It's been an interesting month so far and I guess that also makes it an interesting year. I just hope the rest of the year goes a little bit smoother than it has so far but it's looking like January will continue to be a rough month.

So far it's only the 21st and already I've run into a few issues both work and personal that have left me feeling rather disappointed. I can honestly say that most of the time I am quite the optimist. I genuinely want good things to happen in the world and any schadenfreude from me tends to be reserved for my friends and coworkers who can appreciate the humor in their misfortune. I'm good at outwardly dismissing things but negativity directed at me does affect me...unfortunately. So far I've caught a lot of it from buddies who didn't really mean it, strangers, pax, and a few other people. What's up with January, huh? This month needs to get over with already. Ah well, like the hippy says, gotta keep movin' on!

I did get the chance to head up to the mountains as the weather was deteriorating the other day. I took a million pictures but unfortunately while my camera is a super-tough outdoorsy camera but it couldn't quite capture the stunningly rugged beauty of the moment. Here's my best attempt though!