With a new year bearing down, braving a bold look into the future

By some measures, 2014 is already looking like tough times.

by Ken

Probably you were aware, but we're just this close to starting a whole new year. I know it happened last year just about this same time, but that's no help. (Look how that turned out!) Naturally it would be nice to have some sort of advance information as to what the new year has in store, so when I stumbled across an invitation -- as I was riffling through my e-mail -- to check out my astrological forecast, I thought I'd click through.

What I found was at once more specific and more vague than what I was imagining. In fact, I'm not quite sure what I found.

In 2014, your playfulness could bring trouble, as it'll be hard to find people that get your sense of humor. Sure, there will be instant attractions and more than enough opportunity for fun banter, but anything for the long term will be scarce. However, it'll be you that gets bored fast, as the ball will be in your court more times than not, in whatever games you do find yourself playing. Of course, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the wining and dining involved, as all is fair in love and war. After all, you don't have to answer to anyone but yourself -- and if anyone does try to get you to do otherwise, trust they will never understand you the way you want. 2014 will be all about your personal freedom. If there is another beside you for the journey, they'll be following your lead, not the other way around.

First off, I'm not clear why my playfulness, such as it is, will bring any more trouble in 2014 than in years past, or why it will be any harder to find people that get my sense of humor. What would be surprising -- and definitely worth mentioning -- is if it were going to be somehow easier.

Then, I'm not clear about this business about the ball being be in my court more times than not, in whatever games I do find myself playing. I actually can't think of that many games in which the ball even might be in my court, or why this should lead to my getting bored fast. I suppose it's true that I do sometimes get bored fast, but at other times I have the patience of, well, a really patient person. Look at how hard I'm working to make sense of this! (Say, is the ball in my court now?)

As to not answering to anyone but myself, well, I think we all try to pretend that this is the case, but when there are necessities of life to be accounted for like shelter and food and clothing, there are any number of people standing in line ahead of me expecting to be answered to, with excellent grounds for their expectations.

It could be that I'm not getting this part quite right since my head is still shaky from the part about it being A-OK to enjoy the wining and dining involved seeing as how all is fair in love and war. Um, which wining and dining is this? I did have some lovely roast-pork sandwiches yesterday and another today from a pork shoulder I roasted the day before (I dipped the inner sides of the rolls in the juices, and oh my goodness!), but I'm not sure that really qualifies as wining and dining, especially without the wining. I thought about maybe having some beer yesterday with the sandwiches, but I knew that in my head I would have seen my sleep doctor getting really frowny about it -- or, for that matter, about the hypothetical wine. Oh, I do indulge occasionally, but then, as you know, all is fair in love and war. (I think you have to slip that one in really quickly to get away with it, and just as quickly hurry on to some other subject.)

If I had to guess, I would say that the chances of 2014 being all about my personal freedom, or even substantially about my personal freedom, are pretty unlikely -- at least without the kind of windfall that these forecasts sometimes project, of which I notice no mention here. And as to the chances of anybody at all following my lead, well, that would frankly shock me.

But don't let me stop you from checking out your horoscope at the above link. I just hope it's easier to make sense of than mine.

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