There’s enough inherent drama in next week’s presidential inauguration that you might think it wouldn’t be necessary for the TV news networks to hype it. But you’d be wrong. That’s just what they do.
The dawn of a new year is filled with bright, shiny promise, bouyed by the potential for prosperity and world peace.
Would anyone have predicted last January that the stock market would plunge from 13,000 to 8,500 by year’s end? That the Huskies would be the only major college football team to not win a game? That John McCain would be the Republican nominee for president, that his running mate would be the almost unknown governor of Alaska and that Barack Obama would be president? That more Americans would die violently in Chicago than in all of Iraq in 2008? That Washington Mutual, once as mighty a local institution as Safeco and Weyerhaeuser, would crash and burn and be picked up for pennies on the dollar by Chase?
Would anyone have predicted last January that the stock market would plunge from 13,000 to 8,500 by year’s end? That the Huskies would be the only major college football team to not win a game? That John McCain would be the Republican nominee for president, that his running mate would be the almost unknown governor of Alaska and that Barack Obama would be president? That more Americans would die violently in Chicago than in all of Iraq in 2008? That Washington Mutual, once as mighty a local institution as Safeco and Weyerhaeuser, would crash and burn and be picked up for pennies on the dollar by Chase?
It was Friday morning, temp 26 degrees; cold? Oh yes, it’s cold. So I’m headed for the mountains? Why not – if it’s cold down there in the valley, then it’s bound to be really cold up on the mountain.
“American Buffalo” by Steven Rinella, c.2008, Spiegel & Grau, $24.95, 278 pages, includes notes.
You don’t need a GPS tracking system to navigate through all the fun downtown events that are scheduled for 2009. That’s right. The new annual Downtown Event calendar is at the printers right now receiving the final graphic touches and will be available in the next week or two. Many of you already know that the best place to pick up a copy of the much sought after calendar that graces the front of many a Sumner refrigerator is at your local downtown merchants. Rumor has it that many families are reluctant to plan their vacations until they see the dates for the events so they don’t miss anything fun. Ha!
The dawn of a new year is filled with bright, shiny promise, bouyed by the potential for prosperity and world peace.
Would anyone have predicted last January that the stock market would plunge from 13,000 to 8,500 by year’s end? That the Huskies would be the only major college football team to not win a game? That John McCain would be the Republican nominee for president, that his running mate would be the almost unknown governor of Alaska and that Barack Obama would be president? That more Americans would die violently in Chicago than in all of Iraq in 2008? That Washington Mutual, once as mighty a local institution as Safeco and Weyerhaeuser, would crash and burn and be picked up for pennies on the dollar by Chase?
The citizens of Auburn may not be aware, but there will soon be built a $6 million Taj Mahal fire station to be located on the most southeasterly border of the city. This station is supposedly being built to service the Lakeland homes area. Are there really that many calls in the Lakeland area to warrant this type of expense? Prior to planning this station the Valley Regional Fire Authority could have used East Pierce Fire and Rescue to help with calls to the area and reduce response times.
I was at a convenience store the other day buying the usual – beef jerky and Mountain Dew – when I noticed the pen at the checkout counter. The storeowner had Scotch-taped a white plastic spoon to the pen, figuring that customers will be less likely to forgetfully leave with the pen after signing a check or credit card slip. (Unfortunately, the practice doesn’t always work. I know a guy whose glove box is filled with pens and white plastic spoons.)
At year’s end, an intriguing political irony has emerged. The Democrats won the national and local elections, but liberalism appears to have lost. Let’s start in the other Washington.
I asked a neighbor of mine what he did for Christmas last week. “We went out to eat at a fancy restaurant,” he said. “That Denny’s is a real nice place.”
