The Doldrums

It's slow out there. The first two weeks of the new year are quiet for cabdrivers. It's the same every year so I don't fight it. Why work twice as hard for half the pay? I'm all about striking while the iron is hot, along with its converse:  Lolling around while the iron is cool.

So, I've been doing a lot of hanging out. Today, taking advantage of the freakishly warm weather, I went wandering the streets of Burlington, smiling at little kids, petting dogs and saying hello to the folks in the street. Jeez, I sound like a political candidate.

Speaking of which, are you totally wrapped up in the political season? As a lifelong political junkie, I can't seem to stay off the Web and the tube. Seven years of a President Bush administration has left me bereft. I am yearning, aching for change. I find myself obsessing about the daily ups and downs of the campaign. This is not always the best thing for my mental and emotional well-being. I could probably use, what my buddy calls, a media fast, but that's not going to happen.

Anyway, here come the college students. This is the weekend of their return. Plus, the locals are beginning to recover from their financial and emotional excesses of the holidays. So, it's back to work in earnest for hackie . . .