Happy New year

Well...New Year's just isn't complete until Notre Dame loses their bowl game. Some folks like to celebrate with Dick Clark, others prefer silly parties with amateur revelers (you know, people that imbibe on 2 holidays and a birthday all year long....who wants to get tangled in Tanquerey with that person?!)....I digress....

Oh yeah, so...here it is 1/03, and I'm still talking about New Year's. That's because New Year's isn't complete without the ghost of Knute Rockne and a disappointing showing for the Golden Domers. Right now, it is 41-14, and it could very well get uglier. With under 5 minutes, LSU can't quite run the clock out just yet.

In other news, Daniel Ortega is poised to take over the presidency of Nicaragua in about a week. On January 10, the transition back to Sandinistan socialism will begin in earnest. With promises of 'peace, reconciliation, and cooperation with the U.S.', Ortega claims to be a changed man. Since leading a cadre of youths in the 1979 Somoza overthrow, and a subsequent dark decade of civil war, destruction, and economic stagnation, Ortega has been laying low....a snake in the grass, if you will, in Nicaraguan politics. Following the disastrous Lobster Revolution and civil war (50,000 dead in a country of a little over 5 million....proportionate to the U.S., that equals roughly the devastation of the American Civil War a century ago), he was defeated in 1990 elections, and peacefully relenquished power, vowing to return. Well, not unlike MacArthur, he has returned! .....[speaking of devastation, it's official, Notre Dame's coach is denied a January Gatorade bath yet again!!]

Where was I?....Oh, yeah. So, Ortega is promising change. We'll see. As for how all this affects me, I don't see a real change in my life. But, I don't think the people will tolerate a return to the past. Ortega won his victory with around 40% of the popular vote. He has a pretty solid base of voters; young people, pensioners, the poor,basically all the disenfranchised Nicaraguans, folks with nothing to lose. Because of the great land grabs of the 80s, many of these poor folks are poised to claim their '40 acres and a mule' (to borrow the Lincolnian phrase). On the other end of this deal is whose '40 acres' is going to be redistributed. Not to say that it will happen, but one must expect a certain segment of the populace to test the 'new Ortega'. So, the million-dollar (literally) question is, will Ortega empathize with the land grabbers, or will he prove to foreign investors that Nicaragua is a stable country with respect for international law.

We shall see....

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays, one and all. As of today, only a select few of you are receiving this beacon of goodwill from the banana republic. I'm holding off on going 'public' until I get a handle on this blog business. Then, watch out! Total propaganda of his 'Bob-ness', Leadbelly, Florida Football, Braves Baseball, and killing coral snakes with machetes.

For those of you that didn't know it already, I butchered a coral snake in our front yard. Seems he was trying to trick-or-treat at the Atkinsons house. Brodie actually found him, mistaking him for the great legless, banded iguana. Jorge and I quickly dispatched him into serpent la-la land. Upon consulting with our community, we were given advice to stake out the perimeter of our residence with garlic. I guess we'll kill two birds with one stone.....no Dracula, no coral snakes! At any rate, we're preparing for the holidays. I'm making cds for our employees, as they can't get enough rock-n-roll...So, I'm obliging them. Cds cost about 20-25 dollars a piece and the average Nica that is fortunate enough to be working, makes about 150/month. So...there you have it.

We are reminded every day how truly blessed each of us are. Nicaragua is a sobering place.

Christmas Is A-Comin', Lord It Won't Be Long!

Christmas Is A-Comin'
And It's A-Jumpin'
Boy, It Won't Be Long
-Leadbelly

Ah, words of wisdom and truth, from the great African-American orator of pre-rap days. A wordsmith, and one of the pillars of modern American folk music, a legend, a master and pioneer of the 12-string guitar, and a true inspiration.

Indeed, it won't be long before ribbons and wrapping paper are disgards like yesterday's news. It's also a sad time for some. Many folks will spend this holiday alone, or with news weighing heavy on their minds. Christmas tends to up the ante in human emotion. Those that are happy, tend to be happier, while those on the other end of the emotional spectrum feel much worse. Me...well, I have plenty to be thankful for! Although I live in the armpit of Central America, I have a lovely wife, son, and even a good ole dog (Stella). These are my gifts this holiday season. I'll try to remember this better, even if it isn't the 'holidays' always, it's good to try and remember.