Gab's Blabs

If I were Obama ...

If I were Obama, with this being my first day in office, I'd remove all the bushes surrounding the White House. Maybe put in something that blooms, and changes and grows.

Of course, it would have to require minimum pruning.

What's in Your Bucket List?

I’m sitting in my office, multi-tasking, trying to write a couple of articles about Lincoln as well as watch We Are One – The Obama Inaugural Celebration. Tomorrow commemorates a huge, absolutely huge day. Barack Obama will become America’s first black president.

Unfortunately, I’m only catching glimpses of it as my cat keeps standing in front of the monitor. Why do they that?

Today is the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Tomorrow, Obama’s first day in office. We are witnessing a key moment in our lives that will be etched in history books to come. This is bigger than when Jimmy Carter was chased out of a boat by a rabbit.

It is about time that America rips up the race card and throws it out … along with Bush, thank you very much. Obama has broken barriers that were once in the history of America, insurmountable.

This goes to show me that nothing, absolutely nothing is impossible. Well, I may never get to be an astronaut. But hell, I could some day be a rocket scientist … I’ve only got about 1,148 semesters until I get my Ph.D. in physics.

I don’t know about you, but I’m inspired. This feeling of motivation I’m sure will be with me until I drink my third bottle of Corona tonight, which says a lot.

I’ve decided to revisit my bucket list. Two, no three, wait, no four items on that list stand out for me. One, blog daily – Guitar Hero will just have to wait ... for now. 

Two, give more of my money to the WWF … not the World Wrestling Federation. The other one - World Wildlife Fund. Although, I do enjoy an occasional smack down. So, maybe I will donate some money to promote a wrestler … what the hell.

Three, (oh, wow, there’s Bruce Springsteen behind my cat’s head. Einstein, LAY DOWN! What a great intro. I love a powerful gospel choir.) I plan to start singing again. I have a set of pipes (I once sang at a jazz festival with Ella Fitzgerald – highlight of my life) and dammit, I’m not going to die saying shoulda, woulda, coulda if you know what I mean. Mary J. Blige and Yolanda Adams are my greatest inspirations. I hope one day to inspire someone the same way. I hope that I’ll inspire them TO sing, and not to say, “That was terrible. Please tell me if I ever make a fool of myself like that.”

Four, community service, community service, community service. I don’t care what it is. Counting my children, I have six usable legs and six usable hands. When I think about all the wonderful things we could do for the community, I get stoked. Meals on Wheels, animal fostering, planting trees, reading to children, care packages for the homeless – the opportunities are endless.  

So, what has this momentous time inspired you to do? What’s on your bucket list? And what are your baby steps to accomplish them this year? And, most importantly, how do you plan to give back to the community this year? Ever consider the WWF?