Daily Coyote

While reading my daily feed at dooce.com, I followed the recommended link to The Daily Coyote. This site is a MUST visit, if for nothing else, the pics will have you 'oohing' and 'ahhhing' over Charlie the coyote. Rescued after his parents were shot for killing sheep, the author took the 10 day old baby coyote and raised him on her own. Along with her orange tabby cat Eli and her latest addition, Chloe, the author has documented life with Charlie and the gang. Her photo collection is pretty awesome - there's some great shots of Wyoming (that have almost convinced me that I should pack my bags and head there asap), plenty shots of Charlie and not to mention some great ones of cowboys too!

The End of Another Chapter

I should probably be doing more important things instead of sitting at my desk and blogging. But forgive me, if you will, there are some things that I feel I must discuss.

Another chapter of my life has come to an end. On Friday of last week, I was laid off of my job. While the news was about as welcome as a bucket of ice cold water dumped on you in subzero conditions, I'm looking at this as a sign that it was time to move on. Of course, I was stalling, I'd been procrastinating for quite some time and this was a nudge to get me going in the right direction. Why was I stalling, you ask? Simple. I didn't want to say goodbye to the many friends that I've made.

Today, a group of about 14 of us met for lunch at Chuy's. I led them there under the assumption that this was my birthday gathering. Yes, it's my birthday. But I feel the invitation was sent out for far more selfish reasons than to celebrate my birthday. You see, I wanted another chance for us to all see each other again - to laugh - to make witty remarks - to gripe about some of the ridiculous bureaucracy that exists within the system. It was a selfish act, no doubt, but it was fantastic.

To all of my ex coworkers I say, "Thank You" for being my friend. Thanks for putting up with my stories (I know there were tons of them, too many in fact), my tendancy to ramble, my weekly clothing rotations and my incessant lectures about the bad effects of eating too much salt.

I think the future will be interesting. I'm excited to get to know these friends beyond the walls of the office and to see what their personalities are really like. We all have our 'office' personalities. Will they like me? Better yet, will I like them? Time will tell.

It has been a spoken, but undocumented, resolution of mine this year to follow through with things. If I say I want to get together, then let me make that happen. Stop the excuses, stop the laziness, make the effort! Keeping these relationships will definitely challenge me in this way.

But you, friend, no longer my coworker, you are worth it. Thank you.

Now, back to my resume.

An Open Letter to George W. Bush

Dear President Bush,

We are only days from the end of your presidency. Eight years is a long time and this has been an interesting road, to say the least. While many decisions that you made over your term where controversial and rejected by many, I would like to take this time to reflect on some of your positive accomplishments and my opinion on them.

You were tested early on in your presidency because of the unfortunate events of 9.11 - a day that, to steal from national media, defined your term. Instead of panicking in fear of what may happen to our nation, I was proud of your reaction. Like a true leader, instead of sitting still and waiting for something to happen, you took action against those who claimed responsibility. I was proud to be an American - I'm still proud to be an American, regardless of our so-called reputation.

Terrorism is a reality, and due to the radical extremism coming from the Middle East, it puts me at ease to know that we are protecting our nation. Does this mean I agree with all the actions taken to get to this point? Of course not. But if pissing people off in the end protects them, then I'm in agreement of these actions. I am upset about the casualties of the innocents, on both sides. And it's alarming to this day to hear of any loss.

In regards to the Katrina situation, and the blame placed upon you, I consider this to be utterly ridiculous. The devastation was unfortunate and something that I would never wish upon anyone. However, I remember with clarity the warnings from the National Hurricane Center that were issued days in advance to evacuate the City. Too many people refuse to take any blame upon their shoulders. And it was easy to blame someone else instead of pointing the finger back at themselves. The fact that you were racist came about - what a ridiculous statement. It was apparent that people were reaching for anything they could.

And then there is the matter of your speech. While I'll admit, I laughed at a few things that you said, even though, overall, I appreciate your down-to-earth personality. Whether anyone agrees with me or not. So many people claim they want someone that represents the people, that's not some sort of stoic figure who's unapproachable. But they want to nick-pick someone to death over gramatical errors. True enough they weren't the best timing, but I'd like to see some of your critics spend as much time in the limelight as you do and see how many errors they end up making.

George W. Bush, it's been a bumpy ride. We don't see eye-to-eye on everything, that is the truth. But as I reflect on the past eight years, I commend you doing a pretty decent job considering that more than 50% of America, and about 99% of all media outlets had it out for you.

Although you're not ending on the grandest of notes, I think you'll get your dues later down the road, especially after Obama takes office.

Good luck to you and Laura, whom, might I add was the best decision you ever made. A woman to be respected.

A Fellow Texan and Proud Conservative American,

Colleen Koenig