I have opinions. In fact, I have a lot of opinions. I began my career as a professional cartoonist drawing political cartoons for a metropolitan newspaper. There, I was a member of the “editorial board,” where I occasionally was charged with writing an “institutional” editorial. You know, that stuff along the edge of the editorial page, the stuff so beloved by newspaper editors which few others read. I did that for several years. In fact, I got tired of having opinions; I felt I had far more opinions than answers. That’s what motivated me to create Arlo & Janis, and, lo, I fell into the sweet gig of newspaper comic strips. For 35 years, I have made a living emphasizing the things we all have in common which, I have always felt, far outweigh our differences. This spring, I confess, I have let you down. I temporarily lost heart and became depressed by outside events. It became harder and harder to be cheerful, and I internalized the old dictum, “If you can’t say something good, don’t say anything.” I pulled a Ghandi. I told myself I’d just go off and starve until things got better. Two things happened: I got hungry, and I realized I was just being lazy. So, I grabbed a bag of chips, and here I am. I say I have let you down, because none of this is your fault! You have earned a reputation as an unimaginably civil Internet audience, and we have been doing this for years. I defy you to name another individual blog that has survived as long as this one in pure blog form. And through it all, you’ve been supportive and caring, of one another and of me. You should be proud! I know I am. Let’s do it some more.