Is Sarah Im-Palin' herself?

Katie Couric was hoping she'd go down in history, but probably never thought it would be because of an interview with a vice-presidential candidate. Funny how things happen. If you happened to miss Tina Fey re-living the moment, just go to http://www.nbc.com/ and look it up. I't well worth the 5 minutes of your time, that's all I'm saying on the subject.

Today the House Of Misrepresentatives had a historic opportunity, to prove to every citizen in the United States that WE THE PEOPLE matter more than the glamour shot bigwigs of Capitol Hill. Why in the world was I thinking they'd get it right? Because the morning-show pundits said so? Nah....too easy. I guess I was showing faith in the American system of government. You know the one. "It's not a good system, but it's still better than everybody else's". Yeah, that one. At this point Canada is looking mighty appealing. With Nancy Pelosi undermining the vote in Congress and George Bush at the helm, it's hard to tell whether we're in the grips of a Queen or a Joker at this point. I think all of us just want to know our retirement isn't going to vanish. We can live with some pain short-term, if we don't have to worry about eating Alpo from a bowl after age 65. C'mon, you idiots -- DO SOMETHING FOR YOUR CONSTITUENCY! And I don't mean stand in front of cameras, preening and whining.

Even with all the financial heartache across the USA, people are still traveling. That's a fact. Some of the little weekend 2-night cheapo's have gone by the wayside, but people who have saved their money for a nice, relaxing getaway are still living the dream. Are you thinking about going to Europe in 2009? Lots of people are! Cruising is a fantastic way to go, since you have so many things included up-front. You don't have to worry about the Euro killing you every time you want to eat a nice dinner. Or breakfast or lunch, for that matter. Right now, the maximum early-booking discounts have just opened up, which also means you'll have the pick-of-the-litter when it comes to selecting cabins in a nice location. A couple of months from now, you'll see most or all the premium locations will be sold out. So it's a great time to get a jump on the crowd. Demand for Europe was bigger this past year than any other we can remember, and it's expected to be as high or higher again next year. After 9/11 millions of people decided to vacation closer to home, which had the side effect of building pent-up demand for Europe and other far-away destinations. Now that the skies have been made safer than at any previous time, people are making their way back across The Pond. Yes you can "visit" Paris in Las Vegas, or go to Epcot in Orlando to "visit" Germany, but trust me -- it's just not the same! I'll leave Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell to say it best:

"Ain't nuthin' like the real thing, baby.....ain't nuthin' like the real thing....."