My year in review - 2008.

Hey Gang
My year in review - 2008.
Another year of way up to wayyyyyy down to back up, in that regards it was a normal year for me. And another thing that was also the same was I did something I keep saying I would never do again - get involved in politics. Even though this was at the tail end of 2007 it carried over into 2008, being a delegate for Governor Huckabee. If I am correct I was the first on his band wagon for this area. My hopes seemed they could become a reality but unfortunately the media and establishment did Huckabee in. 2008 saw a few of my past predictions come true. I said a few years back McCain would grab the GOP nomination and ultimately lose it from lack of support from the Christian Right and I also said the time was right for a black as president. Even though I was not a McCain fan but for the good of the party and this country I volunteered for his visit at Mentor High. I also met and spoke with Dennis Kucinich twice. I hosted a backyard party for Mike Guitierez who ran for state representative. So I was fairly active in the political realm. In 2008 saw my other warnings of the demise of the domestic auto makers and how this country is broke become closer to reality.
Business was horrible to OK back to bad to a leveling off near the end of the year. The upside coincided with the decline of the fuel prices. During the lean months a good friend bailed me out with a healthy cash gift to make it through. That was a real Godsend. And some of you may remember that business that owed me $2,400 from way back in 2006, they finally paid me.
Minor and near major legal issues hounded me. Two traffic violations, one I represented myself I won, the other got an attorney and lost. I challenged the late fee for my property tax and also won that. Then there was the legal problem with the big brother government of Euclid and my rentals. I succumbed to paying a partial registration fee on one house but argued and defended my right to block them from entering the house for an inside inspection. It was a busy year fighting all this.
As for traveling, my wings were clipped again but I started to realize gas prices weren't coming down this past summer so I plated the GoGo Bus and decided to travel in it once again, shorter distances but I was out and about in it. Kentucky in February to pick up Millard - Salt Fork, Ohio with Mark & Becky and family with Lisa and Millard coming along also - Cory, Pa. to visit Dennis and enter a car show - back to Kentucky - Letchworth in the Fall with Dov and Lisa, something I've wanted to see for years. And a few other little trips nearby sprinkled in, like Geneva on the Lake, Presque Isle, Pa. and the Geauga County Fair.
Though I am not the best swimmer and for sure know nothing about scuba diving, Walt had me attending functions with the scuba club he belongs to, the Aqua Amigos. We went to the Commodores Club for a spring picnic, a month later the USS Cod sub where we got to spend as much time as we liked after hours touring it and most recently a trip to Huron to attend the Bay Area Divers 25Th Anniversary banquet where I met two famed divers, David Trotter and Jim Kennard.
We lost Grandma this year, she died in her sleep, still relatively heathly at 97, thats the way to go. My cat also passed on from poisoning, that was horrible.
A couple of old friends got in contact with me again, Lisa from Erie and Dennis of Cory, Pa. whom I haven't spoken with in a couple of years. Its good to have them back around.
2008 saw the end of a couple of events I annually hold, the Winter Cookout, a Memorial day cookout/camp out, and My Christmas Spaghetti dinner party because of a conflict of scheduling with my sisters Christmas party. I hope to be able to revive them in '09. The relatively new tradition of cooking spaghetti and spending Christmas eve with Walt and his family though took place again. After dinner we went to this old church in Mentor called, Mentor Christian Church. The congregation started way back in 1828. The new church, if you can call it that, was built in 1915. It was so cozy and such a throwback to earlier days, what a wonderful way to spend Christmas eve. The church is rectangular, with a balcony above. They still play the organ. For the close they lit candles, shut of the lights and sang Silent Night. Walt said he kept looking around to see if John Boy from the Walton's was going to appear. Christmas it self was quiet but Friday I made another pasta dinner and had friends over and gave them their gifts. And tonight, Tuesday, I was invited by Walt and his brother Steve & his wife Monica to see Trans Siberian Orchestra. WOW what a show, the best way to describe it is its like a religious acid trip. You have to see the show, everyone needs to at least once. What a audio and visual experience.
So it was an up and down - up and down year, lots of good and some bad. Wonder how '09 will play out.

HAPPY NEW YEARS FRIENDS!!!
Gotta GoGo!!
Carey