Every year about this time, in a highly idiosyncratic and in no way common routine, I start thinking about the year just gone and the year ahead.

It’s interesting. You should try it.

Anyway. Shitty jokes aside, let’s talk.

First: yes, I know, I suck, I haven’t published a thing, etc etc etc. Let’s just get past that, shall we? Okay.

Second: have I actually written? At all? Yeah, some. Not a lot, and really not enough to finish much, but yeah.

Third: was 2021 a shitty year? Well, does the Pope shit in the woods? (Yes, when the Vatican’s unavailable.)

Every time (counts on fingers: like, 5 times) I have opened this site in the last couple of (counts on thumbs: yeah, 2 is right) years, I have laughed bitterly at this entry about 2017 sucking.

I legitimately have no idea why I wrote that. Well, I have one idea. But honestly, if that was the primary reason why 2017 “sucked”, then boy howdy, is 2017 me in for one hell of a surprise.

As is 2018, 2019 and even 2020 me.

But.

Despite 2021 ultimately being Another Year of Suck, like the sequel that nobody wanted (Surprise! They filmed it at the same time as 2020 in secret), I genuinely feel like I’m turning a corner. And not just because of the looming New Year.

Now, talking about this too much would lean far too heavily into what we pseudononymous author types like to call Personally Identifiable Information, but suffice to say, there have been some changes in my life that I see as being positive. For real.

Which is nice.

Because yeah, honestly, this year has sucked, and not in a 2017 type way or even a 2020 type way but in a real, genuine, “holy fuck I wouldn’t have believed this last year” kinda way.

But we survived. We’re here. You and I. Fuck. Yes. So let’s get into 2022 and slap it about a bit, okay?