Right With the Times

Current Status... Oh, it's the solstice holidays, and it's dark most of the time, and nobody feels much like working. I miss my cat Emma, who died in mid-November; she came to my lap every time I crawled into bed and I'd sink my fingers into her bunny-soft fur. She was funny, a typically nervous tortoise-shell, but she enjoyed having her calico belly rubbed endlessly. There'll never be another cat like her. In the meantime, though, we have a new adoptee -- an 11-year-old torty-point Himalayan whose owner grew too old to care for her. Chanel's very sweet, but still prefers hiding under furniture to any type of confrontation, even loving ones. She's just beginning to trust me. Still, I hold her for a time each day and brush her long fur; very satisfying.
This is really interesting... November 4, 2008 to January 20, 2009 seems like the longest, slowest transition period in our nation's history (except, maybe, for Hoover to Roosevelt). From the day after the national election, people have wanted Mr. Obama to find a way to get into the White House anywhere from "a little early" to "right now." Lacking the requisite change in statutes, however, it's already as if he's at the helm, captaining the ship, giving the orders -- except that there's still a gremlin in the cargo hold, poking holes in the hull with a hand drill (Mr. Bush).
Lately I've Been Thinking... Why can't Dubya go lame, this d(umb cl)uck? Why must he lease drilling rights to hundreds of thousands more wilderness acres? Why must he make it impossible to save endangered species if someone wants to build a strip mall? Why must he go on making it easier and easier to lop off Appalachian mountain tops, and bury West Virginia streams and rivers in dirt, stone and tree trunks? Someone, perhaps Cheney, must think they'll slow the next administration's progressive agenda by creating an infinite number of last-minute "wrongs" that must be "righted" before real progress can be made. Bastards.
Currently reading... The Spies of Warsaw, Alan Furst's new book. It's actually my "first Furst," though I've been meaning to check him out. He's not as great a writer as LeCarre, of course, but his spy stories do take place in WWII, and I enjoy that time period. Plotting is good, too -- you don't see things coming. I find it fascinating to be inside the head of a French officer. This book made the NYTimes Top 10 of the year. I'm almost done -- stay tuned for the final review.
The Soapbox: You can always choose hope, not fear.
P.S... Don't forget to visit the Women in Transition coaching Web site!