Exeunt 2023

 Finally finished Going Infinite, which will make my final reading total for the year at... 66.  More than 50, which is fine, I guess.  As for the book... Lewis makes the point (this has been debated across the Internet, you can look it up) that the money that was supposedly stolen/lost/embezzled might actually be out there... in which case, would this not make a point in SBF's favor, should he ever have an appeal coming down the pike?  I mean, if there are no losses, his argument that he was a crappy bookkeeper... well, again, I am not sure anyone would believe it, but all you have to do is convince a majority of judges on the appeals court, and given how many Hope and Changers there are out there...

2023 is almost in the books; I am off soon to a small fest.  This year was... interesting.  Getting laid off and being unemployed for four months was certainly NOT in the cards for me, and I would rather NOT have to deal with that again.  Now, though, I have a pretty good and cool career (though I will always love Pebble!) and I cannot complain about that.  The HELOC is paid off (despite said unemployment) and while I am foot-dragging on the new bathroom... well, the path is at least clear for a new one.  The Behemoth is still running and I am making progress on the mortgage -- also good.  No gf, of course, but I think we have accepted that that ship has sailed.  I am a bit fat -- now is NOT the time for food discipline --- but that is my own damn fault and in some ways that is something that can be fixed.  I have a mostly empty email box (good) and I have even been making progress on the links and bookmarks pile!  So... it wasn't the best year, but it has ended fairly well, and if this continues into 2024...I will consider myself blessed (especially if we have a Republican Senate, House, and President).

Speaking of:

This Hidden Voting Bloc Could Swing the 2024 Election | The Epoch Times
Interesting; one could certainly call them low-information voters, but I guess it would be more fair to say they are low-interest voters.  Not everyone, I tell myself, has an expansive memory and a working knowledge of swing counties!  This article does indicate the GOP's bind; Trump's antics (if you will) clearly aggravate a good chunk of voters, but a lot of people like the guy because of/in spite of these things, and they will only vote if he is leading the charge.  I am not sure I like either horn of the bull...