SAAAAD Week!

I was never very good at Politics, they just did not interest me. THose of you who have been reading me awhile, remember Wanda and her very public opinions of our government. I envied her, even though I did not agree with her opinion, at least she was passionate enough about it to put it in print. I just voted the way I thought I should, never delving into the issues very deeply. I went the easy way, and thought I was doing good.

Wanda got me thinking, and then I started watching TV more and more and listening to the talking heads, and their opinions. THey confused me even more, because there just was no place where you could go to get an unbiased view of the issues and candidates.

Then one Sunday morning about 5 years ago, I watched MEET THE PRESS with TIm Russert and got hooked on politics. Tim had a way of interviewing the candidates and holding them to what they had previously said, that showed their true leanings. I watched MEET THE PRESS every Sunday from then on...

Friday I was shocked to learn that TIm Russert had died suddenly at age 58 of an apparent heart attack. Stunned is a better word. He CANT go now, we have an election to get through. How am I supposed to form an opinion if I can not get an unbiased interview with the candidates? How am I going to watch the results of the elections without Tim and his magic White Board and Sharpie? I feel like I have lost a very good friend. MEET THE PRESS will never be the same. He was likeable and admired by EVERYONE! He would put each person he interviewed on the hot seat and make them wiggle. He said he would call BIG RUSS his father, every Sunday after the show and get his take...he could spot a phony a mile away. Tim valued his opinion, and the next time he interviewed that person, he would ask them again an imortant question, and if the answer was NOT the same, he would have it on the monitor and read it verbatim back to them...SQUIRM!!!

I have, in the past 5 years learned to listen to the issues, and ask more questions of myself, and form my own opinions. I think I have a candidate in mind, but I am not sure, the election is still several months away. I do have questions and I will listen for the right answers.

THen to top of my weekend, I decided to catch up on my blogwalking and read some of those that I have not read every day, as they have been on hiatus, or not blogging for one reason or another. I cliked on MAYAS GRANNY and was stunned to read that she too had died over the weekend. She was a Senior CItizen who lived in Juneau, Ak and was still working because she had to. SHe had a small apartment up a hill, and stocked her apartment with books and her HOOLIGANS..her cats. A few months ago she collapsed, and her daughter moved her back to California to be closer to her finding a home for her HOOLIGANS. MAya's Granny was very depressed about the move and the upheaval in her life, and she just did not make the transition very well.

SHe wrote with such spunk! She was very alive in her mind and spent last year writting about her memories in aswer to questions that her daughter had asked. Hard questions sometimes, but they got you thinking. Not just the typical "tell me about your childhood..." but questions that would tell a story in their answers.

SHe left a wonderful legacy to her Daughter and her grandchildren, and hopefully they will leave her blog up for awile, so the rest of you can go back and read her memoires too.

Rest in Peace Tim Russert and Maya's Granny!! You will both be missed.

(I dont have an edit bar so I cant link but her blog is at mayagranny.blogspot.com
go read her archives!)