Succinct:

"The word 'experienced' often refers to someone who's gotten away with doing the wrong thing more frequently than you have."

--Laurence Gonzales, "Deep Survival"

A Brief Refresher for Those of You Who Haven't Been Paying Attention:

Rule #1: You are invisible.

Rule #2: Everyone is out to kill you. Personally.

Rule #3: The worst possible thing will happen in the worst possible place at the worst possible time. Be ready.

Addendum #1: It is your fault.

Your Attention Please:

The traditional New-Year's Day ride has been cancelled due to a lack of interest in going riding (alone) when it's twenty degrees outside and it's nice and warm inside by the woodstove, and three big goofy dogs keep wandering past in search of adventures and there's a big pot of black-eyed peas simmering in the kitchen and soon there will be cornbread in the oven and there's a big pot of coffee and a bunch of wonderful, groggy, bleary-eyed people stumbling around trying to make sense from their hazy recollections of last night.

Go ride your own ride.

That is all.