I know (e:James) is going to be pretty interested in talking about it, and he know much more than I about her, so he can give us the scoop on her if he wishes. I just wanted to say I'm pretty surprised. To me this reflects favorably on Paterson, but not enough to offset the regressive tax situation he's trying to perpetrate.

I'm not afraid of being single. I can go indefinitely without a girlfriend, one of the few benefits of going through betrayal. What I am afraid of though, is growing away from my close friends. Most are married or practically married, and as such like to do couples activities and trips. I'm left out of certain conversations among friends. I wonder if as we all get older I am going to become an outsider? Certainly feels that way to me - and I don't want to get a girl I barely like just so I feel I belong still.

So, I don't fear death, sickness, poverty or a lifetime of relationship failure - but I am frozen solid thinking about being alone in this world at some point. That's what I'm afraid of.

Today during work I've been listening to music I didn't know I would like. I had no idea David Archuleta has real music now - that kid is still a ringer. There are some other things I've been listening to which I really don't want to release publicly, but regardless I feel I should atone for my behavior.

I am really excited today. I mean REALLY excited, enough that I keep pacing around my office. I did not vote for Barack Obama, but to my relief he doesn't seem to be ideology driven these days. He *does* want to be everyone's President. For a moderate, to be wanted is something new. The conservative wing of the Republican Party doesn't want to transform itself, and certainly made it clear to me they don't care about my opinion, so I'm happy and proud to say Barack Obama is my President too.

We have a long year ahead, so I think it's only appropriate we have one day and night to celebrate our traditions and our hopes for the future before getting down to business.

Last week I sat in the car at Willie's and noticed an old timer walking with a cane, severely limping. It was terrible weather, icy, snowy, and honestly this teetering man looked like he could yard sale at any moment.

I opened the car door, stepped outside and yelled out to him "Hey! Are you okay? You need some help? Can I open the door? Anything?" but he refused the help I offered to him. He was struggling to move for God's sake and I hated seeing that knowing I could help.

In my eagerness to help, I wonder if I insulted the man. If you think about what might matter most to someone with mobility issues, maybe the answer is the independence and freedom that comes with the ability to get around, no matter how difficult. Maybe that mattered to him a heck of a lot more than wanting to end the misery involved with struggling to get into the store.