Obama's Inaugural Address--Tuesday, January 20th

Obama's Weekly Address

Obama's last weekly address before assuming the Presidency.

A New Chapter . . . A New Era?

Like so many Americans and other people around the world I am looking forward to a new chapter in the life of our country. Today is Martin Luther King day and the eve of the inauguration of our first Black President. From early adulthood I have always supported the Republican candidate for President. I voted for Ronald Reagan in 1984 and I'm willing to admit I voted for George Bush in 2000 and 2004. But,during the past four years, it became increasingly clear to me that the current leadership in our country was out of touch with its people. Rather than leading through inspiration and encouraging us to reach for greater heights, during the last four years in particular we were encouraged to fear and have a bunker mentality. I'm not just speaking of fear of terrorism, but through the example of our leadership we were encouraged to fear and shut out the voice of dissent. Our leaders were in denial of the current state of affairs in our country and hoped we would be blind as well. The Bush administration was unable to Imagine anything better than the narrowness of their own distorted perception of our world. A harsh criticism I know, but I think accurate and an inherent danger in the insulated bubble of the Presidency.

I heard Barack Obama speak at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. I was intrigued, but at the time it was not enough to convince me to vote for John Kerry. I intermittently heard Obama on the news and soon became impressed with his message. When he announced his candidacy in 2007 I was immediately on board. Most of my Black friends supported Hillary Clinton early on because they didn't think that Obama could win.

Tomorrow will truly be a momentous occasion as our first African American President takes office. It is clear that he has the ability to communicate and inspire confidence and has a great vision of what our country can be. Obama appears to be genuinely interested in hearing many points of view and doesn't see opposing views as a threat. He seems to understand that in today's world, America can't shutter its doors and windows to the outside--our world is interdependent and we must talk to our friends and foes alike if we are to build our influence.

Obama starts having my full support. All of us need to hold all of our leaders accountable, including our new President. The days, months, and years ahead will tell the story. I believe that Mr. Obama is up to the task of leading the country. Currently, he is more popular than Ronald Reagan was when he first took office. Perhaps, because of this great popularity it is even more important to keep a watchful but hopeful eye.

Thankful for Now

This morning I was reading Mary Beth Alexander's blog and was reminded to be thankful for Now ... this moment ... this hour ... this day. I will never recover this time, it only comes to me once so I must savor it, enjoy it, and make the most of it. It does me no good to spend this moment focusing on the past. I'm thankful that each second and minute that passes I have a blank canvas to fill . . . the possibilities are endless.

An Economic Perspective

This guy is probably not in the mainstream, but it is something to consider. I'm generally an optimist but I also think we should hear all sides of an argument.

Obama's Weekly Address

Just like the fireside chats, but with video and the ability to revisit and hear them again.

Thankful for Weekends

Aaaah, it's Friday evening and the weekend is here. I love my job, and I know not everyone is able to say that, so I am definitely thankful for that .... but all of us need time to get away from the job and that's what weekends were made for. Tonight I'll pick up Emily and Katie for the weekend--we're going out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner this evening and then the rest of the weekend is there for us to do what we want. No place we have to be, just time to do what we decide we want to do together. This evening, I'm thankful that the work week is over and that I'll be spending the weekend with Emily and Katie--can't beat that.

Earthquake Revised . . . 4.5

Okay, my last post was too soon. The earthquake they now say was a 4.5 ... I did feel it stronger than the last one we had which was centered near Ludlow quite away out in the desert. We were quite a bit closer to this one than the one in Ludlow, so I imagine that's why it felt stronger.

Earthquake Country

Yes, we had another earthquake in southern CA this evening. A 5.0 centered around San Bernardino. I was sitting here at the desk reading an article on the internet and suddenly there was a pretty large jolt. Nothing fell or broke ... no damage--it just startled me. This is the 3rd 5.0 or greater since last July. Prior to that it had been a long time since we felt an earthquake here in Palmdale. It makes me wonder if we're in for a bigger one.

Today

Today I am grateful for having a secure job when so many others seem to be losing theirs. We hear about it on TV and read about it in newspapers and the internet, but recently several of my colleagues have told me that their husbands have lost their jobs. The economy in the state of California is quite a bit worse than in much of the country. I'm fortunate to have worked for the same school district for the past 20 years and my employment is secure. I don't know that if a year from now that I will hold the same position as I do now, but I'm confident that I will be employed. Not everyone has that same confidence. There are many things that I'm thankful for, but today I focus on employment.

Back to Work

I return to my regular work schedule today with a lot of things on my agenda to get done. I need to prepare a chart of office responsibilities for a staff meeting that we'll be having this afternoon, review a presentation I'll be giving to the Board tomorrow afternoon, and pull some information together for a meeting that I'll be having on Friday. I also have a new staff member starting today which will allow me to get out of the office to visit school sites more often. I'm looking forward to the new year and the challenges of my job.

Emily and Katie don't have to return to school until January 12th. They're still in Seattle with their mom, but they will get back late tomorrow evening. They're taking Amtrak and leave today. I'm looking forward to them returning ... I've missed them the past couple of weeks. It was a very quiet Christmas and New Years without them here.

It's time to get moving and preparing for the day.

The Early Morning

I love the quiet of the mornings--before the rest of the world is stirring. I have always been an early riser; usually up before the sun rises. Enjoying the aroma of the brewing coffee and thinking what I'd like to get accomplished during the day or enjoying my current book. Tomorrow everyone returns to work after the holidays. I'll spend some time today looking at my calendar and planning my day so that I get off to a quick start. There are a few plants that are in desperate need of re-potting so that is on my list, there's laundry to do, sprinklers to fix, .....It won't all get done today and that's just fine.

Changing gears ... as I was browsing through some pictures the other day I found a picture of my mom when she was a little girl--a baby really. My grandfather was really quite a photographer. I wish I had more of the pictures that he took over the years.

Ringing in the New Year

Happy New Year to all! Over the past couple of weeks I've had a mixture of work and a few days off as well. The girls and Carolyn spent the time in Washington with Carolyn's family. They left the snow here in southern CA to head to the snow in Seattle.

While I don't typically make New Year's resolutions I suppose mine could have been that I would start out the New Year by getting my house back in order because that is how I spent a lot of my time at home. I ordered a 3 yard trash dumpster and filled it up twice--don't ask me how. I also made two trips to Good Will in Robert's SUV--filled up completely both times. I now have room in my cupboards and closets that I didn't think I'd find again. The only sad thing is--I'm really not finished yet. The rest can wait for the next time.

Maddie, my little miniature schnauzer, spent the past couple of weeks recovering from getting spayed. I had to take her back to the vet because she developed an infection. After a week of antibiotics and having to wear one of those cone collars she is running and jumping like normal.

Today I'm headed to Home Depot--I need to re-pot some house plants and also get my front planter beds in order (fixing sprinklers, pulling out some old plants, and planting some "winter" flowers.

This has not been a typical Christmas and New Years, but I can say that I've gotten a tremendous amount done around home and it feels good.