Happy New Year From The Dog At The End of The Universe

Greetings all and Happy New Year!

While tying one on with some friends at the edge of the Nth galactic parallel, I had a moment or two to reflect on 2011 and look toward 2012.

As I look to the New Year I see a number of potential prospects for improving my life, as well as some serious snags that have me wondering why it takes so much effort for me to obtain so little ground. Some would say it's some kind of test. I don't believe so. Instead, I tend to think I never developed the right tools for the job of making it big in the world. A good portion of that is my own fault. I probably should have been paying more attention when the lessons on what tools are needed and how they're used were being taught.

That said, I am not about to turn around and instantly stop being who I am just to get ahead. That's not going to happen. I am going to push myself harder to do the things I need to do that I may not like to do. I am also going to take more risks and try to do things I like to do with, hopefully, a reduced feeling of dread over what happens if I fail. Wish me luck.

With the coming of the New Year there is the threat of total planetary annihilation according to the ancient Mayan calendar. Rather, according to some people's interpretation of said calendar. As with most things of this sort, science doesn't back up the new age mysticism. While we'll just have to see, I am pretty sure you and I will be communicating well into 2013.

To all those reading this who feel I am a bit of a bummer lately, I'm sorry. You're right. I am. I write it out here so I feel it less in the 'real world' and can get on with my day.

I will try to do it less. I really want to talk more about games, comics, movies and such. I'm sure I will.

Thanks for a great year here at Barking Alien. Blog-wise, this was really a banner year. While there was some slow down and periods less entertaining then they could have been, this was also the year that saw me do a Smurfs RPG, the A-to-Z Challenge and my Muppets Madness Month. I'm filing Barking Alien 2012 in the Win box.

Wrapping up, thanks everyone who took the time to read my posts and look at my images.

Thanks you to all the new followers I received this year. I didn't make my goal of 130 by New Year but 128 is nothing to sneeze at.

Thanks Happy Whisk, Lord Blacksteel, Astronut, John and many others for your comments and good wishes.

Thanks Erin Palette for being a great friend even when we don't see eye-to-eye.

RavenFeast, I miss you big guy.

I am sure I am forgetting a bunch of people...Jeff Rients, James Mal, Zak, Jay of Exonauts...I wouldn't have have such great and insightful blog moments without you.

Take care all and I'll see you next year,
Adam

AD
Barking Alien

The illustration I have so mercilessly doctored was originally done by none other then Ron Cobb, a personal favorite of mine who worked on such genre film classics as Star Wars, Alien, The Abyss and Total Recall. I both thank Cobb for his inspiration and apologize for my bastardization.