Oh, hope *indeed*.

Another year older and deeper in...?

The advantage to only posting once a year or so is that I can get a completely random reminder of how I was feeling the previous year. I was really excited about the Obama administration, and how!

After a year of slogging through the muck while watching a Congressional super majority whittled away, I too have fallen into the "enthusiasm gap". I wish it were an actual chasm into which I could throw some Dem strategists. I mean, *who* thought Creigh Deeds (VA gubernatorial candidate '09) would pull out the Obama "surge voters"? No, really! I don't get paid the big bucks for campaign strategy, but that one didn't pass the straight-face test in August of last year. And now look who's in Ted Kennedy's seat? But I digress.

The good news: Jess and I got married! It was real nice. We're just now getting together the picture books and videos, so sit tight. Our pal Jill took 3,000 pictures -- I joke that we could create a flip-book to reenact the wedding for people who weren't there. Kidding aside, they are beautiful pictures, and it was a wonderful time. We might actually get to do the paperwork in DC soon! Fingers crossed. We have not yet had a honeymoon and are trying to sort out where and when.

Lately: Survived snowpocalyse, which basically allowed me to catch up on sleep. Tomorrow I'm headed to Knoxville for the USAS national conference -- what's a little 8-hour drive among friends?

Lots happened in the last year overall, much of which now escapes my addled brain. This winter Jess and I took a roadtrip to Alta Dena with my mom and stayed with Jess's fabulous Aunt Jackie and Uncle Ed. It was my first grown-up visit to the beloved La Brea Tar Pits, a mere four or so blocks from the apartment my parents had when I was born.

I won't stay long, but will get something more up here before February 2011. I'm beginning to find Twitter's character limit insufficient at times.

Yours,
-Max