You're probably wondering where I've been lately. My usually endless meanderings have been few and far between the last few weeks.
The reason is simply that I am working new, later hours and have several additional duties at work and the combination of the extra work and the weird schedule have crimped my blogging time.
In addition, I am working on my novel fairly diligently in the mornings.
But as I settle into this world in which craziness and stress are "the new normal," I pledge to get my blog back into high gear.
So we've got some catching up to do.
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Here are a few quick thoughts...
Did you see President Obama's State of the Union address? I watched the whole thing and was disappointed. He made a strong point that he is trying to do away with politics as usual and build unity and respect among both parties, then he proceeded to blame most of the nation's woes on his Republican predecessor. Sounded like doublespeak to me.
The man is brilliant and a good orator but his approval ratings are dropping fast and he sounded to me like someone who wants to point fingers at everyone else while patting himself on the back. I guess that's politics as usual in the White House.
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Did you watch "Hope for Haiti Now" on the tube last weekend? It was a nice effort and last thing I heard was it raised $57 million -- probably more by now. We pledged what we could. That nation has been in dire straits for decades and that terrible earthquake pushed it over the edge.
I was extremely disappointed in the performance by Bono and the Edge of U2 with Jay-Z. Bono was reduced to a background singer as Jay-Z rapped in the main spotlight. It was a song I would never, ever buy or listen to. As much as I respect and appreciate Paul & Dave, they could have stayed home and mailed it in.
Some of the performances that night were terrific, particularly Neil Young and Dave Matthews as a duo, and Bruce Springsteen did a nice job on "We Shall Overcome." Jennifer Hudson's interpretation of "Let It Be" was beautifully done, although I question whether the lyrics are appropriate for a disaster relief benefit ("let it be" in Haiti?).
To my surprise, I thought the best performance of the night was Madonna's "Like a Prayer."
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It was 3 degrees in Toledo when I woke up this morning. Yikes. That's getting downright chilly. I wish I was in Florida right now, with my brother and friends who are heading to Daytona for their annual prilgrimage to the Rolex 24 Hours auto race. I've gone a few times in recent years and it's great to witness men (and women) and their machines in such a grueling contest. But it's more fun just hanging out with Rick, Peter, Duane, Roland, Randy, Justin, Adrian, Mike, and the rest of the motley crew.
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Have you been watching "American Idol"? Don't you just love the early rounds with all the weirdos, wackos, and no-talent wannabes? This year gave us "Pants on the Ground" and one contestant led away in handcuffs. What fun!
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Among my current jumble of books I'm reading is Dean Koontz's Sole Survivor. He had a powerful line in it about a guy who grew up Catholic (Koontz is Catholic). I don't have it in front of me but it went pretty much like this: "He went to church with his parents faithfully, but without faith."