HAPPY NEW YEAR AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN

Tomorrow is New Year's Ever already? What the fuck happened? 

I know, I swear a lot. I use language that some consider vulgar. I find that odd, considering the world we live in, the things that are acceptable, and where we are as a species in general. I find plenty in this world vulgar. Commercialization. Deforestation. Poverty. The Great Economic Divide. The Purposeful Misleading of the Masses by Corporate Assholes for Various Nasty Reasons that Make No Sense. The bizarre use of capitalization by me in the previous sentence. I just can't get all that worked up over words like fuck and shit, when words like anti-vaxxer are commonplace.

So fuck it.

Anyhow. Was talking this early morning about the song Happy New Year, Prince Can't Die Again by Mac McCaughan, which came out shortly after the election of the Orange Goon back in 2016. Ryan was of the opinion that the song seems quaint now, after the past few years. And I suppose in a way, he's right. As terrible as we thought the world was after the election of a sexist, racist, greedy, creepy man as POTUS, the world has gotten even more terrible, crazy, and sad. 

Then again, I think the song is more about saying "well, yes, things suck, but we must move forward", and while sorrow and uncertainty will surely await us, so will friendship and bravery in the face of insurmountable odds. 

So Happy New Year's, January 6 can't happen again. And neither can the Donner Party. Or the Great Depression. Or World War II. Or The Phantom Menace. Lots of shitty things have passed on. 

What strange new worlds await us? What triumphs and tragedies? What challenges will I give myself, cause for myself, or awake in other people? 

This past year, I've worked on several scripts, went to the Austin Film Festival, directed many shows at many places, traveled, have a huge internal family fight, got some exciting happy family news, lost the best dog in the history of dogs, and more. Like most years, when I step back and look at them, it had a lot of life crammed into it, top to bottom. 

In looking at the past year, I find yet again that when I don't give up, stay true to my vision, and strive to maintain some sense of dignity, things work out for the best. Pretty much all regrets are for things I didn't do out of fear or timidity. Fortune favors the bold and all that.

Then again, the rioters and terrorists who stormed the capitol on January 6 were also bold. Assholes, morons, and shitty. But still, bold. 

So, be bold, but don't be shitty. Good mantra.

Also, love it all. This world, full of maniacs and misfortune, is still magical and full of wonder. The stars come out every night. Music is composed. Children laugh. Birds fly, to quote a song from my high school days. Love, actually, is everywhere.  

Here's a song from that last line, and the movie it references. Also, if we get to perform, and who knows based on Omicron and all, please come see Wizard of Oz at PACE in January and February. It's not a kiddie show or a recreation of the movie. It's a fucking great story, told well.

Here's the song. It's God Only Knows by the Beach Boys