Articles by mgedwards

Who's the new Ambassador?

Dr. Condoleezza Rice entered the State Department today for the first time as the new Secretary of State.  She entered in from the main entrance and briefly addressed employees.  Her introduction comes just five days after former Secretary of State Colin Powell departed for the last time.  Let’s hope the transition will be a smooth one for the department.

The story broke in the news earlier this week that the U.S. Ambassador to Korea, Christopher Hill, will be appointed Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs.  Ambassador Hill has been serving as Ambassador to Korea since August 2004.  We met Ambassador Hill and Mrs. Hill while he was en route to Korea, and we were very impressed by him.  We are sorry to see him go, assuming his appointment will be confirmed by the Senate.  We still don’t know who the new ambassador will be.  I hope this transition is also a smooth one because Seoul has seen two ambassadors, Ambassador Thomas Hubbard and Ambassador Hill in less than a year.  It’s an excellent opportunity for Ambassador Hill, and we wish him well.

Johnny Carson, we'll miss you!

Beloved comedian Johnny Carson passed away yesterday at the age of 79.  He passed away peacefully in his sleep.  Carson hosted NBC‘s "The Tonight Show" from 1962 to 1992.  I remember watching many of his shows as well as video highlights.  He was hilarious!  No matter who came on his show, he was always the star of the show.  He will be greatly missed!  Johnny was a class act.  While I also enjoy David Letterman and Jay Leno, no one could host a show like Johnny did.  It was a sad day when his final show was broadcast back in 1992.  I remember it now.  From what I have read Conan O’Brian will take over "The Tonight Show" from Jay Leno in 2008.  I am not an O’Brian fan.  His humor is much too sardonic for my tastes.  I sometimes enjoy this type of humor, but it can be draining watching an entire show filled with sarcastic humor.  While O’Brian is fine as a late, late night talk show host, he definitely is not Johnny Carson.  Johnny’s humor was sharp and wry, not laced with the kind of malice that often accompanies O’Brian’s schtick.  Johnny, thank you for leaving us so many good memories we can enjoy in reruns and on tape.  With not much to look forward to on late night it’s good to have you to watch.

So the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots will be in this year’s Superbowl contenders.  My all-Penn Superbowl hopes didn’t pan out after all.  That’s OK with me.  This year the NFL may want to consider renaming the Superbowl the Liberty Bowl, Independence Bowl, Revolution Bowl, or some patriotic-themed name.  I’m an AFC fan and had to suffer through 13 straight years of NFC Superbowl victories in the 1980s and 1990s, so I might lean towards rooting for the Pats.  However, the Pats won the Superbowl last year and smell of dynasty, while the Eagles have never won it all and have made just one Superbowl appearance.  Plus, Boston already savored victory with the Red Sox winning the World Series.  My hat probably has to tip towards the Eagles this time.  Still, at least it will probably be a game worth watching this year because it seems to be an even match.

Today I didn’t have to do much to do to prepare for our impending trip to Korea.  Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been running ragged doing a bunch of miscellaneous tasks in anticipation of our relocation.  Most of the logistics have already been set into motion, so now we pretty much just have to wait until packout in a couple of weeks.  I used to be a procrastinator, but no longer.  With all I have to do I no longer have time to put things off until the last minute.  Thankfully, on days such as these I can catch a breather.

 

More snow and no TV

Yesterday it snowed several inches.  It reminded me of the snowfalls back home; gentle giants that last a long time and slowly dump a lot of snow on the ground.  My family sneaked out to run some errands before it hit.  Afterwards, we stopped for breakfast and watched the snow accumulate.  For the first time in a long time I enjoyed the snow.  It’s the weekend and I have nowhere pressing to go.  Usually snow is a nuisance to me because it snarls traffic and halts commutes, but when I have nowhere to go it’s usually enjoyable.  I doused my son with some snow, and we enjoyed watching the apartment complex’ hired snowplow get stuck and unstuck.  I’m just glad I didn’t have to drive anywhere yesterday.  Driving in snow isn’t too difficult, but with all the crazy drivers and unplowed streets it can be nerve wracking.  After we returned home I studied Korean and spent time with my family.  It was a relaxing kind of day I haven’t had for a long, long time.

We also stayed home today.  Tonight an old friend is coming for dinner.  I’ve known him since grade school.  We lost touch for many years until a mutual friend reintroduced us.  Now he’s coming over to say goodbye before we head to Korea.  It would have been nice today to watch the NFL Championship football games on TV.  Philadelphia and Atlanta via for the NFC championship, and Pittsburgh and New England will play for the AFC championship.  It will likely be Philadelphia and New England (we’ll see tomorrow), although I’m partial to an all-Pennsylvania matchup.  That would be fun.  I’m an AFC fan, but the Eagles have never won a Superbowl so I’m not sure who I would root for if the all-Penn matchup happens.  Unfortunately, I can’t watch the game on TV.  We disconnected our cable because we never watch it, so now we can’t watch it when we want to.  However, it’s still a sacrifice worth making because we no longer have to pay those exorbitant cable fees.  I guess we’ll have to have fun around the table instead of in front of the TV–just like it was in the old days.