It is perhaps not a good sign for the turning of the year that the very last instalment of this most beloved series on the site is late by a day, but honestly it was unavoidable. I spent all of Friday – and I mean ALL of it, from 5am onward – travelling, and did not arrive at my final destination until the very wee hours of Saturday morning, local time.
Throughout all of that travelling, I had very little time to get an actual internet connection, due to late flights, and assorted travelling stupidity (mostly due to other people being idiots, but that is quite normal once you leave the White parts of the world).
Plus, when you end up in Dubai (as I did), and the terminal is as crowded as an Indian railway platform (as it was), due mostly to the ACTUAL INDIANS there (inevitably), it is nearly impossible to get a WiFi connection and surf in private. There are just too many people with far too few seats, and the process for getting onto WiFi in the Middle East (aka Goathumpistan) is far too onerous to bother with.
Seriously, if anyone ever tells you to go to Dubai and make some money, you should really considering passing on it. The downsides of being in Dubai are very severe. I have written about them many times before, and the more times I visit the place, even just passing through, the more irritating I find it.
At any rate, I did manage to get back to the old country, and am now quite enjoying the time spent with family. It is certainly nice to get away once in a while.
The world, meanwhile, continues to go straight to Hell in a handbasket. I wish I could say I think 2024 will be easier, but I just don’t. I really do not believe things will ease off. I think it will be worse, in some ways, than what we saw this year.
That being said, I do see considerable reason for hope, and I will go over them in an upcoming podcast. There is plenty to be thankful for, and I think we need to spend time this year focusing on being grateful, not being worried.
With that in mind, let’s get to the very last lovely lady of the year 2023.
This is Anna Linnikova (Анна Линникова), age 23 from Orenburg, Russia. She is a really-for-real pageant model, who won the Miss Russia title for 2022, and was therefore eligible to compete at the various big-name and big-stage pageants last year. She is also known for being the once-girlfriend of one Jackson Hinkle – they broke up recently, and I have to say, I feel sorry for Jackson. She is quite a lady – though I am guessing she is also EXTREMELY high-maintenance, knowing what I do of Russian women (which, at this point, is a fair amount).
Enjoy your weekend, lads. The Best of 2023 poast will come forth tomorrow (I hope), along with the Best Of Music and Books lists on Monday (again, I hope).
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