January Resolutions is the twelfth book from Bob Hocking. One of Bob's writing "resolutions" in several years has involved producing material for his web site, In My Backpack. For this collection, over five dozen made the final effort, with four new essays produced exclusively for this release. On its pages, January Resolutions explores the expected topics of self-improvement and bad weather that the title would suggest. Bob also veers off on his usual tangents to consider other thoughts, such as how nothing lasts forever, the benefits found when must-have whoopie pies aren't, the civics test for United States citizenship, and what might happen if you drove an ice cream truck through the side of a circus tent into a calliope.Around the time Bob was six-years-old, his parents attended a meeting with his teacher. She explained to them that of all the children she had ever taught, Little Bobby was the one she would most want to be marooned on an island with because of his amazing stories. This did not shock his parents.Bob graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor's degree in English. While at school, he began working on the campus ambulance service and also spent several years working in the operating room of a hospital, which developed a basic medical background for him. Naturally, with an English degree and medical experience, the majority of his professional career has been spent in other fields. (He has also managed to avoid being stranded-alone or in a group-on a deserted island. So, that's a plus.)In March of 2003, Bob brought his writing efforts to the web with his own site, In My Backpack. (www.inmybackpack.com) Over the years, the site has included general interest, sports and travel material, specialized writing such as movie reviews, and also has captured the flavors-of-the-day in an on-going journal entry segment. Visitors will find access to several hundred essays in the archive (known as The Attic), along with material in several other areas which have become known as Backpackville as the site has grown. Bob has conducted hundreds of interviews, many of which have appeared in full or in part on his site. He considers himself "a writer with a camera," though the concept hasn't prevented him from creating a sizeable portfolio of professional work. His photographs have been used by groups such as Legends in Concert.Born and raised in Rhode Island, Bob currently lives in New York with his wife, Terry.