still alive and kicking

I really didn't fall off the face of the Earth, though it does seem like it since I haven't been online for a few weeks (you should see my email inbox).

The holidays passed pretty uneventfully, I got to see my family and spend some time with my little brother before he's deployed to Iraq for which I am grateful. And I caught up with a bunch of friends I haven't seen for a while. I also lit out for Wisconsin the day after Christmas. That was an adventure and a half during which I decided I have way too much stuff. It used to all fit in my car, this time it took all of a minivan, d'oh. I like to travel light, this is not light.

I heard about the tsunami in my car. In fact I haven't really seen many pictures of it yet because I was on the road when most of the news coverage happened. Such a tragedy, and we're helping by sending Jeb Bush, great. WE could send Neal too, and sink a few savings & loans while we're at it. Also, we're donating approximately the amount of money we spend per hour in Iraq. Aren't we the philanthropists. It's so sad to think that we could have mobilized such massive resources to help all the people suffering if we weren't killing people in Iraq. This kind of thinking is of course an exercise in futility, but I've always been one for "what if. . . ".

My cousin Aaron just got back from his first trip to Europe all aglow about how wonderful it is. I had about given up on my plan to try to find work in Ireland, but seeing him like that reminds me of how much I really do like Europe. And also how much more my salary over there would be worth in American pesos, ahem, dollars. Such a beneficial exchange rate sure would make getting out from under my student loans easier.

Then I saw a Chicago Trib story about how Barack Obama is about to really break, like presidentially, and I thought, do I really want to miss out on something like the revitalization of the Democratic party? Of course I really don't believe that even another FDR can save the country now. It is too much in the grip of religious zealots and their puppets. I know, Ireland's not exactly a religion free zone, but I can sympathize with Catholics, and they don't scare me nearly as much as Evangelicals do.

Sorry for the train of thought ramblings, I need a few days to get back in the swing of things. In the mean time, check out this much more coherent and interesting piece by a fellow blogger. Suitably cynical reading for the new year.