^{[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 8 January 2022].}

Apologies for the radio silence the past week.

In the wee hours of this morning, I caught myself writing, "It's been a long week but a good one."

I can't honestly say I remember the last time I said that.

A long week, yes. But a good week? Nope. No idea when I last said that.

And looking back today, I feel like the last year of "no drama" in my life was 2017 or 2018.

I have some temporary work starting next week, which appears positive. Especially since my mentioning photographing roadkill didn't scare my new colleagues off in my interview. It explained why I can manage the imagery I might have to deal with in this role.

I've had refreshingly honest conversations the past couple of weeks with new and old friends. And while I'm accustomed to that with old friends, it's a good feeling to have that with new/ish friends (and maybe more-than-friends).

After the past few years, I'm optimistic about 2022. But cautiously so. My mantra has become "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst". But, so far, 2022 is treating me well.

I hope it's treating you well too, and I will be back with more new work very soon.