Adios 2016 and Hello, Future!

As I sit here in my adult pajamas with an empty coffee cup beside me contemplating what has transpired over the last year I am left with a feeling that is both strange and new.  I know this feeling is not purely a reflection of the last three hundred sixty six days ( this was a Leap Year, after all ) but more of a certain style of communicating that has spilled over from one segment of our daily lives and infected nearly every nook and cranny of popular culture.   This bizarre sensation is a mix of disdain and cautious optimism.  Out of respect for the human condition I will try to contain my delight while slamming the door on how things have been, and tossing the key into a pit of fire.  But likewise I will temper my optimism regarding our future with a dose of reality.  The "pathologically dissatisfied" will always find a way to ruin everything for everyone else.  They can even ruin music.  In fact I think it's fair to say they have been trying to ruin music in much the same way they have ruined film making.  Everything has to have a deep message and as such, everything within their reach has been politicized.  They are incapable of affecting the world with anything they might be able to engineer, so they flex their muscle by feigning outrage until those who can produce are so hampered by fear of retaliation from The Mob that they become effectively paralyzed.  If you have wondered why life isn't as much fun as it used to be, you can thank those people.  That dynamic will always exist.  Not everyone wants that, though.  Some of us just want to create some music and mirth.  What makes this day different for me personally is that for the first time in my adult life I actually have a little hope that light will be shined on the dubious intent of those who make up The Mob.  

Metal Christmas!

Okay, which of you was the wise guy who flipped everyone's calendar several months ahead to December? Are we experiencing the "dog year" effect where time moves seven times faster than usual? That could explain the new body aches and the inability to remember anything that happened more than thirty seconds ago.  Short term memory is for losers anyway, right?  Oooh, that reminds me... I need to write a Happy Holidays post at The Poundry. 

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it, and happy times to all who curse under their lips during this occasionally irritating time of year.  Hopefully watching other people enjoy themselves will take a little of the pain away as "Santa Baby" grinds its way through your head for the thousandth time this month.  Seeing people who mean something to you is nice this time of year but most every thing else can get old fast.  I feel ya'!

Be well, be safe, and keep it interesting!