Veteran’s Day. This is a special day for me. It is a special day for many men and women of this nation who served their country in the US military. We all served different branches, at different times, during war and during peace. But, we are all brothers and sisters in arms. Like Memorial Day, Independence Day and D-Day, this is a time for reflection for the ultimate sacrifice that many made in the name of freedom. It is a time for reflection to honor those who are in VA hospitals, maimed for life or mentally affected for life. From the men who suffered and died at Valley Forge to the men and women who suffered and died in the Battle of Fallujah, Iraq, our finest have served their country. It is not for us to judge the actions of our government. That is/was not our task. Our task was then and is now; follow orders. God Bless our troops.

President-Elect Obama. It appears our soon to be president can’t wait to get into the White House. He has already created a new federal office before even taking office. We now have an “Office of the President-Elect.” I’m not kidding you. I thought he was over the top with that presidential-like seal he was using during the primary season. I thought it was ridiculous for his acceptance speech as the Democratic Nominee to be held in this Greek Parthenon looking platform. But, this is just too damn much. He’s made some really bad steps in just the one week since he was elected. From his dissing of Nancy Reagan to this latest monstrosity, is it any wonder why people are scared what he’s going to do once he’s in the Oval Office? It all smacks of a man with a tremendous ego. He demonstrated during the campaign he had a thin skin (booting reporters from the plane whose newspapers endorsed McCain). I guess us common folks better keep “clutching our guns and bibles.”

Gas prices. I paid $1.99 for a gallon of gas yesterday afternoon. I can’t begin to express my shock over that. I never thought I would see gas that low again. I have no doubt it will begin to rise and possibly hit back in the $5.00/gallon neighborhood. But, as long as this economic slowdown is with us, I am curious just how much people are going to be willing to pay for gas if it does get back to what it was during the spring of this year. People aren’t going to be doing much visiting during the holidays, in my opinion. Some people, if not most, just can’t afford it this year. That’s bad. But, good in one respect that the demand for gas will continue to fall. We’ll see if the price for a gallon of gas continues to fall.

Finally, it appears President-Elect Obama isn’t the only one with a big ego. Ralph, my pet beagle, has become something of a celebrity in my family because he is so prominently featured in my new blog novel, “Diary: Alone on Earth.” I’ve sent the link to many family and friends. Some are confused by it, some are horrified I could create something so…well, horrifying. And some actually like it. But, they mostly like it because Ralph is mentioned so much. Unfortunately, except for the first day, Ralph is missing in action most of the time. I won’t say whether he ever makes his way back…or if he is “gone” for good. But, that doesn’t stop people from coming over and demanding Ralph “give them five.” He’s even given one friend a paw-print as an autograph. Ralph is a celebrity and doesn’t even know it. Or does he?