All in all, it's been a good year. We got our man, Barack, in the White House and gave him a decent-sized Congressional majority to help him enact his agenda. I can take some pride in being a part of that victory through my donations and volunteer work for his and Senator-elect Jeff Merkley's campaigns. I was even elected as a Democratic Precinct Committeeman. BTW, that is not a sexist term. Each precinct in Oregon has six spots allocated for each gender. It was really cool being on the ballot with BHO.
What's more, I was able to get a job that supplements my SS Disability check nicely and is such good experience that it makes it more likely that I still have some sort of career as a software developer to look forward to. After not being able to find any work since receiving my Masters in Computer Science in 2006, it was starting to look like my days in IT were pretty much behind me. Currently, I'm actually getting experience in Web application development using Java EE. No doubt all my fellow computer geeks out there know how valuable this sort of experience is. However this diary is about how I intend to spend a little of the extra money I now have coming in.
Since I was a young 'un, I have always had an interest in and fascination with reptiles. Recently, a close friend has gotten me interested in owning a corn snake specifically bred for the pet trade. Naturally, I would never take one from the wild, but like the idea of owning one accustomed and adapted to living with humans. In the wild these creatures are appreciated by farmers for keeping down the rodent population. They get there names from the fact that they hang out in corn cribs and eat the pests that can infest grain supplies.
They, and other closely related species such as the rat snake, help keep the population of disease-carrying vermin down, just as President-elect Obama and his allies have curtailed the spread of political vermin plaguing our country. Yes, you guessed it, I am going to name my new pet Barack. What's more, my intention is to christen each rodent he is fed with the name of one of our least favorite reactionaries. I'm sure this diary is leaving many of you speechless, so feel free to use the poll below to express your feelings about this glorious tribute to a historical political triumph.