Well.

I can end sentences about myself and my family this past month this way:  We are well.

Or I could start a sentence about the way I feel about how things are progressing here lately this way:  Well...

Isn't that one word funny, with all of it's implications?

How about first things first.  We are well.

• Hubster is busy, busy, busy.  In town and out of town.  And with the housing/building industry kind of collapsing leading to banks failing leading to the stock market meltdown?  Well, busy is good.  (See how this kind of talk could so easily lead to the other kind of "well..."?  It's a slippery slope, I tell you, and why I haven't been online much.  I keep writing deep, dark, political diatribes in my head, and nobody coming to a knitblog wants to read that, do they?)
• Dear Daughter is also busy, busy, busy.  She's made second chair trumpet in the orchestra and has a solo in an upcoming concert.  Her grades are mostly good and she's a happy camper unless I try to talk to her too much about anything involving anything else.  She has friends over and they go to the mall and try on graphic tees and too much Bath and Bodyworks scented hand cream.  Life is good.  Oh, and another plus... that one low grade?  It's keeping her from driving so far, ... the one good thing about a low Biology grade, in my book.
• Dear Son is happy in his new school (You know, the one that driving to is such a time suck?) and his grades are good and he's learning to play the clarinet and he's making new friends (I think... he won't discuss it much, but there seems to be a kind of Norm-on-Cheers "Hey, B__!"  when he gets to school in the morning.) 
• I'm busy singing and working and volunteering (THANK GOD THIS STINT ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD IS NEARLY OVER!).  We're going to Chicago for Brother's book publishing party soon (see the side panel) which should be fun.  And I've spun up 20 or so ounces of that fleece I got in Bethel.  I've begun the February Lady's Sweater with it, but about 2 inches into the neck I see that perhaps I'm knitting on needles that are a size too small for about half of the yarn (darn handspun) so I'll have to rip and go up a needle size or two, and then  you know I won't get gauge if I do that, so then I'll have to do math if I really want to make this sweater .  You know, same old same old.

So.  We are well, thanks.

Well... two words.  Politics and Media.  Ok, five, The Stock Market.

• Elyssa from book club sent me this from The Onion and it pretty much sums up the politics part -- I'd think that on which ever side of the fence you find yourself, this article would resonate.  'Nuff said.
• Media?  Gah.  Talking heads, pundits, even folks I respect and who I think usually get things right?  They talk about Americans losing their "savings" in the stock market.  Savings?  Gambled in the stock market?  The media is perpetuating the idea that retirement savings equal stock market investments.  We've all fallen for it.  Cash just sitting in an account somewhere was wasted!  Until last week, when it turned out to be smart.  Yeesh, again.  And if I hear ACORN or Wright or Avery or Autism (isn't it supposed to be Down's syndrome?) or Hussein (as in middle name not Dead Middle East Dictator -- wait -- aren't those one in the same? ) or Joe the (not really) Plumber again, I'm gonna kick someone.  Find something relevant to talk about.  I've turned it all off.

So.  Hey, maybe I should focus on that word for this post.  So.  It implies a moving on of sorts.  Which I hope we all can do after this debacle of a political season.  Really.  'Cause I could use a good night's sleep.  Couldn't you?

Comments

[Bridgett]

Distraction. That's the name of the game. You're good at it, so I won't give you a list...

[Fríða]

I´m glad that you are all well!
and; so true, so true, both about the politics and the financial crises. what bugs me most is that the media is sounding like everything is going to the dogs because of the banks, when in fact nothing has changed in the lives of ordinary people. and incidentally, about the US elections, you might want to know that in other countries most people are not that interested because "how could anyone be worse than the one they have now?".
best wishes from Iceland
Frida

[trek]

You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a knitting blog with politics on it these days. That's probably why I am leaving fewer comments recently...

[Heather]

I saw your Dear Daughter performing live and in person at Open House last night. She is very good, as you well know. There's that well again!