Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit, look who's here!

Today was an exciting day in our area, as President Obama made the scene in Elkhart, Indiana!

Elkhart is a little east of us, as you can see on the map below. (The red X is approximately where Nutwood is.) Air Force One landed at South Bend Regional Airport and the motorcade made its way over to Elkhart. (Cousin Shane flew back from New York today--I just heard from him, and although he didn't experience any delays, he said that some things were changed a bit to accommodate the President's visit.) As I recently mentioned, Elkhart County is hurting in a bad way, with 15.3% unemployment. The President was introduced by an out-of-work Elkhart resident, an RV worker, who is worried what he'll do when his unemployment benefits run out. President Obama spoke for about 20 minutes, then took questions from the audience in a town hall-style format for 35-40 minutes, followed by lots of handshaking on his way out.

He was accompanied on this trip by several Indiana and Michigan politicians, including Senator Evan Bayh, Congressman Joe Donnelly (our congressman), and Congressman Fred Upton of Michigan. A surprising absence was Senator Richard Lugar, who was apparently invited on the trip but declined. Senator Lugar worked closely with then-Senator Obama on some things, and there has always seemed to be a mutual respect there, so I'm puzzled by his absence. Dan wondered if he was being pressured by the GOP. If so, that's a cryin' shame, because Sen. Lugar has always been a great legislator and an asset to Hoosiers. I'll be writing to Sen. Lugar in a moment and urging him to support the President on this.

Oddly enough, the President mentioned something in his speech that I just wrote about: while it's easy to talk numbers, 15% unemployment, 50,000 more jobs lost, etc., we have to remember that there's a person behind every number. That was my philosophy when working in the lab...never forget that those numbers are real people. I think it applies here, too, and I thought it was pretty cool to hear him say that.

I thought he did a great job, and was very well-received. The calls were not prescreened, so he was going in blind, and had to answer a question about some of his Cabinet selections and their tax problems. The crowd kind of started booing her, but the President was like, "It's all right, it's all right...it's a legitimate question," and went on to reiterate that he made a mistake, and that he is committed to changing the culture of Washington. The woman also inexplicably made the comment that she thinks he should "have a beer with Sean Hannity." What kind of bonehead comment was that? He handled it well...said he didn't know Mr. Hannity had requested to have a beer with him...that Mr. Hannity has made no bones about not being a big fan of his...but he's always good for a beer.

I just enjoyed the hell out of watching this today. It took me back to the heady days of the primaries, and then the Presidential campaign. He's so damn good at this. I thought one of the most powerful things he said was that hey, people in Elkhart want to work--nobody's asking for a handout! He got a big cheer for that one, and he's right. Not just in Elkhart, but across the country. Have you seen the pictures of the lines in Atlanta and Chicago for job calls? People want to work. We need to do something to provide job opportunities for them, whether through job creation, job training, or education. That's why I support this, and why I think it needs to pass.

Off to write my Senator! And no matter how you feel about this or any other issue, I encourage you to write your Senator or Congressman. You might be surprised at how responsive they are, and I've been fortunate in that I've always gotten thoughtful responses to my letters. We have the power and right to be engaged in our legislative process, and I also believe it's a responsibility that we shouldn't take for granted. Happy politicking, y'all! And don't forget to watch the President's address tonight.

Are you well? Plus poll results!

Today I went up to Buchanan, Michigan, to Ken's workplace nuclear generation headquarters. AEP sponsors a wellness program for employees and spouses, and you get a cholesterol screening, glucose, and several other tests. Also a free flu shot. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that while my cholesterol is slightly above normal, and my LDL (the bad stuff) is a little high, my HDL (the good stuff) is so high that my ratio is "good to ideal." My triglycerides are also normal. The person we talked to about our results said that my HDL levels are those of someone who works out every day. What the heck? I don't work out at all! She said it can also indicate a high metabolism, so that must be the deal. That runs in my family, so thanks, Mom and Dad!

My bone density is also still low, so she mentioned a couple of supplements I think I'll try to find. My blood pressure is great. My Body Mass Index is "desirable," but my percent body fat is "poor," so it's time to start using our home gym! And I did indeed start using the elliptical today. Good grief, I thought my legs were going to snap off! I've got some work to do, that's for sure. However, I'm glad about getting started, and I'm glad I did this screening. And I got my flu shot, to boot! I give AEP huge credit for offering this program. As added incentive, if you sign up for their wellness program and go through this screening, they give you a $100 gift card. Is that sweet, or what? So Ken gets one, and I'll get one, too. THEN, if we enroll in health coaching, and meet two goals, we each get...another $100 gift card! The woman we spoke with said they're pretty easy goals, too, like eating more fruits and vegetables. I've already decided to start working out, so there's one right there. I wonder if finding a calcium supplement I can tolerate will count, too?

I have only one complaint about the whole thing. They did fingersticks! Ugh, I hate those, and they hurt worse for me than a needlestick. I have great veins, I'm not afraid of needles, and I'd be happy to take a poke in the arm over a poke in the finger!

I was glad to get my flu shot, too. I'd always gotten it for free at the lab, so when I saw that it was $30 at a local clinic, I was bummed. Thank you, AEP! Everyone IS planning on getting their flu shot, right? Even if you aren't in a high risk group--and since I no longer work with patient specimens, I'm not--if you're around someone who is, protect them from getting the flu from you. (For example, my parents are in their eighties, so they are at risk.) It can also stop the transmission of the virus and reduce the risk of an epidemic or pandemic. Influenza can be a killer, folks. Uh-oh, looks like I've got an entry to work on! Spanish Lady, anyone?

After I got back to South Bend, I stopped by the catering place and paid the balance for our dinner this Saturday. It looks like we'll end up with 110 people, so it's a good turnout! The woman I had met with before wasn't there--she'd just stepped out to run a business errand--so I met with a very nice young man named Travis. He ran the card, then we chatted for a moment. He said he'd probably see me Saturday, because he's the chef! After I got home, I had an email from Ken to up the number of people, so I called and talked to Debbie (who I met with last week). I said that Travis had been very nice and took good care of me, and Debbie said, "Actually, he's my son!" So that was pretty cool--sounds like a family-owned business, and I couldn't have been more impressed with both Debbie and Travis. I hope his cooking will be equally as impressive!

One last thing for now. The other day, I put up a poll asking if Obama's pick as his Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, is a hottie. Feel free to keep voting because the poll is not closed, but as of this evening and after 75 votes, America has spoken: Rahm Emanuel is officially a hottie. Results were overwhelmingly in favor of his hottie status, with a whopping 84% thinking yeah, I'd do him...and 16% saying, nope, not my cup of tea. I thank you all for participating, and I have to say that your comments were very entertaining! I hope you don't mind that I had a little fun with this, because I think it was good for us all to get a chuckle out of it. I hope that Congressman Emanuel wouldn't mind my little poll, either, but based on the results, I'm sure he'd be fairly happy about it.

So...who's next? Will Indiana Senator Evan Bayh get an appointment? Doubtful, but he's definitely a good-looking guy. George Clooney and Matt Damon were big Obama supporters...will there be spots for them? Can foreign-born people serve on the Cabinet or be appointed to government positions? If so, I'd like to lobby for Daniel Craig. This administration could be a dream come true! (wink)

With apologies to my dear husband...you know you're my one and only, dear!