Another New Years Eve is upon us, I find myself sitting watching Law and Order and eating Mexican food...

...and not being particularly bothered by it either.

Last year I found myself having a wonderful dinner in the garden of a great Italian restaurant down in Key West. The company was fine and the weather absolutely terrific - it was the first time I had been on any kind of vacation lasting more than two days in over six years, needless to say it was rejuvenating.

This year when it came right down to it, I didn’t really feel the urge to go out and celebrate much. It hasn’t been the greatest of years but, I find myself hard pressed to really sum up the year as horrid - surprisingly enough as each year passes I find it really takes a lot for me to classify a year as horrific after remembering some of the things that have been thrown my way.

I am thankful I have some kind of perspective.

However, closing the book on 2004 won’t be a hard thing to do, ever the optimist I always look at a New Year as something burgeoning with nothing but potential for wonderment and I have no reason to believe 2005 won’t be the best of years.

And of course, that is my wish for any of you. So dear reader, please accept my most heartfelt wishes for the greatest successes, the most tremendous joys and the most complete happiness in the coming year - we can do little to change our pasts but the future is one thing we can surely influence and I wish you and yours the best in the coming voyage of our planet around the sun.

Happy New Year.