Change

Change. That's the buzzword for the 2008 elections. We're gonna change things. We're gonna change the way things are done in Washington. Democrats are saying it. Republicans are saying it. Change, change, change. That got me to think about what's changed for me and Pumpkin over the past 12 months, both good and bad.

I lost my job, and was unemployed for six months: BAD CHANGE

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer: BAD CHANGE

I have two undiagnosed health issues: BAD CHANGE

My vision is slipping: BAD CHANGE

Pumpkin's grandma had to move in with her parents (Pumpkin's parents, not her grandma's parents) after breaking her hip in a fall: BAD CHANGE

Brett Favre is now a NY Jet: BAD CHANGE (for how it all went down)

My investments have taken a dump: BAD CHANGE
----though I'm buying a lot of stock on the cheap now: GOOD CHANGE

The value on my house has plummeted: BAD CHANGE

If you're scoring, that's eight "bad change" and one "good change", and the good change is an offshoot of a bad one. Point is, most changes are bad ones. Job loss, illness, divorce. People don't like change, but boy are they responding to that word this year. They want to change the changes that have happened to them. Or they want to change what hasn't happened to them.

I'm gonna go and walk my dog now. That's one thing I hope never changes.