As I see it.

Maybe it is all about grace under pressure. No, that's not me in the photo, I just empathize.

I'm not a guy and I don't smoke. I have less facial hair and my car is slightly cleaner.

I haven't been watching the news much. I trust the President to do the right thing. I know he never had all the answers, but I do have the sense that he will surround himself with the variety of people who DO have solid answers.

I have no desire to watch him make the sausage. I try not to worry about things I can't change. I just voted for the person I believe in.

Was talking to Good Randy last night about Michigan and Florida. He says there is no doubt in his mind that Florida will come back to financial health as the rest of the Baby Boomers start creaking and limping and hating the cold.

That's part of why I want to hang onto my condo like my life depended on it. Well, in a way it does. This is where I got my health back. The weather and health resources in this area have literally shaved 20 years off how I feel; especially the nearby yoga center (Health & Harmony on McGregor) that teaches the Iyengar method. It's giving me more strength with every passing month.

At 58 I am the most flexible and limber I've ever been. I am very close to what I was in high school, when I was doing balance beam and uneven parallel bars. Well, then I had more upper body strength and could easily do the splits, but now I'm more flexible. The masseuse at Health & Harmony said "wow, you're LOOSE."

The weight is coming off, more as the side-effect of an incredibly healthy lifestyle than actual INTENT. Well, it helps that I won't be able to afford to buy food for a while.

We talked about Michigan. Good Randy said it will come back in a year. I told him I went onto the GM website this past week expecting to find bold new plans for selling those vehicles they can't sell. And damned if I didn't see why nothing is selling. NOTHING has really changed. NOTHING since I was writing that shit for the car company websites YEARS AGO. That is a total shock.

Sure, there are large rebates and some zero interest for a time, but it's all for PEOPLE WITH STELLAR CREDIT. Who has stellar credit?

Good Randy says it all has to start with the banks getting their act together.

This country's manufacturers need to borrow a page from Hyundai and their offer to TAKE THE CAR BACK for people who lose their jobs. That's an expression of faith in themselves. That makes me want to buy a Hyundai. EXCEPT I WANT TO BUY AMERICAN. AND I WANT TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT!

If enough people with jobs (92% of the population?) have a guarantee like that, more people will BUY the cars and auto workers will KEEP their jobs and the country will start to STABILIZE.

People will be less afraid to spend.

I'm feeling a little less traumatized today. Praying more. Glad that I went from hermit to social butterfly over the past year, I now have many contacts. I just have to take it one day at a time. (Only I'm such an obsessor it's more like one HOUR at a time.)

Immediate goals ... freelance (working on it constantly) and enough money set aside to rent a Uhaul to head back up north if I have to.

I pray that day never comes. And I pray for coworkers and others who suddenly find themselves in the same boat. And I can't imagine what it feels like to be one of the people who is still looking for work after losing their job a year ago.

Namaste.