Hi. Happy New Year. Thanks for visiting.

I hope you're excited. Because I sure am.

In the year 2013 I'm going to try something new: Trying new things.

We're kicking it off today, January 1st, with New Thing #1: which is none other than the fact that I'm going to try new things.

First, some background:

Two of the past three years I've done a little experiment on Facebook: 365 status updates in 365 days. (Last year was a leap year, so it was actually 366 updates in 366 days.) I like the idea of doing something every day of the year and ending up with 365 of something, but if I'm being honest, I'm growing tired of Facebook. Early in 2012 I kind of wished I hadn't started with the status update thing again. But I needed to see it through to the end. And I did. And I started to think about something new I could try in 2013.

My only real requirement was that it was something for which I could use this site pretty extensively. I received some good suggestions, variations of ideas I had thought about from the moment I first decided I needed something new. A picture a day, a thought a day...but I felt some of that would end up feeling forced on certain days.

The one that kept sticking with me, though, came from a cousin soon after my wife suggested it: How about a new food or drink every day, ending up with 365 new possibilities. The problem is that I could just see that becoming really hard some busy weeks at work. But I like the idea of trying new foods. What if I could do that occasionally...along with other new things?

But here's the thing. I'm a creature of routine. I settle into habits. Most of the time I do not like trying new things. I am not the biggest fan of meeting new people or doing something new.

Or am I? Maybe I just like routine so much that I am resistant to doing new things...but maybe I'll like it. I should at least try.

So here we are. Here's how this will work:

I may not try something new every day. And I may not be able to post every day. But I promise that if I miss a day, I'll make it up. And December 31st, 2013, I will post New Thing #365, and we'll see what kind of experiences I've had. Or food I've tried. Or music I've listened to. Or whatever new thing comes about.

I'm excited. Thanks for being with me for this adventure.

Of course, I welcome e-mails, tweets (@jsucich), or comments with suggestions for anything new - or whatever you have to say.

January 1st, 2013. The day I start trying new things. On to New Thing #2.