Dear Readers. please have a nice New Year's Eve, even festive if that is possible. We already have the video recorder set to record both versions of the Rose Parade, so we don't have to rise early to see it.
If you must imbibe alcohol to have a good time, please do so responsibly and avoid driving thereafter. Plus a final thought along those lines, champagne is pleasant but, as a friend once described the morning after, "it doesn't burn clean." Translation: it's a mean hangover.
2024 will be both a presidential election year and a leap year, so your February will have an additional day. The Iowa GOP caucuses will be happening in a couple of weeks, and there will be plenty of political news as the year unfolds. Lots to write about in the months ahead.
If you have the flexibility in your life, try to build in some buffers against whatever vagaries the fates should send our way. Putting aside some bottled water and canned foods wouldn't hurt and doesn't cost much. Keeping your car's fuel tank at least half full makes sense. Avoiding the centers of big cities whenever possible is prudent, too. Stay safe.
