Political:
Well we have a new President coming to town, the people of America have chosen a new leader for this country. In what was an historic election, the first black man to run and get subsequently elected, and the second time a woman was on the VP ticket, and the first time for the republican party. In an election that had plenty of vitriol spewing from all avenues, and outlets, or in your author's opinion, same bullshit, different election year. Both candidates and party's promising change, it remains to be seen. President-Elect Obama will have it a little easier, especially since he will have Democrat controlled congress. Obama will have a lot on his plate. A lot of pundits are throwing the blame at President Bush, some of which is justified, but you really can't blame Bush for everything that is wrong in this country. Sure his approval numbers suck, but I have always believed that history will look back on the Bush presidency and see it differently. We have not been attacked since 2001, and although we have not caught Bin-Laden, (which is where our focus should have been all along), he is on the run, and it is my hope that he is caught dead or alive, preferably the former.
Good luck Mr. Obama, you have a formidable task at hand, and it looks like you are surrounding yourself with smart and knowledgeable people, albeit a lot of Clinton Administration retreads, let's see if the change that you promise is more than a sound bite. Action speak louder than words, and action is what we need.
Personal:
Jen and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in October.
Kim is now in seventh grade, texting and aiming her life away, but very active in both volleyball, basketball, and girl scouts. Earlier this year, she was confirmed by Auxiliary Bishop Robert Maginnis.
Michael is now in fourth grade, and posting very good grades. He is playing soccer and baseball. In fact his soccer team was undefeated this season, and they won a local tournament. He also started in Cub Scouts/WEBLOS, and has been on two camping trips, one of them earning his whittling chip badge, which means he can safely operate a pocket knife.
Jen is still teaching at Chester Community Charter School and still working a shift or two a month at Lankenau.
Fluffy, is still big boned, and spends most of his days either curled up in a ball or laying flat on his back, getting up only long enough to eat, drink, and poop. Although at night he does prowl the neighborhood doing God knows what, occasionally bringing us home a critter that he has killed.
For me, its been an up and down year. In July, I had a baclofen pump implanted to help with the muscle spasticity that I have been having. After the surgery, I spent a week, at Moss Rehab Hospital doing intensive inpatient rehab, then did six weeks of outpatient PT. I missed two months of work in the process.
I found out a few weeks ago, that I have to get my defibrillator changed, which will happen on 09 January. Ironically enough, my device started beeping Sunday morning indicating that the battery is running low. At the office visit with the doctor, he recommended that I get the device changed since the charge time was a little longer than he liked, so we set up the appointment.
Of course one of the highlights of the year was the Phillies winning the World Series. We actually attended about five or six games this year. What a season it was for the Phillies, and it was great to see them win it all, after so many disappointing years by the other franchises. The kids were real excited as well. Just this past Sunday, the stars aligned, and the Eagles snuck into the playoffs as a sixth seed.
Professional:
I am still spreadsheeting the days and sometimes nights and weekend away here at KlingStubbins. Earlier in the year, I went to our Cambridge office for a couple of days, on what was my first business trip. During the trip, Jen broke her foot, and was in a walking boot thingy for a month or so.
That's it, for this year. All the best to you and yours in 2009.
--gfo
