Happy New Year to everyone. We bought this today and there's a new champion in the Briggs household, me. Not that I haven't always been but I think Sarah thought she was the cream of the crop in our family. She doesn't know that I've forgotten more about ping pong than she knows.
I haven't really posted anything for a while because there's nothing new to report, just the normal hustle and bustle of the holidays. In-laws are in town and my family will join us tomorrow. Good food, drink and cheer looks to be the agenda. Merry Christmas.
I got a new phone today, one that has a camera in it. Hopefully, that means I can send photos directly to this blog. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing though.
Perhaps the greatest measure of Obama's declining support is that just 50% of voters now say they prefer having him as President to George W. Bush, with 44% saying they'd rather have his predecessor. Given the horrendous approval ratings Bush showed during his final term that's somewhat of a surprise and an indication that voters are increasingly placing the blame on Obama for the country's difficulties instead of giving him space because of the tough situation he inherited.
Looks like it'll be 4 degrees with the wind chill when I drop the boys off at school tomorrow before heading to the airport. It'll be much colder in Chicago, a freezing -13 wind chill when I arrive. Why do I always get cold weather when I travel to Chicago in the winter?
Almost zero going on this week. Christmas party last night, Chicago tomorrow for the day (unless this winter storm coming is awful) and then the Polar Express on Saturday night in Dennison.
My latest culinary photos. The far photo is my habaneros that continue to dry. They don't look like much but I hope they are good. The other photo is my first attempt at beef jerky made in the Ronco food dehydrator I borrowed from the in-laws. They are not as thin as I would have liked but I'll take an "after" photo in 36 hours when they are done.
My grandfather, Bill Briggs, was the first scoreboard operator in what is now Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon. Dad just told me that there is a new photo book out about Massillon with a photo and blurb about him so I can't wait to see it. Below is a nine minute video about Massillon made in 1958. They say that the Tigers drew more people than 90 percent of the nation's colleges. I remember growing up when we we always drew the 4th largest crowd in Ohio behind the Bengals, Browns and Buckeyes.
This is the bar at the lake. Well, not really but it will look somewhat like this one except that the tv and upper cabinets will be flipped and the bar top will likely be made of wood instead of granite.
But in this case, the public was more disturbed than entertained. Indeed, one could see the phenomenon in a number of places in recent weeks: Obama's magic no longer works. The allure of his words has grown weaker.
It is not he himself who has changed, but rather the benchmark used to evaluate him. For a president, the unit of measurement is real life. A leader is seen by citizens through the prism of their lives -- their job, their household budget, where they live and suffer. And, in the case of the war on terror, where they sometimes die.
Political dreams and yearnings for the future belong elsewhere. That was where the political charmer Obama was able to successfully capture the imaginations of millions of voters. It is a place where campaigners -- particularly those with a talent for oration -- are fond of taking refuge. It is also where Obama set up his campaign headquarters, in an enormous tent called "Hope."
In his speech on America's new Afghanistan strategy, Obama tried to speak to both places. It was two speeches in one. That is why it felt so false. Both dreamers and realists were left feeling distraught.
The American president doesn't need any opponents at the moment. He's already got himself.
Top left photo shows the bar laid out on the floor.
