Wow, folkz, so much to say; and since it's 5:something in the morning, and I haven't slept a wink, here I am.

First, let me say Happy New Year.

Those of you who know me well know that I'm not very big on holidays. My immediate family doesn't get hyped up on Thanksgiving or Christmas, and the best thing about Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the 4th of July is that I (usually) don't have to work, but still get paid.

That being said, there is a special place in my heart for New Year's. I am excited by the potential and promise of a New Year. I see it as a chance to start with a clean slate, and enjoy filling that slate up over the course of the next 12 months.

Over the past few years, I've vacillated between two extremes when it comes to living life. There's the "Seen it all before" perspective, and then there's the "Grab the bull by it's horns" option. I recently abandoned the first. I've decided that I most definitely have NOT seen it all before. Folkz, we are living in exciting times, and change is not only inevitable, but pressing. On top of that, even if you've seen something similar before, if you wait around long enough you'll see someone put a brand new spin on it. People die all the time, but James Brown was buried in a 24 karat gold casket, people! Give. Credit. Where. It. Is. Due.