Elise Sereni Patkotak

As I look for ways to secure my financial future while our markets melt down and politicians dither on bailing out executives with billion dollar assets, I find myself wondering if I’m finally too old to make money on the streets…either begging or hooking. I’m beyond having too much pride for either. 

So McCain had to suspend his campaign to run back to DC and save us from financial disaster. Hmmm…wonder where he’s been the past thirty years while deregulation and greed replaced motherhood and apple pie as the symbols of America. And why can’t he debate Obama?  Is he too old to multi task? How about letting his VP choice continue to run the campaign for him? Oh wait. That’s right. He doesn’t trust his campaign in her hands. He trusts our country in her hands but not his campaign. Geez!

Each time I watch McCain explain how he represents change in Washington, I get the mental image of a pretzel in my mind.  Is he really so old and senile that he doesn’t remember that he represents the party in charge?

I see a paper cap and the words, “Would you like fries with that?” in my future.  Or maybe no paper cap and the words, “Welcome to WalMart. Would you like a cart?” Yeah. That’s a better way to go. No greasy smell to ruin by Value Village used clothes.

So this is the American dream writ large.  My little savings is threatened while the White House bails out people who make more in a year than I’ve made in a lifetime. Who would have ever thought…..?

Went walking with the dogs along the same path as the one we took the day the bees attacked. As we got closer to the driveway that had harbored the bees, both Blue and Blondie moved to the opposite side of the road. Blue in particular decided that she wanted to walk right next to my leg. In fact, if I’d have let her, she would have preferred to crawl up my leg and hide until we passed the driveway. When she realized that wasn’t going to happen, she went over and got next to Blondie, placing Blondie between her

Boy, I guess I must have taken a longer nap than I thought because when I woke up, I found that Palin had abdicated being governor of Alaska and somehow the McCain campaign had been elected in her place.  I don’t want to put too fine a point on this but, as an Alaskan, I must ask. What the hell is going on? Why are McCain’s people answering questions, holding press conferences and getting their noses and other body parts in the middle of Alaska issues. Hell, McCain came in a distant third in the Republican presidential primary here. So

My dogs and I were attacked by a swarm of bees this week. How was your week?

Those of my faithful readers who have some strange desire to learn about the more insane workings of my mind as I write should head over to http://49writers.blogspot.com and check out an interview I did there with Andromeda Romano-Lax.  Fair warning…it may destroy all illusions you have about the way a writer’s mind forms thoughts and opinions.  Alas, you will find that with the exception of gods like Charles Dickens, most of us are all too mortal and pedantic in our creative process.