There and back again

Well, we're back from vacation - bug bitten, sun scorched and majorly mellowed. I've been without TV, newspapers, phones and Internet for a week and half. So what did I miss?

It looks like the Midwest pretty much got washed away last week ... the presidential campaigns have heated up considerably in my absence, with Obama under attack for flip-flopping on something or other ... Meet the Press's Tim Russert passed away and so did George Carlin. I'll miss them both, Russert more than Carlin. I used to love Carlin when he was the enfant terrible of comedy, but in the end his humor became too bitter, too caustic for me.

The national memorial statue of Martin Luther King is in final approval stages ... it was made by a Chinese artist? You can't tell me there wasn't an American sculptor somewhere who could have and should have done that piece or a better one ...

Two guys at the helm of a major Bear Stearns hedge fund have been arrested for misleading investors. Ditto a few hundred folks involved in fraudulent mortgage deals. Inflation, if not stagflation, is becoming a threat ...

Wars. Violence. Rigged elections in Africa. More violence ... yep. Same old world. Who needs the details. Can't honestly say I'm glad to be back.

I did miss reading all your blogs though, and I'll get around to catch up ASAP. I kept running notes of our trip and a took a bazillion photos, too, and I'll fill you in on the details in a bit.

Thanks for keeping an eye on the place for me!