I hope everyone's week is starting off on the right foot. With so much bad weather engulfing so much of the US these past few days I have to say it seemed strange that Minnesota was spared. My brother found himself buried in twenty inches of snow in Northeast Ohio. Hearing about him working overtime to dig out reminded me of all the winters I was in the same situation—shoveling four or five times in a 24 hour period just to try to stay ahead of it. Sometimes I guess it’s nice not to be invited to that particular party.
I, finally, am getting my office put back together after our renovation. For the first time in a decade I'm happy to have a dedicated space to write. I can’t help but laugh about the fact that for the past ten years I’ve written in a succession of walk-in closets, airbnbs, hotels, folding chairs, on couches, and at the kitchen table with a television blaring. It’s a small miracle that I was somehow able to write screenplays, manuscripts, blogs, and poetry in those spaces way but I guess you just have to make do with what you have.
I’m excited to be starting a new chapter in this sunny, peaceful space. The year’s starting off with a bang too—I’ve got a super exciting project that I’ll be working on these next few weeks for someone we all know. I’ll share more on this as soon as I can. It's the largest project I've worked on to date in a lot of different aspects. : )
One thing I've learned by unpacking everything is I have far more books than I thought I did, I have at least two more boxes to put on the shelves.
I'm also unpacking treasures I've gathered throughout the years that have been in storage for a long while. These things have sparked a lot of reminiscing of some great years and memories from my past. The two pieces above were created and given to me by artists 
We’re ramping up for the most anxiety inducing time of the year here in America—tax season. 1099s are rolling in and there are some new requirements for cryptocurrency so make sure you're abreast of all the latest changes. First and foremost is the 1099-DA requiring exchanges to report gross proceeds directly to the IRS. Double and triple check to make sure what you're reporting is accurate to avoid any uncomfortable situations.
As for crypto, I'm just as befuddled as most people are by how stagnant everything has been. I feel like so few of the crypto influencers on social media are offering up any meaningful insight but just seem to be continuously posting, "WTF is going on?".
Since the world has become far too serious I'm going to start sharing jokes every now and then. I came across this banger this morning—it's way too good not to share.
A duck walked into a pub and ordered a pint of beer and a ham sandwich.
The barman looked at him and said, “Hang on! You're a duck!”
"I see your eyes are working,” replied the duck.
"And you can talk!!” exclaimed the barman.
"I see your ears are working, too.” said the duck. "Now if you don't mind, can I have my beer and my sandwich please?"
"Certainly. Sorry about that.” said the barman as he pulled the duck's pint. "It's just we don't get many a ducks in this pub. What are you doing around this way?"
"I'm working on the building site across the road” explained the duck. "I'm a plasterer."
The flabbergasted barman couldn’t believe the duck and wanted to learn more but took the hint when the duck pulled a newspaper from his bag and proceeded to read it.
The duck read his paper, drank his beer, ate his sandwich, paid up, bid the barman a good day and left.
The same thing happened every few days for two weeks.
Then one day the circus came to town.
The ringmaster walked into the pub for a pint and the barman said, "You're with the circus, aren't you? Well, I know this duck that could be just brilliant in your circus. He talks, drinks beer, eats sandwiches, reads the newspaper and everything!"
"Sounds marvelous!” said the ringmaster, handing over his business card. "Get him to give me a call."
The next day when the duck came into the pub the barman said, "Hey Mr. Duck, I reckon I can line you up with a top job, paying really good money."
“Swell. I’m always looking for the next job.” said the duck. "Where is it?”
"At the circus.” said the barman.
"The circus?" repeated the duck.
"That's right.” replied the barman.
"The circus?” the duck asked again.
“With the big tent?”
"Yeah.” the barman replied.
"With all the animals that live in cages and performers who live in caravans?" asked the duck.
"Of course,” the barman replied.
"And the tent has canvas sides and a big canvas roof with a hole in the middle?" persisted the duck.
"That's right.” said the barman.
The duck shook his head in amazement, and said “What the hell would they want with a plasterer?”
Oh, and 
All for now. Thanks so much for reading.
