Inaugural Celebrations
People around here didn’t seem too impressed with the inauguration but it was on TV all day. We saw clips of Obama and his wife going to church in the morning and then I had to go to work. When I got home I saw the clips of his speech and the parade back to the White House. I’m glad it was a good day for all with no drama other than the oath being flubbed by the chief justice and then Obama trying to be gracious about it but still flubbing that. I think that part right there laid the foundation for his administration. He has a good heart and he means well, but the beauracray will be there to undermine his efforts and create stumbling blocks. I hope he can prevail – this country does need to change.
Hudson River Miracle
The sports show that I like to listen to in the afternoons broke in with a story about an airline crash in New York. I about freaked out. What a terrible thing to happen, no matter where it happens, but in New York again? What in the world is going on? Why is New York such a magnet for serious trouble?
At least in this case the news was a good outcome with all the passengers and crew safely rescued from the Hudson River. All the credit goes to the pilot, a guy who has been flying since he was a teenager in Denton, TX, flying small planes for crop dusting. How about that for a local tie in? And good news that all are safe. It’s a miracle.
Driving Mom to the Doctor
My folks did not get the flu shot this year and now they are sick. With all the chemo my dad is taking he just couldn’t handle anything else going into his system and my mom almost never leaves the house, so she thought she was safe.
We don’t know if it is the flu or just something like strep throat, but they both have a fever so I’m insisting they go get medical attention. They don’t like to go to the doctor, but since they are both sick, my mom is going to go see her doctor and try to get enough medicine for both of them. Plus my dad’s doctors are all the in downtown Dallas. So I’m driving her because my dad is too sick and miserable to go with her – he’s home tucked into bed with an old movie in the VCR.
My mom has had the same doctor ever since she was in her 20′s and having babies. This guy is old school and will probably never retire. It would break my mom’s heart to not have her doctor available anymore. But in all practicality, he’s at least 10 years older than she is, so at some point he’s not going to be able to see her anymore.
Obama To-Do List
Last night Barack Obama left his upscale Chicago home to join his wife and children at a Washington hotel. On his to-do list (with some help from the Chicago Tribune newspaper):
__ Settle into ‘haunted’ hotel.
__ Take kids to new school.
__ Push Congress for $300 billion in tax cuts.
__ Find commerce secretary to replace Richardson.
Looking Ahead
My own thoughts and plans for 2009 include getting this dang barn finished and bringing the rest of our horses home to the new barn. That’s the most important project that I have going.
Second, I plan to make a little more time for myself to have some fun and socialize more. It’s tough being this far out from town, but I just have to make a bigger effort to get at least into Fort Worth once a month and have a few beers, shoot some pool, and maybe even have a couple swings around the dance floor.
Third, I hope my dad continues to improve and as this chemo winds down, maybe he will feel up to a short ride on Old Pete into the hills once in a while. Or maybe I can get him to go to a couple baseball games in Arlington to watch the Rangers.