Feb. 2009 Notes and Details Sheet

So what am I down to here anyway? Just days hours and minutes until a New Years resolution bit the dust. O ye scoffers!!! Maybe it'll happen next month...
I begin this year of hope and change a little... well confused. If reckless spending and living above our means put all of us in this economic mess then why does our government feel that them doing it will get us out? When Chinese leaders and Putin of Russia are in no uncertain terms warning our new President that Socialism is flawed and will destroy our nation why are our leaders seemingly embracing it? When even the liberal news outlets are calling this new deal the ultimate pork barrel why does our federal government hail it as salvation through deficit spending? Why is the federal government getting into the auto business, the mortgage business the construction business? Do we really want these people in charge of this stuff? They can't procure a toilet seat at a reasonable price why should they be allowed to manage anything? A federal government, any government is a necessary evil brought on because people just can't seem to behave properly on their own. But this!! The only thing that should frighten us more than the idea that this administrations plan won't work is the outside chance that it will. America will on that day end as we know it. History tells us that no free society has ever remained free past the point where the citizens realized they could vote themselves in a meal ticket. We have already beat the odds by remaining as long as we have a free, capitalist society. Thankfully it will most likely fail and good old American drive and ingenuity will prevail after an adjustment period that could well bring conditions that those living today can scarcely imagine. I know I can't and am just going to do the best I can. Now it would easily consume a person to try and wrap ones head around all this but there is this one thought which occurs to me over and over again. For those that view this life as a pilgrimage, when it drives us to our knees as the future may well do, be thankful. I for one need all the help I can get in arriving there.
On an entirely different note I did something right this month. I added to the guitar collection a fair student level classical guitar. This was the right thing to do as I have played little except classical music on my guitar for several years. May I from my newly enlightened position say you cannot play classical guitar without one. Seems obvious I know but having tried... well it's true. That being true I am about three levels below beginner but have begun again at the basics and have at last seen how I may some day make gratifying progress. This means of course doing a few things I have found uncomfortable. For instance the nails of the right index, middle, and ring finger as well as thumb must be properly shaped to play the finger style guitar. Having nails that protrude beyond the end of the finger may well lead to the belief that I could potentially be comfortable on either side of home plate but beware! I ride a Harley Davidson and own assault rifles! I can weather the occasional loss of man points. So while my time in a concert orchestra is probably over for good I find it very gratifying to be again studying the finest music ever played on a string instrument.
So that about does it for February the month of my least favorite commercial holiday, I intended to blatantly rip off one of Shaun's ideas and post up a counter with the current miles ridden in '09 but I'm to tired and I need to get to bed.