Well it’s 2009 and we’re still here. New Years eve, I saw something that in my life I could not have dreamed up. It was almost midnight, I look over from my roof patio to the empty lot next door and here is this guy with a foot high roman candle trying to light it in the rain. But to no avail, then I saw him scratch his head and knew he had figured it out. He’s back within two minutes with this huge golf umbrella and huddles over his pyrotechnic and sparks it off with his Bic lighter. I guess he forgot that he had tried three time before to light it and the fuse was a tad shorter than before, but up it went into the umbrella which caught on fire, instead of dropping the umbrella and running with valor, he just kept running holding on to the flaming umbrella. And as far as I can tell is still running!

I refuse to consume cocktails on New Year’s Eve, as I don’t like hanging around with amateurs. If they won’t have a drink at 11 am, on a Monday morning, then who need them? My Doctor said I should cut back, and I agreed. So I cut back on visits to my Doctor.

This year I have a list of things I must do, after four years I’m going to try to get my Immigration “I” Card. I have the receipt, but the Immigration Office can’t find the card. If I’d not planned a trip to Singapore this year, I would wait until next year when it’s due again, what are the odds they’d lose it again? UPDATE: 8 Jan. I stopped by the immigration office on 7th St. to pay my yearly Head Tax. When asked about my “I” Card, I explained; “All I have is a receipt as they never gave me my card.” Then it was explained that without the “I” Card I could not renew. Does anybody else see the Catch 22 I was faced with? Three times before I’d renewed my visa without it but not today? My wife, intervened and had the guy check for my card, and he found it in his desk where it had been for 3 years. I just smiled and got the hell out of there.

Thanks’ to the internet I filed my income taxes 19 December, and that used to be part of my New Years ritual, and now I can spend more time applying for my Social Security check now that I’m pushing “62”. Since I’m dealing with the U.S. Government it might go smoothly?

I also planned to buy a new Honda City, while looking at the Honda Web Page I could not find it with an automatic transmission, so like the “glass half full” type of guy I am, I e-mailed Honda of San Fernando and asked them about that. One week later I received an answer, not the one I wanted, but an answer never the less. I quote “Yes sir the Honda Jazz comes with an Automatic Transmission”. Well that’s good to know, if the Jazz was the car I wanted! Like a fool I wasted my time and asked the same question again, two weeks later I found out by looking in the window of a Honda City at Royal parking lot. Then sent an e-mail to the Jazz kid in San Fernando and told him that they do come with an Automatic! Waste of time, but it felt good.
While watching the ball drop in Times Square, I was thinking this was the last year they could sell those dumb looking sunglasses to the tourists. 2000 to 2009 works, but 2010 and beyond would cause vision problems.

My wife was starting to take down the Christmas tree, when I suggested that she leave it up, as the Christmas season would be starting again in a few weeks. When she did the famous head scratch, I knew she didn’t know I was joking