Go Forth

I spent yesterday glued to the television, even though I SWORE to myself that I'd stop after Aretha Franklin sang (because I know myself well enough to know I couldn't NOT watch Aretha.)

Apparently I wasn't alone; the inauguration is all my friends and neighbors have been able to talk about for the last 24 hours. No matter what our political persuasion, Obama's call to volunteerism resonated with each of us, particularly this line:

"The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good."

If every person in this crowd, and every person who watched the inauguration on television, did even one small thing to help a friend or neighbor, to improve their local schools, or to raise the standard of living in a poor community (perhaps through an organization such as Heifer International) what kind of world would we have?

Off the DL

Bet you didn't think there was a disabled list in the baseball off-season. Well, you are WRONG. Not only could I not play baseball for the last few weeks (not that I was planning to, what with the snow and ice), I couldn't TYPE. For a writer and computer addict, this is a big deal. No responding to e-mail. No blogging. No working on my current manuscript. No googling phrases like "Kylie Minogue fashion don't."  (Try it...it's FUN.)

Also, no searching for videos like "Kathy Griffin New Year's Eve hecklers." (Caution: Some of you may find content in this video objectionable. I think Kathy's hysterical, but she is NOT kid-friendly.)



So how did I end up on the typing DL, you wonder? Long story short: My big Christmas gift this year was a new set of kitchen knives.

Long story long: I've been using the same hand-me-downs since I moved into my first apartment during college, so after this Thanksgiving (and another round of heavy-duty cooking with dull, unsightly knives), I decided it was high time I acquired a grown-up set. I spent forever online researching, then went into the kitchen store to try out a few. I settled on a nifty set from Wüsthof, since they felt good in my hand, and talked my husband into letting me open them before Christmas so I'd have them for Christmas entertaining.

The kicker? Those suckers are SHARP.

I opened the box and started washing them one by one, all jazzed to cut a tomato, a green pepper, whatever. Just as I was daydreaming about speed-chopping celery, I slipped. Steak knife + new edge + right index finger = trip to the ER and stitches. Then I had to have my fingers taped together so I wouldn't bend the right index finger. You don't realize how much you use your hands until you whack them with sharp objects.

On the bright side, I did get to watch a lot of TV. Loved the Boston Legal series finale, though I can't see Justice Scalia marrying anyone, let alone Denny and Alan, during his fishing vacation in Canada (leaving aside the fact that no one had a marriage license.) Maybe this will be addressed if, say, NBC, CBS, or even HBO pick up the series? One can only hope.

Also loved the Survivor finale. Very happy Bob Crowley won, though I thought Sugar played a great strategic game (I wish she'd gotten the $100,000 fan fave money.)

But now the stitches are out, so I'm off the typing DL. If anyone has tips on scar prevention (other than the usual advice to keep the wound covered and use sunscreen), let me know. I don't want to look like I was in a fight and lost!