January 2 thru February 15 , 2009

Written February 22

Dear Diary,

Sometimes I just need to catch up on diary entries before I've forgotten everything. I'm not even sure this warrants a "Family and Friends" greeting, since, even more than normal, these are simply times to think about what we're seeing and doing. Who cares what a non-professional commentator is thinking?

Oh! This is a BLOG! Amateurs blabbing about what they think is happening. Of course we've been doing it for over a decade under the "diary" tag, but we probably should update our vocabulary. So, I'll start again:

Dear Blog (or is it Dear Bloggies, or Dear Bloggests, or ...)

Here's what's been happening in 2009.

-- Depression. Economic, not personal. Caused by Americans thinking they are poor, and can't buy anything, after years of Americans thinking they are rich, and could buy everything. The rest of the world makes American things and now we are blamed for the total collapse of the thing-making economies. Locally, the auto industry is suffering, particularly the suppliers to the German car companies. A local trucking company just went bankrupt because the business of hauling cars to ports for America-bound ships has almost disappeared and the large local car parts business is struggling to survive. America, of course, is to blame.

-- Ice, snow, and ice. 2009 has been nasty in Europe with temperatures dropping below freezing and roads icing up. Snow has been constant, if not deep. All this is somehow tied to Global Warming, although last year's mild weather was ALSO an effect of Global Warming. By the way, Global Warming, as a new deity, must be capitalized. You know who's to blame, of course: Americans. If only we'd have signed the Kyoto Protocol, the weather would be perfect.

-- Wild fires in Australia. The dramatic fires Down Under have been very scary. My cousin Kim lives in the neighborhood, and sent a note about how she had to spend sleepless nights, worrying that the fires would shift direction and overwhelm her country home. Coming from California, we are sensitive to such worries. (And, these killers are called BUSH fires, yet another cheap shot at the former U.S. president, I'm sure. And caused by Global Warming, for sure)

-- American Coronation. We have royalty again! The evil prince is gone and the new guy was given a celebration that was more coronation than inauguration. And, now that the world future is on the shoulders of yet another American, I can't wait to hear the cries of despair when folks watch him walking across the oceans and his feet get wet. The hopes for the world future will evaporate. But, everyone but Americans will have a foreign country to blame.

	But, we enjoy our house and we enjoy our neighbor's house.
	Marianne is starting to make art progress. I like her industrial photo.

So, what do YOU think of the world?

John and Marianne