John...I have little to offer except;
to paraphrase Crane, "I saw a ball of gold in the sky...and climbed to it...and it was clay"
Or, "Does a vapid voice in an emty hall make a sound if no one is there to hear it?"
Or, the old koan, "what is the sound of one vapid voice flapping?"
Not sure if this helps, but they have pulled me through on more than one occasion.
But regardless, all the best in 2012!