Happy New Year?

I have reached a level of insanity that is not healthy. Today is Rosh Hashanah. In our public school district, we get the day off- along with Yom Kippur. The kids are thrilled- a day off and they don’t have to do anything because we are not Jewish.

We are Unitarian, Zachary pointed out. We could celebrate if we wanted to.

I nodded. We could.

A restless pack of teenage boys showed up at my house. They are all way too comfortable here. I was lying down upstairs in my room with a terrible headache. I had just downed a couple Advil. Suddenly, there were boys in my bedroom, yammering away at me, messing with my cats, who were of course on the bed, too.

I would like to know where the fear of the evils of lesbianism resides in these kids!

They wanted me to drive them to a movie. Or pick them up. Something. I said, My head hurts. Can you see I’m lying down here?

Yeah, just a ride one-way.

I paused. I thought about what gave me the headache. I thought about the insane markets going up today- NO NO NO, you stupid idiots, we need to go down. Lower. Or stay even. But even I have to agree with President Bush on a day like today- you’re all acting drunk.

No, I said. We have on demand. Go pick a movie and hang out. I’ll get you pizza. You don’t need to be spending 8 bucks a piece at a movie theater when we have plenty of movies here.

Somehow, the crowd grew a bit larger by the time I walked downstairs to order. Hmm.

Forty bucks and a house full of teenagers later, I realize I have clearly lost my mind.

The Senate promises action. The markets go up. When the Senate fails to pass something? The markets will crash. If they pass it? We’ll be back in La La land again, where earnings are not only unachievable, the money being thrown at them is unsustainable.

Then the House Republicans, enjoying their moment of historic glory, will vote it down again. The market will tank again. The American people remained glued to the news while people on Wall Street continue to make some seriously big money.

It’s ironic, that today starts the High Holidays, the beginning of a new year. I am not sure how this year will turn out. What will happen to our country as we face a defining crisis of our generation?

No doubt, we are headed towards a few more days of awe- my guess is a few more than the ten between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

I doubt there will be any atonement happening on Capitol Hill or Wall Street in ten days, or ten years.

I can’t keep up. I’m not sure I want to.