Under Starter's Orders.

Like most people, I'm gradually easing into 2023, quietly hopeful of what it may bring.

Admittedly, current world events don't create the most optimistic backdrop. Only today, the attention-seeking, Tribble-headed man-Muppet Boris Johnson disclosed a phone conversation with Putin early last year, in which old Vlads let slip that a UK missile strike "would only take a minute" (a statement I found less upsetting than Boris saying, "He called me on the blower" like the walking caricature he is). Optimism is a matter of perspective, really.

Personally, my January's been a drudge, as it often is. I had a near-miss workwise when I was pencilled for a job that I ultimately didn't get, which was frustrating, though at least it broke the seal casting-wise. By this stage of my career, I've had enough pencils to fill a Ryman the size of Jupiter, but what can you do? It's better to be nearly wanted than not wanted at all (and the less said about my recent tax return, the better, though I think Nadhim Zahawi's currently got the run on that particular topic.)

Whatever the case, I'm framing things positively. A new year is still a fresh start, however arbitrary, and I'm making the most of it. I even have new headshots to aid my cause (though I've still got the same face, obviously).

So, let's see what 2023 has in store for us. One point of note is it's my blog's tenth anniversary. And while I don't post as often as I did at the beginning, I'm glad I’m still doing it. I pity anyone who's read them all, though. If you have, there are people you can speak to. 

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