Call me cynical and jaded but all I can think to say today is "here we go again."

Perhaps this isn't the degree of enthusiasm one should feel on the first day of a new year but I'm keeping my expectations in check and my hopes for 2021 tamped down a bit more than normal.

After all, the last day of 2021 brought news that Betty White has died. She has been a cultural icon and animal rights activist for so long I was kind of counting on her to outlive me. Unreasonable, I know, but still.

I spent yesterday running some errands and spending time with my folks and with a friend who is visiting from out of town. It was quiet and anticlimactic but I'm fine with that.

So here's my attempt at optimism. May 2022 bring peace, health, and prosperity for us all. At the very least, may it be a quiet year. Happy New Year!