Posted By Carlo on December 31, 2008

It’s very cold this Wednesday, the last day of the year. The snowplow guy cleared the driveway, the windows in the car roll down, our big dog Pearl romped in the white stuff until her paws were iced. It’s beautiful, austere, that time of year when things turn. There’s the promise of warmth. Or is it merely anticipation?

To catch up since I last wrote. I just published my first piece about watches, a feature about RGM Watch Company in Lancaster, PA. I wrote the piece. The pictures are by Rich Roberts, my friend who took me to six countries (including Malta) in 2006 and to China in 2007. Rich is freelancing now, too. Here are links to International Watch (check out Archives for my story) and to RGM:

http://www.iwmagazine.com/
http://www.rgmwatches.com/

I’m planning to report on two other watch-related stories in Florida in the first week of January: a watch company named Krieger and the collection of R. Donahue Peebles, the noted African-American developer I’ve been reporting on for more than 10 years. Keeping busy has not been a problem.

As for 2008, it’s been turbulent. My family lost a lot of its wealth, as did everybody’s. The real estate market tanked, American cars went in the toilet (I’ll be reviewing them for Northern Ohio Live starting very shortly) and as for politics, it was bizarre. The greatest news—it’s still fresh, still moving—was Obama’s election. We’re having some friends over for the inaugural, which will be a time to party indeed.

We just visited Karen’s brother Mark and his long-time love, Sally, in Ann Arbor, an oasis in devastated Michigan. Quick trip; we took both girls, along with Katy’s boyfriend, Nick. Fast but fun, and longer than the Christmas week visit of Karen’s other brother, Eric, and his family. Family’s ever more important. So is keeping in touch.

Tonight, Karen and I are going to a friend’s house for what has become a New Year’s Eve tradition. I hope the conversation is lively. Hopes for 2009, after a year in which economics fused with politics to provide a feast for news junkies, sure are.

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