2009

I was going to try and get back to regular blogging in 2009 ... obviously I haven't been doing too well with that just yet, but that's the great thing about resolution-type things: You have a whole year to complete a goal. :)

I miss blogging. There was a period in time when I'd post every day, and oftentimes more than once. I was overflowing with ideas for creative writing, observations, and anecdotes. Then, my well ran dry. I know that I don'thave to write a brilliant, creative, thought-provoking post every time I log on ... but I do feel I need to have some sort of inspiration. Tonight, I'm just going to jot down some thoughts. Sometimes you just have to start walking in no particular direction to begin a new journey.

Speaking of new journeys, today is Inauguration Day, and Barack Obama is the new President of our great country. Anyone who knows me knows I have mixed emotions on this. The election of an African-American (or half anyway ... I am annoyed by the fact that he exploits his heritage in this manner) to the highest office in the country is indeed a monumental, impressive and exciting development in socio-economics. I certainly appreciate the milestones we have reached with this. However, I would love to get Dr. Martin Luthor King Jr.'s opinions on all of it (another embarrassingly over exploited pawn in this whole occasion.)

I have always loved Dr. King's statement of judging a man not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character. Amen to that. Sadly, I believe that to some (certainly not all, but for way too many) Obama's color was considered way more important than his character. I'm sure he's a very nice and sincere man. But I don't trust him. His associations do not sit well with me and I strongly disagree with the majority of his political and moral views. Much of what he stands for and believes, I think would bring shame and sadness to Dr. King - not to mention that so many of his supporters didn't care WHAT his platform was - only that he was either a.) "black", and/or b.) not Bush. Those are both poor cornerstones. King is a civil rights hero, and rightly so. Alan Keyes' politics and ideals align with King's far more closely than Barack Obama's, yet Keyes is thought of as an "Uncle Tom". Why? I don't understand.

But, it's neither here nor there at this point. Obama is now the President of the United States of America, and I am an American first and foremost. I love America and want nothing more than for her to prosper and for Liberty to reign. So I am giving Obama a chance to for lack of a better way to put it, prove my instincts wrong. The power of democracy - one of our most precious priveleges - has placed him at the helm, and I support him with my prayers. But rest assured I've got my eye on him, and will hold him accountable for any, what one might refer to as, bullshit. I hope the rest of America will do the same if occasion calls for it. He should not get an infallibility pass on his whole administration simply because he inherited a mess, or because it might be seen as racist. It's not racist to expect someone to do their job with integrity and within the perameters of the foundation our country was built upon.

But enough of that.

In other news, Ricardo Montalban passed away last week. That made me really sad because I loved that guy. He was handsome, had a great voice, and was a real class act. I loved watching him as a kid, not only on Fantasy Island, but as the enigmatic Khan on Star Trek and in the great movie, Wrath of Khan. He was downright sexy. Was he really 88 years old?

The bizarre thing about realizing that your favorite stars (and even worse, musicians) are getting old, is it's simultaneously admitting that you are as well. I've got a significant milestome birthday coming up. I often forget that I'm as old as I am, although I do have more aches and pains than I used to - my knees sound like Rice Krispies when I squat down - and I can't seem to get off the couch without grunting. Most people guess me to be several years younger than I am (God love them), and up here (pointing to my temple), I'm still young. And God knows my sense of humor is often sophomoric. You're only as old as you feel, right? But which is more accurate when your body and your brain don't match up? Somewhere in between, perhaps?

Eh, who cares.

American Idol is starting up again. Are you as excited as I am?

Okay, that's all I've got for now. Have a great week, my darlings!