I'm going to enjoy watching Obama fall flat on his face. He has no insight, no solutions. He's the ultimate figurehead; all noise, gloss and a life running in circles.

The Sherlock Holmes stories are my favorite works of fiction. The combination of Gothic intrigue and Victorian sensibilities is perfect. I’m a fan of Jack the Ripper lore so this brand of fiction is right up my alley.

I’ve recently been out for ice cream with my family; a thrilling pastime that while not indulged in as of late is nonetheless familiar. When we lived in Burlington, Vermont in the early 1990s we would often skip down to a Ben and Jerry’s located right near our apartment. We lived in the heart of Ben and Jerry’s lore in Vermont. I even visited the official factory where the ice cream was made.

I went to Frankie’s amusement park on the 3rd and played a game of miniature golf with my family. It was great fun; fun in a childish sense brimming with thrill and wonder. The landscape made me feel as though I stood atop a massive, puzzling board game. There were windmills and waterfalls and streams of water died blue for an exaggerated effect. Watching the reflections of nearby red stuff flash in the blue of the water I remembered my study of Monet and his obsession with capturing the effects of light in landscape on canvas. When I visited Monet’s house in France in 1997 I felt like Carroll’s Alice; an innocent lost in a summer’s daydream paradise of friendly flowers who flaunt their wares and play in the sun. I used to play miniature golf all the time in past summers when I would leave Kuwait for America. I was decidedly out of practice on my last venture but I still possess keen hand/eye coordination due to my avoidance of current “video games” rather than my indulgence. My brain is unfried and most assuredly my own. What loser would want to bowl or golf in a video game when it can be done outside in the world, when it can be lived! Dad got in Frankie’s batting cage to try his luck. He was a superb baseball player as a youth and he’s never forgot his obsession. Now he’s a bit rusty but the spirit’s there.