Of Super Bowls, ice storms and Girl Scout Cookies...

Saturday I had the pleasure of participating in free enterprise in action when Courtney Ford delivered my Girl Scout cookies. Her neighbors, Bruce and Nathan Glassco, were helping as they took advantage of the nice weather to make their deliveries.
I have many memories, mostly fond, of Girl Scout cookies. I recall knocking on doors over 40 years ago. I'm not sure how I managed, as shy as I was, but I seemed to sell my share of cookies. Then I took my turn driving my daughters around town as they participated in the annual sale. I also put in time a few years as "Cookie Chairman." The cookies have increased in price through the years and some varieties have come and gone, but they still taste great and the lessons learned are still as valuable.
Specific memories include a vivid memory of standing on the porch of Lee Richardson's house when I was selling cookies. Then there was the year I was cookie chairman and I had tonsillitis. I made the presentation to the troops while barely able to talk, then drove Lu around to sell her cookies while burning up with fever.

Tonight was Super Bowl night. I always look forward to the commercials. This year they were not as cutting edge as in years past. Several were cute, like the GE wind energy one where a little boy captures a jarful of wind and brings it to his grandfather to help blow out the birthday candles. Budweiser, as usual, had several good ones this year featuring the clydesdales. I especially enjoyed the one with the clydesdale going after his girlfriend at the circus, and the clydesdale playing fetch. I also liked the Pepsi refresh anthem, and the promotion of the new film "Up." I do believe the slow economy took its toll on the quality and quantity of the ads.
The halftime show was nothing spectacular. I think the halftime shows have regressed. We used to look forward to something special in the way of a light show, or something, instead of old rock stars performing with mediocre audio.
I was disappointed with the officiating of the game, and the outcome was not what I had hoped. When we were in Scotsdale, Arizona, recently the local newspaper was hyped up about the local team's chances to be in the bowl game, so I was rooting for the Cardinals.
It's interesting how the Super Bowl has become such an American icon, so popular it draws the biggest stars, highest advertising revenue and an interview with the president. I'm not a big follower of professional football, but there's something about the Super Bowl that draws me.

Last week the whole family was iced in for two days. That's the first time in years that everyone had had to stay home due to the weather. At least the power stayed on and everyone had their computers and movies and phones, so we survived.

A new week's beginning and hopefully things will be back to normal with everybody where they're supposed to be and no surprises for awhile. It's time for me to tackle the dreaded chore of getting my tax info gathered, so don't expect to hear from me until I surface from that. I hate it enough without having to listen to the nonstop TV ads and news shows peppering me with reminders. I hope to get it all behind me so I won't have to feel the pressure every time I turn around. Wish me luck!

Random thoughts

I was shopping at Wal-Mart today and they had the store's monitors tuned to the Inauguration ceremonies. I noticed a black man holding a little girl and watching as Obama took the oath of office. That would have made a great picture. I thought it was neat, anyway.

Now, on to other topics.
This blogging is quite interesting. I had not gotten involved in reading them much before, but since I've been researching what else is out there, I've learned a lot. Like the whole internet in general, there is such a massive variety of blogs about anything under the sun. I keep getting bogged down reading instead of writing!

I spent my afternoon being frustrated and aggravated because I couldn't get packing slips for my Snap-on orders that came in yesterday and today. The past 3 or 4 months it's been hit and miss with them getting a picklist in the boxes. You can't exactly check in the shipment or put it on the truck without that list. I can call in and they will email one, but that is a joke, too. I've done that several times and gotten them in several different formats. The only way that gives you anything like a legible printout is a PDF, but I've only gotten it that way once or twice. Otherwise they send it in some kind of text format that is a big mess to decipher. I guess it's better than nothing, but just barely! I don't know what they pay those people working in the warehouse, but I think it's probably too much! Sometimes I think they go out of their way to just toss things in the boxes - some packages come in looking like they've been stomped on! And, while I'm ranting about their shipping, they waste more packaging! There will be one or two little tools in a big ol' box stuffed with paper. What a waste!

OK, that's enough soapbox for one night. Maybe I'll have something more interesting to report next time.

Inauguration Day - A Day of Firsts and Lasts

Tuesday is the third presidential inauguration of the 21^st century. It is the inauguration of the 44^th president of the United States. It is a day of firsts...and lasts.

On Tuesday, January 20^th, 2008, Barack Obama will become the first black president of a country once known as “the melting pot.” Considered the highest achievement in our country, Tuesday will be the last time for that particular first. Coming on the day after Martin Luther King day makes the feat seem all the more poignant.

King's speech, “I have a dream...” has been quoted time and again. This line: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character," is the one I hope and pray is being realized.

I have to admit, I did not support Obama for president. Not because of skin color, race, or sex, but because my dream was to see Hillary Clinton in the office. I was most concerned about Obama's youth and lack of experience, but mainly I just like Hillary and was very disappointed that she did not win. Having said that, I have had time since the election to put my concerns aside to support the leader of our nation. Obama's actions so far have given me hope and some faith in him that I have not had in the president the past eight years.

Our nation needs change. It needs the breath of fresh air that a younger, new family in the white house will provide. Unlike my feelings following the last inauguration, I am looking forward to learning what lies ahead.

I do feel that for positive things to happen we as a nation need to put the “firsts” behind us and allow the new president to settle in to the job of running our country. I hope that we can learn to once again be a cohesive group, working for what's best for the nation as a whole. Yes, we should honor our heritage, but we must embrace being “Americans” first and foremost if our country is going to continue to stand as “one nation, undivided.”

My dream is that as Americans we will be able to recognize our citizens and leaders for what they stand for, for their ability to do their jobs, whether they are black, white, green or purple, male or female, short or tall.