Pawprints From Space

Another year is drawing to a close. We are being bombarded with lists of 'the best of', 'the worst of' and so on as folks look back on 2008. Well, I am not going to give you a list ranking my choices for even the 'most annoying' although if I did Caribou Barbie would top that one. Nope, I'm just going to look back. All in all it wasn't a bad year, it wasn't a great year so I can't quote Dickens with a 'best of times, worst of times' perspective. Yet it wasn't quite ordinary either. For that I can blame presidential politics. Oh yeah and that dating thing that only last two months. But that one is another rant for another day. To rant on it now would only make me want to punch something. And since I plan on enjoying what is left of my 4-day holiday weekend without scuffed or broken knuckles there will be no ranting (thus no punching) on that topic. Health-wise it was a decent year for me although early December was not so good for my ...

According to recent media reports, which may of course be blowing things WAY out of proportion, various liberal groups are all upset over President-Elect Barack Obama's choice to give the invocation at his inaguration next month. Perhaps they missed the part about bridging our differences, about reaching out to those with whom we may not agree but without whom we can not turn this nation around. Maybe they haven't been watching a cabinet being built not out of best buddies and those to whom you owe favors but rather the crafting of a Team of Rivals (to use the over-worked phrase) complete with members from both sides of the partisan aisle. Okay so the Reverand in question is conservative and anti-gay. He is a fundamentalist who apparently thinks his way is the only fundamentally right opinion. Face it folks, there are LOTS of people like that out there and this man is not as "crazy" as some of them. I don't agree with him but I'm not going to get all pissed of...

Last night the local art gallery held a fundraiser "Jazz at the Greenhouse". A very good jazz band from the Cincinnati area played at the event which was actually held in a local garden center's greenhouse. It was very nice. The book club gang was there (most of them anyway) and an interesting observation was made, as interesting observations often are when these women get together. Those in attendance were there to support the arts and ArtSpace (the organization/gallery). Those in attendance were Democrats. There were many theories as to why this might be. Everything from the silly: "Republicans don't come out of their caves if it is colder than 20 degrees" and "We only have the cheap wine at the bar" to the partisan: "They couldn't write off the ticket price as a tax deduction" and "They don't support the common good (in this case the arts) the way Democrats do, Republicans don't care". Whatever the reason it was a...