I'm going to start early on the New Year's resolutions.

Have just read Omar's Nov. 6 entry in his blog (I've met him once, or twice, but he probably doesn't remember and I don't go back to Austin anymore) I'm reminded of how bad I've been with the movies lately. I realize his job enables him to keep up with them, just as my former gig as a minor league baseball beat reporter had me all up on the latest news (whereas now I find out two weeks later that Mike Schmidt will be managing the Phillies farm club in Clearwater next year). But I'm seriously delinquent with the movie watching. It's getting bad.

The last film I saw in the theater was, I believe, Pirates of the Caribbean. I've now seen it again on DVD already (the check disc, suckers; the actual release is in early December). I've missed out on everything I've hoped to see and those which I've been told to see (like A Mighty Wind which, if you take the joke from Sunday's Simpsons, would be funny as "a mighty wind," as in winding a clock. OK, enough, I know).

So I've written down some movies I'd like to see during this Holiday Season, between now and that first full week back at work after New Year's.

� The Haunted Mansion. It just looks fun, and Eddie Murphy can be funny. I'd rather see that than some of those bad, creepy, and truly horror flicks like the revamped Texas Chainsaw Massacre or that godawful Blair Witch Project from a couple of years ago.

� Cat In The Hat. I like Mike Myers, even though I hear from last night's panel that he's not big on sit-down interviews. That's a shame. But I love Dr. Seuss and I'm interested to see how this one translates to the screen. I never saw the Jim Carrey/Ron Howard collaboration on Dr. Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas, so maybe I should do that too.

� Elf. Omar confirmed my suspicions that this will be a good one. I'm becoming more and more of a fan of Will Ferrell, particularly after seeing Darrell Hammond try to do President Bush on Saturday Night Live. (You're great, Darrell, and the most versatile performer on the show now, but you do too many other people to make Bush work well.) As strong as that show is now after those horrible mid-90s years, it'd be a slam dunk with Will still there.

� Brother Bear. I missed Finding Nemo in the theater but watched the preview DVD I got two weekends ago and loved it. Casey and I walk around now blurting out "Mine!" like the seagulls and then crack up. Ellen DeGeneres was great too. I'm back on the Disney bandwagon (particularly when it's with Pixar, as Nemo was, though this one's an old-fashioned cartoon). They're fun and have great comic relief (does anyone doubt Bob and Doug MacKenzie as moose won't draw a laugh or two?) even if they force Phil Collins upon us.

� Cold Mountain. I didn't read the book, but American period pieces fascinate me, so I'm intrigued. I'll have to check the reviews, though, to see how this one is received.

But I'm going to go a few steps further than listing a few movies I want to see in the theater between now and January. I've got some other projects that should be completed, so I'm going to set myself a Super Bowl Sunday deadline to cover a couple of gaps.

� I need to watch the DVDs I already have. Casey and I tore through the first season of Alias, but the second one comes out in three and a half weeks (Dec. 2, the same date as the Pirates DVD, I believe. So that will be coming up, and I've also got the first season of The West Wing, the check discs for which I popped in the other day and nearly got sucked into the outstanding pilot. I stopped, but only because I had to. In addition, I've got the second seasons of 24 and King of the Hill, which were swag from work, but I plan on asking for the first seasons for Christmas. There's also two recent gifts from Casey that I've begun but not finished: the first volume (seasons 1 and 2) of Family Guy (the second volume of which will also be on my list) and the complete collection of Sports Night. Then there are all the movies.

� I should organize myself. My photos, my magazines, my videotapes. I need order, and I need to do some of the projects I've always wanted to undertake, whether it be a photo album, collage, framing or other artistic endeavor. So in addition to watching a chunk of those DVDs (I'm being realistic: I know I can't get all this done by the end of January), I want to file all my negatives into sleeves and organize my photo boxes, plus complete at least one framing project.

� I need to read more. I've got unread books out the ass, and I'm asking for only a couple for Christmas as a result. I want to get through those that I wanted (and still do) but now sit, teasing me, in our bookcase.

� Physical health. I need to work out. I should run. Those tae-bo tapes I bought years ago were clearly a stupid purchase. Perhaps more than anything, I wanted to move into that new apartment complex for the gym. I'm convinced that if we had that luxury at our disposal that I would use it. My hours (at the moment) are different enough that I shouldn't be scared away by a crowded workout room (which bothers me because, for some reason, I feel eyes on me � like when I'm dancing � and that those eyes are critical) because I could work out at 8 a.m. when most other tennants, I'd think, would be in the shower or on their way to the City already.

� The Great Reorganization. My CDs have filled up two books that hold 264 discs each. I'm getting freebies weekly, buying new albums occasionally and burning records and mixes frequently, so a third book will be necessary. I balked at doing it a month ago after buying a new book because of all the blank ones I was burning, but I just need to get to it.

But now I need to get home.