s an AR-style upper chambered in 7.62×39 paired with a lower that accepts AK-47 magazines. Shoots well for a semi-auto with 2″ groups at 100 yards) (my wife’s CZ bolt gun will shoot 1″ groups so it doesn’t beat that) and I’ve got a bunch of 20-round AK mags for it. I bought a complete bolt carrier group for it to keep as a spare, and put it in this winter, but haven’t gotten around to proving it works yet. Gotta get out there and re-check function and zero with the new BCG.

    #4: Sell off what I don’t shoot. I sold a Taurus .22 revolver last year that I hadn’t shot in years. I’ve got one or two other things that just don’t get used anymore, and at my age (mid-60’s) it’s time to admit that they’re just not going to get used much. Sell ’em, and use the money to buy more ammo for what I DO shoot.

    #5: DON’T buy any more firearms! I’ve got to admit I’ve got GAS (“Gear Acquisition Syndrome”), and stop getting stuff. Unless it’s a really great deal, or I really love it…

  2. The good food over the holiday season has resulted in me gaining about 5 extra lbs. (I am one of those people who can gain weight just by sniffing the air while walking through the kitchen! 🙂 )

    So, one of my resolutions is the all-so common one for us overweight Americans. I plan to watch my diet (again!) and try to shed those extra lbs. Hopefully, I can drop even more weight than I gained.

    My second resolution is to better organize my home. Frankly, I have always been a slob. My house-cleaning and home-organization skills are poor (to say the least!). My home is starting to look like a “hoarder” lives here. So, my second resolution is to give my home a complete “Winter’s Cleaning” (I can’t wait ’til Spring 🙂 ) and get this “pigsty” looking at least half-way presentable.

    Whether I will succeed with my resolutions, I can’t say. All I can say is that I am “resolved”! 🙂

  4. Very glad to hear that you’re taking time for you. You’ve earned every minute you take. I don’t think it’s accurate to say that you’re teaching’s are slowing down. It seems you’ve created such a massive flywheel of instruction with enormous inertia that it will be engaging us for many generations to come. Thank you. As for my New Year’s resolution I simply strive to maintain and hone the tools skills and understanding of laws as this rollercoaster of current events turns our stomachs.

  6. I personally think New Year’s resolutions make better bumper stickers than they do life direction. I made one goal relative to my physical well-being that is reasonable and measurable. Otherwise I would have no way to know whether I made any improvement or not. If anyone is curious they can check my January first blog post at rightthingplaceandtime.wordpress.com.
    I don’t mean to be a negative voice, but a positive one. I haven’t made a “resolution” for the new year in a long time. They are entertaining, but not life changing. That’s just my opinion. I do think about improving myself around this time of year, but then I set a goal or two rather than make a list of hopefuls.

    • I m with you in tht. When I identify some chnge IU need to make happen, if I’d wait till next New Year’s Eve to “think about implementing the needed change, I’d never change a thing. Nothing would happen all yar, then there would be an YUUUUGE pile of “stuff” to work on all at once. IN other words, nithing would ever change.

      SO I have adopted the practice if taking action at the time I see the need to change something. Sorta the same thinking as when I notice a slice on the sidewall of a tyre on my daily driver, I don’t wait until 31 Dcember to “make a change”. I deal with it now, les I be sranded on th side of the road, cursing the rain and cold, as I dig out the tools and trade the now-flatted tyre for another that still holds some air.

  7. Happy New Year!

    My resolutions include:
    1. Enjoy more time with the wife, kids and grandkids.
    2. Take a MAG course this year.

    The days are long but the years are short…

  8. Replace the tritium in my carry sights.
    Add a second every day carry gun.
    Do a couple minor gunsmith projects.
    Shoot more while warming up more items in my safes that have been neglected of late.
    Get back into some for of pistol focused completion.
    Get some training (finally fit MAG 80 into my schedule? I had scheduled & paid for it a while back but schedule, family issues, etc caused a refund and it fell off my radar during & after covid).
    Get out deer and elk hunting again (3 years since last hunt!).
    Get out fishing more when in FL.
    Warm up the ham radios.
    Finish organizing my small office/man cave.
    Get & use 3 sheds: pool gear; yard & misc. tools; other assorted storage (aka free up the 3rd garage stall for a boat!).
    Spend less time reading and more time doing!
    Maintain & improve on recent weight loss while improving the muscle to fluff ratio.
    Get back to the daily bicycle riding!

  9. Mas, April and I hope that you and the EP enjoy more time with your family.

    My Singular Resolution for this year is to exercise six days a week for 30 minutes. I wrote up a strategy plan and a Tactical Action Plan to make that Resolution a reality. I gave a good friend $100. If I keep my resolution through the year, he returns my money. If I do not keep my resolution he donates it to a cause or politician that I hate. That is my commitment tool. I cannot let that happen.

    Best wishes for a Fantastic 2024!

  11. Happy New Year, Mas. I hope to regain some of the strength I’ve lost over the past few years, revise my reloading bench, learn how to better run a MSR, and get a second, identical carry gun to back up my primary. If I get two of those done by 12/31/24 I’ll consider it a win.

  12. 1 – Get to the range at least once a month (work less, practice more).
    2 – Buy that AR-15… anyone have reviews of the S&W 9mm Response?
    3 – Take my wife to the range more often.
    4 – Age gracefully (a work in progress)

  14. I haven’t been shooting in 6 months, since I had a hip replacement. That hip is doing good so I’m going to the range on Thursday to renew my membership. The membership covers all the shooting I want to do for a two year period. Then my resolution is to shoot a lot more, at least twice a month. Since I’ll prepay it, I’ll be highly motivated to go so I don’t waste my membership fee. It helps that one of my favorite restaurants is about 1/2 mile from the range.

  15. I don’t believe in making resolutions, but I do have some modest goals for the new year. 1) Locate and take a class from a local instructor (Phoenix, AZ) focused on carrying and using a revolver. (Yes, I still prefer to carry a 38 snub!) 2) Function test two new pistols I didn’t get around to doing last year. 3) Go back to the gym! I don’t need to lose weight, but I do need to add some muscle and improve my cardio performance. That’s about it. Assuming the Lord doesn’t take me home this year, I’ll let everyone know how I did next January. Stay safe!

  16. Mas,
    New Year’s resolution… Shoot more and do some kind of training. I was hoping to take a MAG40 refresher this year, but I you guys don’t make the trip back to the great white northeast of New Hampshire (well, for training) I’ll look to other reliable sources. I’m bummed to hear you hear you say you’re planning on slowing down, although you and the EP have earned it many times over. Family should always come first and I consider myself lucky to have been your student.

  17. My resolution long ago was to never make another resolution and I’m happy to say I have been completely successful for at least the past 40 years! Never again!

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