Tag: 2023

Ring Out the Old

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2023 has been a year of stumbling along through the wreckage.  In every direction, as far as the eye can see is nothing but ruin.  Everything is in a shambles.  The borders, the cities, the Congress, Biden and our foreign policy.  In fact, the Ukraine is a perfect metaphor for the state of our civilization.  Across fertile fields laced with landmines and once industrious cities reduced to rubble formerly kindred peoples are locked in a life and death struggle to destroy each other.

And to prove that things can always get worse, Hamas unleashed the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse, Sadism.  Just when you think that nothing could be worse than the threat of all out nuclear war because of Ukraine, the Palestinians of that coastal hellhole; Gaza, send out squadrons of unhinged fighters to rape, maim, kill and dismember women, children and the elderly in an orgy of destruction and demonic madness.  The Israelis will earn the undying hatred of their neighbors in the surrounding Arab countries but after what was done to these Israeli non-combatants I won’t be surprised if they pursue the Hamas army to the last man even if it means killing tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians in order to reach them.  Anything less than the total destruction of Hamas will merely postpone the next round of attacks on Israel.  But the fallout from this war will be very ugly and Israel should reevaluate all of its strategic objectives and align them with the present war.  Because after it, goodwill for Israel in the Middle East will be non-existent.  Even the United States may shy away from pressing its Arab allies for support.

So, it’s really hard to find a silver lining to 2023.  Mike Johnson taking over as Speaker of the House after Kevin McCarthy was ejected by Republican right-wingers is a promising development.  Donald Trump’s growing support in the polls for the Republican primaries is also a bit of good news.  And his current lead in the polls versus Biden is likewise encouraging.  But after those three tidbits have been savored, you’re pretty much done with good news from Washington.

So, let’s turn the page on 2023 without too much introspection and analysis.  For those of you who overindulge on New Year’s Eve, you have the perfect excuse. Waking up on New Year’s Day with a hell of a hangover may be the most fitting end to a year that felt like a hangover.  Maybe we can use 2024 to start addressing problems on our own.  Obviously, we can’t undo the Biden agenda.  All the worst policies of his regime will continue for as long as the Democrats are able to bamboozle stupid or greedy people into buying special treatment for their votes.  But there is plenty you can do to minimize the impact of these dishonest policies on you and your family.  And that should be your resolution for the New Year.  Analyze what personal actions you are capable of accomplishing that have the highest impact on your life and make it your business to make them happen.

That’s resolution enough for anyone.

New Year Day 2023 – My Resolutions

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Last night Camera Girl and I rang in the New Year in our traditional manner by going to sleep at about 11 pm.  That’s right.  We missed Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest and a host of musical nobodies and cultural degenerates.  Interestingly it was 11:58 pm when we were awakened by what I assumed was a thermonuclear detonation but turned out to be what I assume were some sticks of dynamite being tossed around by one of my more excitable neighbors here in Dunwich.  After assuring myself that the house was still on its foundations, we wished each other Happy New Year and turned back over to sleep.

I hope everyone enjoyed their night last night, whether by celebrating with friends or singing along as Miley Cyrus tele-visually twerked to Auld Lange Syne.  And now we find ourselves in 2023 and like everyone else we look back on 2022 and make some course corrections to help us achieve our goals in the New Year.

And I have.  I looked at my poor performance at finishing up my story and realized that I needed a better daily schedule.  Or rather weekly schedule.  And so, I’ve blocked out my time to write fiction, write for the blog, work, remind Camera Girl that I still live here and take care of all the things that need doing around this place.

So, this morning I woke up, almost on time, and followed my plan, mostly.  And by golly it definitely helped.  I accomplished more in one morning than I’ve gotten done in the last three weeks.  Now granted the holidays are generally the worst time of the year for getting work done but I can see that following a schedule will significantly increase my productivity.  And probably getting that writing done in the morning was the best choice.  So here I am, a paragon of virtue on day one of the new world order and somewhat smarmy with self-regard.

I’ve also managed to get the web site test bed up and running on my computer and I will shortly be testing out some changes I’m thinking about.  And doing it this way I’m less likely to blow up the site by accident.  So, once again, paragon of virtue.

So, who’s better than me?  I ask you!

Of course, my track record on maintaining resolutions past New Year’s Day has not previously been stellar.  So, we will have to see how things pan out.  But I am brimming with optimism, good intentions and fat-soluble vitamins so let’s give me the benefit of the doubt.

And in line with my new regimen, I will be careful to prevent any unbridled enthusiasm over current events from erupting into overblown optimism about political saviors putting our political house in order.  From now on I’ll applaud attempts at improving things by well-intentioned individuals but I will refrain from declaring anything an outright victory until it’s confirmed by the regime.  Let’s say a declaration of defeat by the New York Times or the Washington Post.

And this is fine.  There will still be occasion to laugh when a Fredo or someone of that ilk is cast into the abyss by his own handlers or when Dopey Joe rolls down the ramp from Air Force One.  I’ll just make sure I don’t read more into these things than they deserve.  Moderation in all things.

So here we go.  “O brave new world that has such people in it.”  Let the games begin.