Happy New Year?

Friday, January 2, 2009 – 8:15 P.M.  It seems to me that the New Year began with a thud, rather than a bang.   I spent New Year's Eve watching 2008 go out with a whimper from the streets of New York City. (I, of course, was stuck here in Denver.) In my opinion, the entertainment provided by the various TV stations was lacking in almost every department. We did not get to see much of the crowds and their activities, because the faces of the news commentators were plastered all over our television screens.   The one thing I had been looking forward to seeing was Dick Clark. I remember him from the days of my youth when he, too, was young. Little did I expect to see a much older version of this man. I knew he had undergone two strokes, one or two years ago, but I was still unprepared for his new appearance.   Because I am a fan of Anderson Cooper, I tried keeping my television tuned to CNN, but this became a chore thanks to a loudmouthed comedienne, named Kathy Griffith, who could barely keep quiet long enough to let others have their say. If that were not bad enough, she used some of the foulest language I bet that had probably ever been aired on the network. I will be highly surprised if she is a co-anchor again next year.   For most of this week, I have been trying to recover from my visit to the hospital last weekend. While whatever I had seems to be gone for the most part, I seem to be having some occasional abdominal pain, which comes and goes. I am scheduled to see my doctor on January 12, and if I am still having the pain at that time, I will mention it to him.   Tomorrow I am scheduled to go have some type of a luncheon at my brother's daughter's house. I have been wishing for some snow, so that I will have a legitimate excuse not to go there. My wish almost came true, as they are calling for up to three inches of snow beginning at noon. That is not, unfortunately, enough to stop me from getting there.