Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year! Here’s hoping 2007 is a very good year for you and yours, and that you got what you wanted (or needed) out of 2006.

Apropos of nothing, and most definitely not rubbing it in, my head is perfectly clear this morning and I feel fine. The thought occurred to me (for the briefest of moments) this past week that perhaps a bit o’ the bubbly wouldn’t be a bad idea on New Year’s Eve. I immediately dismissed that thought for two reasons: (1) drinking champagne alone is just SO far beyond the pale as to make no sense at all, and (2) the flutes are long gone. (I’m something of a stickler when it comes to the proper vessel for alcohol.) So…I limited the spirits intake last evening to two-fingers of the Emergency Single-Malt (Glenlivet, of the 12-year-old variety). Which reminds me: I’ve yet to renew the supply of the preferred single-malt. Must add that to the to-do list…

If you happen to be under the weather today, then take two of these and go back to bed. We’ll wait.

Well…SN2 put the second post up on his blog yesterday, so I have to believe he’s ready for some linky-love. Drop by Sam's Rants 'n' Raves and welcome him to the blogosphere!

Don’t be looking for New Year’s resolutions here…you won’t find any. The closest I’ll come to a resolution is this: I resolve to do my best to keep breathing this coming year, and to keep the shiny side up. Past attempts at resolutions only produced angst/guilt at my failure to act upon my best instincts. I don’t need that. Might this be low expectations or a failure of imagination? You decide…

I’m Late to the Party, Once Again… Only 76,157 folks viewed this before me, but hey… here’s a metal/hip-hop song I can really get behind: "Open Season" - Stuck Mojo. The music is good, but it’s the lyrics and the visuals that really ring my bell. Six minutes and 41 seconds of good stuff. (hat-tip: Chap)

Continuing on with the “Late to the Party” meme… Here’s an article I meant to link last week yet didn’t. The actual message of the article isn’t as interesting (to me) as the opening graf or two:

WASHINGTON -- Almost all Americans see themselves as "middle class.''

To declare yourself middle class is to say you've succeeded without openly bragging that you're superior -- a no-no in a democratic culture. You're like everyone else, only a little more or less so.

Not surprisingly, a recent poll done for the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank, finds that only 2 percent of Americans put themselves in the "upper class'' and a mere 8 percent consider themselves "lower class.'' The large majority classify themselves as "upper-middle class'' (17 percent) or "middle class'' (45 percent). The rest (27 percent) see themselves as "working class,'' a stepping stone to the middle class.

Interesting, eh? But not too surprising. We are an egalitarian society, and my personal experience confirms that fact, for me. The great majority of successful people I’ve known described themselves as “middle class,” and only a few of those folks added “upper” to the middle-class tag. I’d have categorized those folks that considered themselves upper-middle class as “upper-class,” myself. But that’s just me.

There are many ways to slice and dice this class thing. Income is the most common, I suppose, but how you earn that income is germane, and then there are such things as zip-codes (where you live), and your familial origins. Values and taste enter into the equation, as well. The great thing about this country is our distinct lack of a caste system. One is truly free to be what one wants to be…there are virtually no, or very few, limits to one’s upward (or downward!) mobility in America when you come right down to it. And that’s a good thing.

An aside: I found out early on that the best, fastest, and most certain way to begin an argument with The Second Mrs. Pennington was to throw out an off-hand observation to the effect of “But Hey! What do I know, anyway? I’m just a blue-collar kinda guy…” “You are not!” she’d snap and we’d be off to the races… Now I ask you: What else would you call a beer-drinking, hockey-loving, retired sergeant, if not blue-collar?

Today’s Pic: Indoctrination. SN1, SN3, and Grandson Sean’s legs. Getting the guided tour of an F-16 cockpit, Cannon AFB. April, 2003.