I’m sitting in the control tower this week because assistant editor Quinn took his parents for a quick trip to the snow.

By the time you read this, New Year’s Eve and Day will be mere memories; revelry will have been reveled, plungers will have plunged, and for those whose motto is go big or go home, hangover remedies may have been pressed into service.

Now the rest of the year stretches before us, with resolutions ready to be fulfilled.

Following is a truncated top five to help you check a few things off your list if you are looking to improve your body, mind or soul.

1 Join Scout and me at the Resolution Run & Polar Bear Plunge. The race director says he hears how much racers love to see the photos of themselves, pink and grinning, after they emerge from the surf, especially those that vowed they would never do such a thing. See coast calendar, pages 10 and 11.

2 You can’t put a label on the things you can learn at the Oregon Coast Learning Institute. Travelogues, history lessons and great advice on planning for the future are mixed in with just for fun topics each semester. See page 13.

3 Nature bathing might be the hip new thing for stress management, but getting soaked in winter storms just isn’t that relaxing. Bath yourself in art instead at three new shows debuting at the Newport Visual Arts Center. See page 14.