The ice garden

Life is good. It is a pleasant 68 degrees out, most sunny skies, and I feel well rested. On Friday, I finished off the last season of the comedy How I Met Your Mother? It was excellent as expected. Saturday morning consisted of a little college football viewing in the morning and visiting friends in the evening. Jim and Sarah were in town from Chicago. A bunch of us ate dinner at Sarah’s house and then spent the rest of the night chatting about politics, and the meaning of life by a roaring fire place with classical music in the background. Throw in the fact that a lot of this happened while we sipped wine, ate appetizers, and talked about the decline of the American education system, I think we fit the profile perfectly of the elitist liberals. By the way, I am not embarrassed by that title and I want liberals to proudly reclaim the title of liberal. Sarah’s friend Norah had a good quote. I want a president who can relate to normal Americans, not a president that is a normal American. She hit on something very important. Why is it bad that Barack Obama spent his childhood traveling the world? Why is it bad that Obama got his diplomas from Ivy League schools Columbia and Harvard? Why is it bad that right before Obama became a politician, he was a professor at University of Chicago instead of being a carpenter or welder? I want my presidents to be smart, gifted orators, but also have the ability to relate to normal Americans. I do think Obama’s travels, and the fact that he was raised very modestly, give him that. C’mon Liberals; Own that elitist label and be proud of it! Study after study has shown that liberals are better educated and informed than their conservative counterparts. I am proud of that.

1. I will be in Mankato today. I can’t wait?

2. I just don’t understand the stock market. I see that the market is up 500 points today! Why is that? What happened over the past weekend that would make investors so incredibly optimistic? Don’t get me wrong; I am thrilled but flummoxed. My only guess is that gas prices continue to plummet. Gas prices are down about 75 cents a gallon. That could be it.