I have alot of photos from the past several weeks that I should post up, but in the meanwhile, I wanted to wish everyone a very happy new year. I know that 2008 was really tough for alot of people financially, but I always try to maintain a positive outlook and surround myself with positive people. The last couple of weeks have been especially tough as I close in on two years living in Hong Kong and working on alivenotdead.com -- lot of personal issues to sort out and an honest desire to see my family and friends in the United States and, of course, lots of challenges at work as we try to make sure that alivenotdead.com overcomes the financial turmoil and comes out as a success.
As a consequence, with all of these complex problems, I always try to take comfort in SIMPLE pleasures. Here are some things that I'm really grateful for in bad times...
1. My new baby nephew Julian: I still haven't met him face-to-face but I already love him to pieces and can't help showing his cute baby pictures off to everyone around me. Having his picture at closehand is almost guaranteed to bring a smile to my face. Here's the latest, greatest baby video that's guaranteed to make you (and me) smile...
2. Good reading: I read voraciously, and fortunately (or unfortunately) what I read can actually have a pretty big effect on my day-to-day mood. When I read Haruki Murakami or Chuck Paluhniuk, I get sarcastic and cynical even though I love their books. I read Love in the Time of Cholera and went on for several weeks feeling extra romantic. Right now, I'm reading A Hundred Years of Solitude -- even though I haven't reached the end, I can already tell that it's going to be a favorite, even better than Love in the Time of Cholera. Colorful, witty, sweeping, occasionally romantic, occaisonally crass -- it's just what I need during this cold winter.

3. Obama: Well, actually, not so much Obama as it is the end to eight years of darkness in the United States run by idealogues. I'm old enough now to know that Obama, too, will disappointing us many, many times in the years to come. However, what I'm most optimistic about is that we're bringing some COMMONSENSE sanity back to the White House -- a government run by a REASONED, PRACTICAL TROUBLESHOOTER and not an idealogue who claims values, but then goes back and trounces on them with actions. Yeah, there was a point in time when I was a liberal idealist, but time and a broader worldview has now taught me that sometimes you need someone who can keep you safe, keep people in their jobs, avoid unnecessary wars, etc... rather than someone trying to solve moral questions of little practical value. That's my hope for Obama...

This may be the darkest time for the United States for several generations, but Obama is dramatic evidence of our constant ability to surprise the world and evolve into what's needed at that "unique moment in time".