I hope your new year has gone more smoothly so far than mine.

Allow me to elaborate.

On New Year's Eve, I noticed the tiniest twinge of congestion in my chest. 

In my experience that is not a good sign.

I hugged my pillow at 11:10 p.m. and was sound asleep by 11:11 p.m. I was not aware of 2023 peeking over the battlements.

On New Year's Day, I felt mostly sort of okay until the evening.

(I didn't go anywhere. I have not left the house since Christmas Day.)

By the next day -- last Monday -- I was in bad shape. 

Although I had an illness similar to this in November of 1989, and I was struck down with a mean-spirited flu virus in January of 2018, I don't remember a time in my life when I have been sick for ten whole days in a row.

Today is the first day that I feel significantly better.

And I'm so glad about that, that I'll celebrate by boring you no longer.

The picture above was taken at PNC Park -- home of the Pittsburgh Pirates -- in late October last year.

I'll tell you the rest of the story about that trip, later in the week.

Meanwhile I hope you're healthy, happy, and pursuing your dreams with all the pluck and insouciance you can muster.

That's what I plan to do, as soon as I take a nap.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Monday