Like a Circle in a Spiral

As our little blue/green marble takes its final staggering steps of its orbit around the minor star on the edge of the spiral arm of our minor galaxy in the infinite expanse of space, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what a sucking chest wound 2008 was. It wasn’t quite as bad for me, personally, as 2004, but it pretty much sucked. The never-ending presidential campaign got dirtier and nastier, ending with the election of the smartest guy in the room, a result made possible only by the utter loathing for the current administration by 99% of the planet. In this respect, Bush/Cheney is like my ex-husband, the Anti-Christ. If they weren’t so corrupt, so evil, so mind-bogglingly sociopathic on a monumental scale, the American public might not have recognized that our last, best hope was a man with a foreign-sounding name and a skin color not traditionally associated with the presidency. But the utter terror of the prospect of another four years of Bush/Cheney lite was enough to send voters to the polls in record numbers, all with just one thought: CHANGE. And for that, MizShoes is grateful. For everything else those two have perpetrated in my (and your) name, I wish only for a special prosecutor to try them for war crimes. It’s too late for the high crimes and misdemeanors and impeachment that should have come.

The economy crashed and burned this year. We’ve tightened our belts so much at the Casita des Zappatos that the next round of economizing is going to include a WWII-style victory garden and a clothes line. I’m even unplugging the computer to save on electricity.

But I went to Arrowmont, and had a blast learning about felting. I got my beads and baubles in a shop, even if nothing sold for Christmas, it costs nothing to leave everything in the case and hope for Valentine’s Day sales. The RLA got a second, and then a third, teaching gig. I haven’t been able to sell the old VW, Zelda Bleu, but I was able to get the Smart Car, and it also costs nothing to hold on to the VW and wait for better days.

There will be better days, I’m sure of it. The future starts tomorrow, and I can’t wait to see what happens.