1.20.2004

 

Since today marks the beginning of the new semester for me (well, yesterday as the hour has passed midnight), I figured I might as well jump back on the horse again.

Not that I haven't thought of writing, or gotten comments on my absence. Not that I haven't wanted to. Blogging has simply conflicted with my overwhelming devotion to laziness and getting things done that never seem to get done over the break between semesters. But that time of purpose concluded on Monday with my return to scholarly activities. Contain your enthusiasm friends and I shall try and do the same.

Special hellos to my sister, the Hose Mistress, Drewfus, Kool Keith and Dan the Goose, who have all made comments regarding the one month break from blogging. Glad to know you all cared.

I have little to add tonight beyond noting that I really have no desire to go to work tomorrow but it appears that I will actually NEED the income this semester from my job, so even though I do not anticipate putting in many hours, I hope the wage I can tackle from there keeps me going until the summer, at which point my comfort level will greatly change.

I do want to comment on tonight's State of the Union address. I must confess that I still myself at odds with President Bush on many political grounds. That will happen with anyone. And while I must confess that occasional brashness and affrontery strikes me as incautious, I felt particularly stricken with the way W has appeared to grow into the presidency over the last three years. He still stumbles over his words occasionally, but the nervousness appears greatly reduced in his delivery, and many moons have passed since the political cartoonists have had opportunity to ridicule his semantic errors and problems with diction. Tonight he appeared extremely forceful, certainly too forceful for many, but more than anything, I felt confidence flowing from him.

Agree with him or not, I enjoyed watching a President act and speak with less an eye to politics and interest group pleasing and more an eye to personal opinion. Certainly his comments on tax and the Patriot Act, and his overwhelming condemnation of gay marriage and the courts who appear to want to move that direction had a large goal of pacifying his conservative sponsors. But his delivery on foreign policy had everything to do with what he believed and only marginal political consideration. Comparing this to Clinton, who never once worried about what he thought because he could put his finger on the pulse of things and play the political game to perfection, it appears a nice change.

Hope everyone is doing well.