Good Things...

I have completed the project that is my taxes. Every year I swear I will be more on top of things so that I don't have to take a big bag of mostly trash and sort through it in a panic to find my receipts. Every year I find myself sometime in the last two weeks of March frantically going through the large bag of trash. And every year I feel the same sense of relief and accomplishment when it's all filed and totaled. I must like that part a lot because I keep doing this. Every year.

My friend, the Divine and cheeky Ms. A sent me the most fabulous knife ever for my birthday which is quickly approaching. It is from Williams Sonoma and made by Wusthof - those Germans sure do make nice knives - it's name is Santoku. I cannot express what pure pleasure it is to cut, chop and slice with this knife. It gives me freakin' goosebumps. I have sliced and diced everything in my refrigerater. Oh the joy!

Richard Clarke is telling the truth and he apologized to the families of those who died on September 11, 2001. He also stated that this country is no safer, and in fact, is in more danger since the war on Iraq. This may not seem like a good thing, but I'd rather deal with an unpleasant truth any given day than be lied to. You know when you're in a relationship and you know that the person you're relating with is lying to you? This could be a work relationship, a love relationship, a friendship - or the President of the United States, but you know when you KNOW that you're being lied to and it makes you feel like you're crazy because there's a little voice inside you that's going, "you know this just doesn't feel right - there's something not quite right". It's unsettling and causes mild ongoing anxiety. That's how I've been feeling ever since the POTUS has started selling the idea that Saddam Hussein, Iraq and Al Qaeda are like all the same thing. And people BELIEVED him!!! I'm not saying that Saddam wasn't bad and didn't need to go, but c'mon! We're talking about two different sets of crazies here. The crazies that attacked our country and killed innocent citizens are still out there and they have been planning what they're going to do next while people have focused on Iraq. People can say what they want about Richard Clarke being disloyal and playing politics, but I feel like someone has finally stopped playing politics and is telling the ugly truth. And that is a very good thing.