A relaxing winter vacation

I took two weeks off from work in order to celebrate the holidays, and it has been a fun time. I drove back home from DC, and arrived back in Michigan, where the temperature hovered in the single digits. It was cold enough that my windshield wiper fluid froze up, since the reservoir was still filled with the summer mix. I did not have to experience too many days of the cold, because a couple of days later, I flew out to Denver to visit with my family for Christmas. My flights were uneventful, which was a nice contrast to all of the people stranded in Chicago and New England. Christmas was fun, and then I flew back to Michigan.



One of the nice things about being on vacation is that I can take the time to make a nice lunch. Today, I made up a baked Rotini and Cheese with andouille sausage and roasted poblano pepper. This is definitely not the Macaroni and Cheese that you remember having as a kid. It was slightly spicy, but not hot at all. I plan on trying this recipe in the future with the dried form of the poblano - ancho chiles.

White House Tour

On Saturday, I had the rare opportunity of taking the Christmas tour of the East Wing of the White House, as a friend of mine had arranged for me to get a slot on the tour. While I have previously toured the West Wing, this was the first time I had seen the East Wing. The East Wing is amazing from a historical point of view. Some of the artifacts that are on display include formal state china sets, original American furniture sets from the early 1800's, and a portrait of George Washington that was rescued from the White House before it was burned in 1814. The architectural detail of the White House is amazing, and provides a sense of refined elegance. For example, if you look at this panoramic tour of the East Room, you can see the details of the moldings around the doorways. To celebrate the holiday season, the Blue Room had a Christmas tree that rose all the way to the ceiling, and was covered with ornaments that represented each of the fifty states.

If you ever get the opportunity to take a tour of the East Wing, I would highly recommend it.

Welcome to the recession

The National Bureau of Economic Research is generally accepted as the authority for determining the periods of recessions within the United States. Today, it announced what most individuals have already suspected, which is that the US economy has been in a recession since December 2007. So now the question is, how long will the economy remain in the doldrums?

The US Government is trying to spend its way out of the recession, and has been throwing US taxpayer money at almost everyone who is holding their hands out. The spending frenzy is going to get worse, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promising today to have a $500 billion dollar stimulus package ready for incoming President Obama to sign in January. When you combine that with the $800 billion TARP bill, the $180 billion stimulus package from earlier this year, and other irresponsible spending by Congress, it is likely that the total increase to the national debt will be on the order of fifteen to twenty percent over a two year period. The US is spending way beyond its means, and sadly, the US taxpayers are on the hook for every cent of it.