It’s the twenty-third of December. If you’re not yet ready for Christmas, you’ve got one day left – and that’s likely to be a short one. As far as I know, I’m about done. I went to the post office today and sent a package that will surely arrive after Christmas. That’s okay, because the folks getting it will be out of town until a few days after the holiday. Hope that you’re ready and that you can relax somewhat and enjoy the holiday.
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There was almost nobody at the post office today. I walked right up to the counter. I suspect that if one wanted to send anything today for Christmas delivery, your only option would be Express Mail. It’s a great service, but kinda expensive. But if you’re a REAL procrastinator, that’s just part of the game, I suppose.
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You know, there’s always something…. I just remembered that we didn’t pick up one of those big, foil roasters. We have a ham in the refrigerator (courtesy of my employer, isn’t that cool?) that will need some oven time tomorrow. Fortunately, Pathmark is open 24 hours, so after finishing this post, I’ll likely be off for one more short shopping trip.
Bonnie has had her holiday bath and is wearing a new sweater – she looks really cute.
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Monica is sitting here at her laptop, bouncing around the Internet. She follows a number of blogs – one of them is from a young American woman that is now living in Rio (it’s here). She’s a very good writer and her blog is full of useful information – especially for those folks that are new to Brasil. It’s interesting to read her insights and opinions about life in Rio and comparisons to the US. Unfortunately, I found myself looking over Monica’s shoulder tonight and read a bit that she had written about the United States and the pending decline of our civilization. I must have missed that. She says that she’s never seen Americans so afraid or so vulnerable, and that we’re about to lose our standing in the world.
Sorry, but I must disagree. I don’t watch television – haven’t for about three years now. I don’t get the daily drubbing about how the world hates us and how our president is responsible for everything bad that has ever happened in the universe. I do know what I see, though. I go to work regularly with real Americans. It’s tough work sometimes – 
especially when it’s as cold outside as it is now. I see people every day that use their talents and muscle and brains to solve real problems. Many of them are union members, and they’re proud of their skills and their ability to make an honest living. Any of them, myself included, would likely find another job in short order if they lost this one – they’re that confident in their abilities. Nobody is afraid, and we’re not feeling that vulnerable. We’re all aware of the problems in our economy right now. The auto industry is one, but we realize that we have skilled labor, talented engineers and an industry that is adaptable and will move to fill the void in the marketplace if one (or three) of the big automakers go under. Nobody’s afraid.
I wrote a long comment in her blog defending the US – just under a poll she posted, which finds that about 2/3 of the respondents think the US is a force for evil in the world. They must watch CBS.
Tomorrow is Christmas eve. We’ll enjoy it with family. Hope you can, too.
Greg
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