A friendly reader writes,

LORDY!!! For the love of Venus, untether whatever past of yours and go scare up something hot and fresh, will you??!!

Fine advice, I'd say. (And how fine it is to have a co-respondent!)

If this column has been morose this year, it's only because moments of regret have lately sparked more inspiration than any others. I don't want people to know how I feel; I write only when I find a rendering of a state of mind that I think others might find useful and memorable. As to whether it's wise to accept a life where one's regret and shame are the most vivid perceptions available—perhaps not. But I follow the guru Sam Beckett, who built this house of blues and will be admired by explorers of the deep for a long time yet.