WFO Radio Show Archives

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Back from Hiatus!

It has been a while since I’ve put my thoughts to this blog. I am happy to hear that many people out there have been following and even awaiting my next entry.
A lot has happened in the past few weeks. Let’s review.

We saw the turn of the New Year, which is always one of my favorite holidays. 2008 was a tough year in many ways but I would have to rate it as another good one. We watched the Florida Gators become National Champions, again. I root for the University of Miami, in case you’re curious, so that is just factual information. We, also, were faced with our first January without testing at Daytona. I can honestly say I missed it. I missed hearing the sound of the cars and catching up with the drivers. Testing at Daytona is the first signal that the season is right around the corner. That having been said, I got over it pretty quickly. The 2009 Daytona 500 is going to be a “run what you brung” affair that I’m looking forward to seeing.

We also learned of a true hero, Chesley B 'Sully' Sullenberg III. As the pilot of U.S. Airways flight 1542, he literally saved the lives of over a hundred people. I think it’s time we reserve the word “hero” for the people that truly deserve it. After the successful ditching into the Hudson River, Sully said, “that he was just doing his job.” Not only is he a hero, but he is humble too.

On Tuesday, January 20th we saw the swearing in (twice) of our new President, Barack Obama. I know that some people are not sure about him and others flat out, don’t like him. That is their right to do so. I, on the other hand, feel very good about the direction of the country. I felt very proud to be an American while watching the inauguration. In fact, I found myself getting emotional at times. The fact that we are able to exchange power in a peaceful way tells you a lot about our system of government. 2 million people filled Washington, DC and braved the cold for a historic day that I will always remember even though I was warm and on the couch.

Finally, we learned that General Motors is no longer the top automaker in the world. It was surpassed by Toyota who is now number one. The two giants of industry have been battling for the top spot for the past several years with GM coming out on top. This year, it went the other way. While the fact is just another example of how our country’s economy is in trouble, I see it as an opportunity. If our new President can get things turned around in a couple of years, the day GM retakes the number one spot will be one we can all be proud of.