The Life Aquatic...Colbert Announces His Long-Overdue Candidacy and Sherwin-Williams Covers My World

It's been a nice week. A calm week. A week of sending out submissions and resumes and the clarity that comes with considering options, wants, desires and fish. Yes, fish!

The aviary is no more. Fish are swimming in the space where birds formerly flew. It's a nice change, much quieter and I love being close to water, be it the ocean, a swimming pool or even an aquarium.

I'm still loving tending the "home fires" and enjoying every minute of it. With the walls finished in the lovely warm shade of "Radiance", the cabinets have now elicited my attention. I'll post some photos of them when they are finished - I have a lot of cabinets so it won't be today or tomorrow, but I'm making great progress. I'm reminded by my friends that it IS "progress, not perfection". Progress is easily attainable. Perfection is an impossibility and chasing it is an exercise in pointless futility. I know this, and still sometimes I get tripped up by the illusion of it.

Monday found me lunching with my friend Jimi. Artisan Cafe seems to be our new "hang out" and the great food and eclectic ambiance seems to fuel our creativity. Monday Night I attended a great meeting among good friends and, afterward, had a very delicious dinner with my friend David. He treated me to a fine meal at Laterna, a Mediterranean Restaurant with fantastic food. I enjoyed a beautiful salad and the spanikopita was not to be missed. Thanks, David, for the good company, interesting conversation and also for allowing me to vent just a little, and the Bruce Springsteen CD collection! I know you're working hard to convert me.

Tuesday, my son invited me to lunch. We found ourselves at Henry's (surprise!) and had a wonderful time.

After lunch, Justin and I decided to throw ourselves into setting up the aquarium, selecting plants and, finally, filling it with 55 gallons of water and hoping for the best! I hadn't used this aquarium in several years so I wasn't certain of it's sturdiness but, fortunately, as Justin and I held our collective breath when filling it the tank blessedly held water and all of that held great promise for the possibility of fish in our immediate future.

Wednesday, I met yet again with my partner-in-crime, Jimi, for another lunch but this time, we met up at "Flaming Amy's" and it was, as always, the best Mexican food in town. I had the taco platter and Jimi had, well, I'm not sure what Jimi had and I don't even think Jimi knew what he had, but he reports it was great. It was a quick lunch - he had lawyer stuff to attend to and I had to go fish for, well, fish! I came home with a few mollies and swordtails and I figured it would be a safe bet to go with cheap fish, not knowing the state of my water chemistry. As of this writing, late Thursday Afternoon, I'm happy to report we haven't lost a fish yet . These poor fish are consigned to being guinea pigs but they seem to be doing, well, swimmingly!

Earlier this afternoon, Justin, in considering matters of aquascape, went to Pets Plus and came home with a replica of a broken down ship - he christened it "The Andrea Gail", from "The Perfect Storm" and we're hoping "fish will gather again for the Andrea Gail" and remain healthy and lively. He also bought a cannon statue for the other side of the aquarium and it looks pretty cool. In addition, he added some kind of large gold fish and two crayfish.

It's actually been a lot of fun transforming an aviary into a space for an aquarium. Justin and I were musing about all of the animals that had, at one time or another, called that 55 gallon tank "home". We could readily recollect - a ball python, a pair of chinchillas, a Sulcata Tortoise, a marine tank (salt water fish - not a branch of the US Military), a pair of chameleons who's courtship culminated in the laying of eggs back in 2000 and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few creatures. We've had a wide and varied clutch of critters in our day. And now we have freshwater fish...the tradition continues.

Finally, we sat back and watched as the huge gold fish looking specimen found his way around the tank. The mollies and swordtails look very diminutive next to this new giant, but even with the addition of the cannon (A Civil War Motif?), there have been no reported skirmishes. Perhaps an atmosphere of detente has spread through the tank. Let us hope it remains this way.

In a nation that sits in rapt attention, poised on the edge of its seat and mesmerized by the latest antics of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton and considers their rehab romps as "hard news", electing the "class clown" as "commander-in-chief" seems absurdly apropos, and why not? We allow pirates to practice law, record songs centering on nonexistent pies and self-publish books of purely made up self-righteous whimsy, sailing around the Neuse River clad in nothing more than a smug, self-serving smile, so who better to lead the lot of us into the next four years than a man who at least owns up to his own gags and admits it's all pure folly? I respect that he's honest about where he's coming from and that alone is a refreshing breath of air.

I was thrilled to learn that Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Nation), has tossed his funny hat into the crazy presidential ring. Now, this is a candidate I can whole-heartedly support. Why? Because at least he's letting the rest of us in on the gag. The other candidates pretend to be serious and honest, whereas Colbert doesn't make such a promise because he knows he can't possibly keep it - and there is a "truthiness" in that he's NOT serious and IS funny.

Running as a "favorite son" of South Carolina, on both a Republican and Democratic platform, (aren't they all?), it's nice to be "in on the joke" from the beginning whereas the other candidates don't afford us that decency. There is some kind of skewed integrity about the whole thing. I'm ashamed to say I've become so cynical about politics and candidates that I can't really see why Colbert wouldn't be at least as formidable than the line-up we currently have. We're almost guaranteed to laugh more, and that's healthy. He'd be far more entertaining and, again, at least we "know" where he's coming from.

I for darn sure would vote for Stephen Colbert over Hilary, Obama, Edwards, Fred Thompson and probably even Guiliani, because I really don't like his wife and none of those "also rans" make me laugh, smile. or believe the first word that comes out of their nonstop talking heads. No question about it - Colbert comes attached with a better team of comedic writers and the rest of them could take a few lessons, in my humble opinion. Lighten up, I say. I'd definitely attend a Colbert Rally. Not only can we laugh at Stephen Colbert, but we're afforded the opportunity to laugh with him. Maybe he's exactly what America needs.



One thing about it - voting for Stephen Colbert for president would make far more sense than being engaged to a pirate. Oh my gosh, I am becoming sensible!

"Asking Sherwin-Williams", is a Very Smart Move!

And a word about Sherwin-Williams. I LOVE that establishment. Those guys have been patient and inexhaustible stores of knowledge in my painting adventures of late. They're suggestions have been extremely creative and customized to my projects. I've never gotten that brand of attention and professional know-how at Lowe's or any other store, for that matter. These SW types know their stuff and they're not too busy to understand that while it might just be a small, typical DIY job to anyone else, it's MY kitchen and it means something to me. Rock on, SW!

When I was trying to determine which shade of yellow to ply my kitchen walls with, Chris suggested an even better tint and when I went back in for ideas about what to do with my cabinets, the professionals BEHIND the counter customized a shade to compliment my walls and floor. Thanks guys! I can't say enough positives about the College Road Sherwin-Williams and I can promise you that any paint I buy from this point forward, will be purchased from those gentlemen at that store.