I have a bad attitude today. I’ve been reading a bunch of year-in-review articles, a genre that typically has a bittersweet tone: celebratory, wistful, nostalgic, reverent about the recently departed, and hopeful for the future.
It doesn’t work this year, at least not for me. 2020 had been a terrible year by all accounts, but it ended on a hopeful note: Trump had been defeated, vaccines were coming, and maybe everything would be better soon. A year later a lot of things are better, but not by nearly as much as I imagined they would be. Covid is still terrorizing us, and the vultures are still circling our democracy. Republicans have closed ranks behind Trump’s sedition, while Democrats have been unable to maintain the kind of unity they need to pass legislation.
So watching year-end pundits try to apply the usual bittersweet glaze to the year has put me in a bad mood. That comes out in the featured post “Closing Out a Dismal Year”, which should appear shortly. (Truthfully, I’d skip it if I were you. Get yourself a too-sweet coffee drink and read a romance novel instead. Or watch the replay of a game your team has already won.)
The weekly summary has to begin with the startling Omicron surge, but there is some upbeat stuff as well: The James Webb space telescope, which launched Christmas Day, is a genuinely cool thing. And I love the audacity NASA has displayed by sending a complex mechanism well beyond the range of any repair crew. If it works, it’s going to be genuinely inspiring.
I’m going to try to get that out by 11 EST.
The Weekly Sift 
Comments
Except that 2021 WAS that bittersweet year. Not writing it (or reading it) won’t change that/ I expect I’ll link to it.
Doug:
Truly, there is a silent sedition growing. Not the overt, insame act we all observed last January. I am refering to something great than the worst of “trumpism” (use of a lower case last name is intentional); politics, or; rapidly advancing climate change. My greatest alarm comes from a rent in social behavior. The more news I read, the more hairs stand up on my neck. I am leaning more now toward the opinions of sociologists to find meaning in the wierd behaviors.
Perhaps you can lend some much needed rational thought to my starving ears, brain & heart in the coming months. Just don’t bail on us. I respect your thoughtful opinions.
Thank you… and, for what it’s worth: Happy New Year!
-Ed Blanchard
Queen Creek, AZ
I agree. I started this year full of hope. Then Jan. 6. Then suddenly things started to slide down, down, down. And I had to leave the job I thought would be my retirement job and start over at a new job when really all I want to do is write! So, I’m with you. I’ll probably still read both of your posts. Just not today. 🙂