This one finna have a lot in store for sure! Peep last New Year post here.

I read through it again just now, as I tend to do when the fireworks start cackling and the current session of life and times starts coming to a close... think my grammar's getting a bit Theo Von-like. Been listening to a bunch of his podcasts lately. If you're ever in need of motivation or a quick mood change you'd best tune in. This Past Weekend.

Blogs like this? They may be becoming dated, but I'll keep going anyway, for myself or for others, whichever take precedence here.

Busy times precede this year... I sped up in the blogging department last year. The archive page count jumped thirty-two pages, which is a 33% increase! More than the previous year. And more than the year before that, and before that... all the way back to 2016. No doubt thanks in large part to the ongoing challenge of putting out one movie review per day.

Thirty-two pages is an extra 192 posts, which makes up for... almost exactly the surplus of reviews I've posted this year compared to the previous - give or take a few. So without extra reviews, it seems I'm keeping the pace almost exactly the same. Slightly slower than it was before but... with reviews included way way more! Next year? It'll amount a bit for sure.

I have plans. And leftovers...

Movie reviews may still account for a large part of those numbers - though I plan to watch less movies overall.

We're also closing in on two million words on the blog, which seems a pretty cool accomplishment. To give you an idea of the scale: A full book's generally in the range between 70,000 and 120,000 words.

Y'all have posted more than twice that in comments alone. 2-4 full-on books in CDB commentary.

In the real world? The wars rage since last... old and new.

I read about a pit of fire called the Devil's Door in Turkmenistan. It seems pretty cool - Yes Theory have the best travel vlogs/documentary-type-video-things if you want to learn more about that candid country.

The news is full of darkness, but if you want a speck of light delve there, or to Vsauce and his tale of the man who wanted to kill us all, or Çenet's crazy but informative trips to for example the hottest desert in the world, that's literally covered in scorched black sand... I'm not linking to any of these videos because I've been spending waaay too much time on YT again, and I need to stop! And I'd better not lead you down the same path as I've gone!! But there's so much good content out there!!!

When the mainstream media's bleak and dystopian, know there are plenty of better sources for both sight-seeing and science out there, so don't succumb to that angst and apathy, go search. Or better yet go live! Take a trip yourself. Take the train preferably. Or take a walk. It's cost-effective, though potentially a bit more co2 emission-heavy if you're in bad shape.

Anyway just get out there. I'm planning to do that a lot more too.

There's a lot of bad juju out there in the world right now but... never mind that today. This is the optimism post. I don't live in a dream world, and I don't live in a bubble, but right now doesn't seem like the right time to delve into these things, I did that plenty last year. Those same issues still persist, and escalate no less, yes...

I've had no cold this Christmas at least - and not for some time now! *knock on wood* The design gig's in it's final phase and I have no time to get one now either - though my nephew did - he just kicked the fever. We're headed into a final optimization phase next next week.

Maybe there'll be time for a meditation trip after that.

So far I do have a one-day one booked to Motala - random Swedish city I've yet to be in. And Dublin in March, Åre in April, and good buddy Andreas is coming over next weekend... 2024's shaping up nicely so far.

I started this and my resolution post in good time today, but as always I'm finishing it up as the fireworks start streaking across the sky, typing frantically, late to the party - good thing it's just my parents - but we shall cheer in a moment and air in the New Year... and I shall hit the publish button here right after.

We have cider and chocolate and a sense of hope and anticipation that somehow keeps coming back to us even in these darker times as soon as the loud noises kick in, the sulfur aroma sifts through the air, and the bleak upper expanse of darkness lights up with radiant plumes of green and blue, burning red, and silver and gold in a confetti-like sparkle...

This life's not so bad after all y'all. The lights feel like community.

2024! Let's make it true indeed.

You can find that recent resolutions post here.

Happy New Year!