Election 2010

I'm not really in a position to complain about last night's results. For the first time in my life I didn't vote. Not because I didn't want to... but because I couldn't get home in time to do so despite plans to leave work early.

I'm grateful that Jim Himes and Dick Blumenthal will represent Connecticut. I know them both and they stand apart as among the few with true character and sense of responsibility.

Still some lessons to be learned - at least my personal take:

1 - Money don't buy votes: witness the brilliant smack down of Linda McMahon and Meg Whitman. Combined, they spent nearly $300 million. That money could have been much better spent. Sorry that women are setting such a terrible example.

2 - You can't win just on your record -- Unfortunately, this is something my friend Peggy Reeves found out here in CT. She was the first local state rep to actually get something done in Hartford in over 20-years, yet she did not promote her victories with the local press. While I counseled her to write regular editorials, get in front of the public and put out regular press releases -- she didn't. Her opponent, however, did. I believe that visibility (and a lot of negative support from disenfranchised republicans), was what led to her defeat. Basic PR could have made a huge difference.

3 - Don't believe everything you read/hear from the media -- wild and often erroneous reporting at one point put Paladino in a dead race with Andrew Cuomo. During the race, I listened to a report on polling numbers that had them neck and neck. We have to stop relying on these polls. Cuomo's brilliant strategy, let Paladino lose the race just by opening his mouth.

I believe we get the representation we deserve. Sorry Florida. Sorry Wisconsin. Etc. More Gridlock is on the way.

And my last lesson. Next time I'm voting early.



TEXT

Food, Love, Sex

Newsweek reports this week here about the differences between how men and women write about food. As someone who is an emotional eater, it hit a cord. It was interesting that the story only talked about the differences in how the sexes write about food, and not in how they eat or see food as a part of the larger cycle of romance, love and relationships.

The first book that delivered that message was Like Water for Chocolate. And it changed forever how I saw the relationship between love and food -- or feeding the heart.

I recently traded a batch of ginger cookies for work on my car. Nothing beats great cookies and it's amazing what men will do for them.

Lessons from My Dog

I know there is a book idea about what I've learned from my dog. Perhaps this will Chapter 1. Roxy is my first dog. I had dogs when I was growing up, but she's MY first dog. She's now 11 and she is dying of kidney failure. She's been dying now for about 6-months. She's not in pain. But she is rib-bone thin and sleeps 90% of the day. I decided when we first learned that she was sick to bring a little joy to her life every day. I started to take her to a little park not far from the house. She knows when she is going there. As soon as we pull into the parking lot she starts to make urgent moaning sounds to get out of the car. As soon as her feet touch down she wiggles with excitement and heads down the now familiar path at a trot. My other dog Kayleigh follows her. Side by side they run through the undergrowth, leap over branches and bound over rocks. They are happy and joyful.

I've learned from Roxy how important it is to have happy moments every day. A walk in the woods - even a 15 minute walk - clears your mind, brings you back to nature and provides much needed time to experience the moment. One small moment a day makes all the difference.