It will shortly be the 13th year of the new 2000 millennium, and there’s a lot to celebrate tonight, New Year’s Eve.

I won’t delve into the political realm, so let’s just be grateful for what we have in the United States of America, specifically in Tucson, and Southern Arizona.

Here’s my list of resolutions for the New Year:

– be more patient

– be kind

– be compassionate

I hope I have the patience (Resolution #1) to practice my resolutions beyond tomorrow, but I will try to be kind and compassionate (Resolutions # 2 and 3) to those I encounter in the new year.

And so we end the powerful Year of the Dragon and enter the enigmatic Year of the Snake. I have several “snakes” in my life — three friends and a niece, so it should be an interesting year.

Happy New Year to our readers and fellow bloggers at Tucsoncitizen.com! And if you’re wondering which were my top 5 stories of 2012, four of the five were election news: two on the General Election results (candidates and propositions), the Primary Election results, the list of who was running for 2012 Pima County offices, and only one non-political post about the Powerful Year of the Dragon.

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year in Hawaiian)!

The 2nd year anniversary of the Tucson Tragedy of 1/8/11 is coming up, and here’s info from the Beyond Tucson website, with a list of their upcoming events on that day:
http://www.beyond-tucson.org/events/category/beyond-events/

We committed to be better.
To be better together.

To spend more time with those we love,
and to reach out to those we don’t yet know.

To get outdoors and enjoy nature’s beauty, 
and to fully embrace all that life has to offer.

To push ourselves beyond our normal boundaries,
and to strive for that next peak on the horizon.

Last year, on the first Saturday of the year – the anniversary of January 8, 2011, we commemorated those we lost, celebrated the spirit of togetherness and committed ourselves to building a stronger, healthier future.

Now, as this community-wide outdoor festival enters its second year, we continue this journey and move beyond towards a fresh set of challenges and new adventures.

Mark your calendars and start the year off right!

Join us on Saturday, January 5, 2013 for a full day of fun, fitness and family. Outdoor activities are planned for every age group and fitness level at multiple venues throughout Southern Arizona.

Dedicate yourself to a healthy living and to strengthening the well – being of your community.

See you on the first Saturday of the New Year – at Beyond.

The Main event “Together We Move” is at Armory Park, 220 S. 6th Avenue (south of Broadway), 12 noon to 4 p.m. Read more aboaut that family-friendly, athletic event online at their website. Tentative schedule:

At 12pm- Livable Streets Alliance and El Grupo Youth Cycling will host a family-friendly bicycle ride around downtown neighborhoods.

At 1 pm – Uzo Dance Methods and partners will be teaching Beyonce’s Move Your Body Flash Dance routine from the main stage.

At 2 pm – You can take a historical tour led by historian Ken Scoville and walk around and learn about downtown Tucson.

At 3pm – Meet Me Concepts will host a special Saturday edition of their Meet Me at Maynards Walk/Run around its usual route, but with a new twist – start/end from Armory Park.

Now that shooter Jared Lee Loughner has been sentenced to several life terms (with no parole), let us move “beyond” that horrible event to commemorating that day in a positive, healthy way. Congratulations to Beyond Tucson for their continued commitment.

Commemorate. Celebrate. Commit.

Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection

My Neighbor Totoro

All through the month of January, The Loft Cinema is proud to present a nationally-touring retrospective series celebrating the work of legendary, Oscar-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, featuring newly struck 35mm prints of the director’s feature films from Japan’s famed Studio Ghibli animation house. Don’t miss your chance to see such Miyazaki favorites as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro and more on the big screen in this smash-hit collection that has wowed audiences across the country – and now it’s here at The Loft! Most films in the series will be presented in both subtitled and English dubbed versions.

Presented by GKIDS.

Individual Films: $8.00 general admission • $6.00 Loft members & children 12 and under.
Series Passes: $55 general admission • $40 members & children 12 and under.
Series Passes are available at the box office or by calling (520)795-0844 between 11am and 10pm

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Thursday, Jan 3rd 2013
The debut film from Hayao Miyazaki, Nausicaa is considered by many to be his masterwork — and there are few films, animated or otherwise, of such sweeping scope and grandeur.

Castle in the Sky / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Sunday, Jan 6th 2013
Castle in the Sky is an early masterpiece of storytelling and filmmaking whose imaginative and ornately detailed vision presaged later Miyazaki films like Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.

My Neighbor Totoro / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Thursday, Jan 10th 2013
One of the most endearing and internationally renowned family films of all time, a film that Roger Ebert called “one of the five best movies” ever made for children. At its core My Neighbor Totoro is about human-kind’s relationship to the Earth, and viewers are left with a sense of wonder at the beauty, mystery and preciousness of the world around us.

Kiki’s Delivery Service / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Sunday, Jan 13th 2013
Miyazaki’s first big US success tells the story of a resourceful young witch who uses her broom to create a delivery service, only to lose her gift of flight in a moment of self-doubt.

Princess Mononoke / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Thursday, Jan 17th 2013
Princess Mononoke is a landmark of animation and a film of unsurpassed power and beauty. An epic story of conflict between humans, gods, and nature, the film has been universally acclaimed by critics and embraced by audiences, breaking box office records upon its original release in Japan.

Porco Rosso / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Sunday, Jan 20th 2013
This relatively unsung treasure from Miyazaki nestles a tale of morality and identity inside a soaring airborne adventure — a tribute to early aviation and the reckless flyboys whose home was the open sky.

Spirited Away / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Thursday, Jan 24th 2013
Miyazaki’s stunning, Academy Award-winning masterpiece Spirited Away was the biggest box office hit of all-time in Japan, as well as a film that helped redefine the possibilities of animation for American audiences and a generation of new filmmakers.

Howl’s Moving Castle / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Sunday, Jan 27th 2013
Infused with wondrous beauty and a compelling narrative driven by dream logic, Howl’s Moving Castle was the second Studio Ghibli film to be nominated for the Best Animated Feature Academy Award.

For the trailers & more info about each movie, click here at the Loft website. I’ve seen most of these charming, clever animated films which are for children of all ages. Eight fantastic animated films all will be showing at the Loft Cinema. This is Japanese animation at its best.