So it’s Friday the 13th, no biggie. And there’s no DST in Arizona, so we con’t get any savings. But Yayyy, Madoff’s in the slammer!

Yeah, Marjorie, after a whole six weeks. Jeez, I’da thought everything would be back to business as usual by now. What was Obama thinking? Was he smart enough to get elected, smart enough to gather the best bunch of people around him. Was he smart enough to analyze the situation and get answers from those smart guys in Washington and do something FAST to start energising the country? Just sit back and be patient. It took longer than six weeks for the country to fall into this deep quagmire and it’ll take great leadership to get us out. That’s what President Obama is trying to do. Go to sleep and wake up next Christmas and see where we are.

Bonnie - a large number of Washington statesmen and economic experts have told Charlie Rose that they think the president hasn’t inoculated the banks and large companies with ENOUGH money. That he should have asked for way more. Not enougn or not at all would be ineffectual. BTW, there are a number of other foreign countries that are also loaning funds to the USA, not just China. Also, the developed countries in the world still want to do business with the US because we are powerful, have great expertise and are a great producing country. When this is over next year or so, we’ll pay back our loans and begin to do business as usual with the world.

Marjorie, you mean that being a Senator in the US Congress doesn’t give him business, economic or governing experience? Besides being a brilliant lawyer and a damned smart man? What are you smoking?

Yaaaaaay Mugsy! You got it!

Phyllis - Tim Geithner was on Charlie Rose last night and this morning. His non-detailed report to the country was on purpose, ordered by the president. But last night he outlined the whole thing in great detail for an hour with Charlie asking all the right questions as he always does. He knows what he’s doing, and the nay-sayers should just shut up and let him do it. A government has never moved as fast as ours did the very minute the right guy was in office. We’re going to be in poor shape for the rest of this year… deal with it.

Even our inimitable ex-Vice President asked Google to blur the shot of his house, even though everyone knows where it is. And from my point of view, who the hell cares?!

Penny, I’m a night owl too. So when I wake up around 10:am, my dog, Savannah the Great Dane, is stretching her long, long legs into my spine. First I think, "What day is it?" That takes a while to determine. Then, whether or not I have to pee. If it’s urgent, it takes a delicate long time to get out of the waterbed while instructing Savahhah to "stay!" plus a long explanation to her about where I’m going. She patiently looks at me, not understanding a word of course. I’m happy she has learned from puppyhood to adjust her sleeping schedule to mine. We’re both nightowls.

I made a will years ago when I lived in Mexico, believing (correctly) that anything can happen to gringos down there. I’ve changed it a number of times since. I didn’t find it difficult, being a pragmatic planner type. The hard part is now, at 76, to think of where my books should go at my demise. I’m a maker of books, and after over 65 editions, the private collection of mine and others is rather valuable. But the strangest time I recently had was filling out the papers for The Neptune Society. Those questions were reallly bizarre. At least my kids won’t have to do anything but dispose of a house full of their collector-mother’s odd belongings. All valuable, to be sure.

On the other hand, Siasp, I’ve just started in a business that sends gifts to strangers without the expectation of it being returned. It escalates to where I get others gifting to me. It’s paying the bills now. Some of the strangers are becoming friends, too.

Oh, James, I wish I’d have considered those words when I loaned a bunch of money to an ex-relative a few years ago. Less than half was repaid and the rest I’ll never see again. Now I’m working two jobs just to pay the bills. On the other hand, I’ve given lots of money to my two kids, who were always asking. Some was paid back, but who cares. Now all three of us are struggling, so no one asks.

God! The huge image of Schlafly staring out at me from my computer screen is enough to ruin my whole week! That woman has been dangerous for about thirty years.

NP, very funny bathroom story. However, how many here have traveled to or lived in foreign countries? Talk about trembling thighs; Chinese toilets are a real challenge, and Mexican are a treat to the nose, not to mention the germs. Don’t even expect to find paper there. In China and Japan people come out of the bathrooms waving their washed hands in the air to dry them. It’s a very funny scene.

As long as I always have a kleenex packet in my purse, I’m saved.  After China, I went back to the gym to work on my thighs.

I’ve been Patty, Patsy, Pat and "PATRICIA!" (that’s from my mother in certain circumstances). Pat lasted for many years. I had the idea that one’s name really referred to your ‘person’ and couldn’t be changed away from that. I was so impressed when I married & changed my last name from Durst to Baldwin. Then my daughter, Leslie, became Divy, then two or three new age Indian names. (I’ve always called her Leslie, however). It gave me the idea that changing names was a viable alternative to "Pat", which I always considered too short. So I changed to Patrice in 2002. Now I have to answer to Pat for old friends BC (Before Change) and Patrice for everyone I’ve met AC.

To reverse the theme, I’m biding my time and trying to keep as healthy as humanly possible because I definitely wouldn’t want to live with either of my children. My daughter (the long-time planner) keeps suggesting it and I keep taking my vitamins and smiling. We get along fine with about two states between us. My son might be easier, but he’s not hot on my advising his kids (which was the way I brought HIM up), and I don’t want to interfere (much). I wouldn’t have wanted my parents to live with me when they were alive. My mother would interfere too much and my father was an authoritarian who had to run everything. No thanks. (BTW that’s who I inherited my main personality traits from. I’m forever reminding myself to shut up).