After sampling this trial period of 2023, I would like to return it for a refund and cancel my subscription. Thank you.

Today we had a going-away potluck at the library because Miss M. the Youth Services Librarian resigned, and this was her last day. The prospect of finding a new person trying to fill her role is daunting, and the Youth Services department for the district is separate from our branch. Our manager doesn't even get to participate in the interview process even though we're the ones who will be working with whoever is hired on a weekly basis. Compartmentalization has its place, but this is dumb.

Looking back over last month's posts is not encouraging, Back on January 1st, I posted a giant 2022 retrospective. This month should have a lot fewer links to copy in because I have been more sporadic than usual in my posting, and I'm only trying to archive a month of new links.

I had already scheduled a brief informative post about Web 3.0 in late December, so that was the first "real" content I published. That was followed by the story of how New Year's Eve revelry was interrupted by bad news from a good friend. Then, a stomach bug led to a rant. It wasn't all gloom, though. I had tales to tell of running a horror campaign in Dungeons & Dragons! I also poked some fun at capitol protests at home and abroad.

The library in general, and my mental health in particular, was then rocked by a web censorship issue which still remains unresolved. This spiraled into some severe personal stress which interrupted some of my plans. And then there was the much more mundane but still disruptive library flood.

The string of serious posts continued as I puzzled over war and offered my take on the AI debate. I tried to lighten up a bit with some complaints about light pollution and a horror poem, but none of that really indicates an improvement in my mental state, does it?

I haven't been entirely consumed by dark thoughts. My last few posts have been much less morose, and well received by the community, too. I shared 1996 in My Musical Memory, Baking Adventures, and A Taste of Bluegrass. To my surprise and gratitude, each was supported by different curators.

I have some posts on serious subjects in the works, and I really need to get around to writing about Splitgate soon. I don't suffer for lack of content in the near future, but I need the mental energy to actually pull notes together and make something coherent out of them. These ideas include tackling some flaws in popular economic arguments and a criticism of the resurgence of "conservative" censorship attacks on library materials. On a lighter note, I'm likely to have new Dungeons & Dragons notes and maybe a post introducing you to the anatomy of a banjo. I may also delve into music nostalgia again.

Is there anything in particular you'd like to see me rant about? Chime in with a comment! And don't forget, today is HIVE Power Up Day. I've already staked some HIVE. Have you? Don't miss out, because the chance to participate runs on UTC, not your local time zone!