With only eight teams there would be no byes and thus no ridiculously long layoff for the top four, which might have played a role in all of them losing their first game.

Though rainfall remains at essentially zero in the southern third of the state, it’s been above average in Northern California thus far, pulling up the statewide average.

President Biden said Wednesday that federal investigators were looking for links but “thus far, there is nothing to report.”

And thus, a star was born, thanks to a chance encounter on a train, which is a pretty romantic Hollywood ending in itself.

The waltz becomes, thus, a nice, elegant, sensual, romantic, harmless way to welcome in a new year, to attempt, or at least pretend, to be optimistic.