My uncle (Sam) brought me to Washington in 1986. I've never wanted to permanently leave. When I first joined the Army I had the notion of moving every three years, living in exotic places and really getting to know the country and the world. Then I had kids and never wanted to move again. Nevertheless, I have had the opportunity to spend time in Virginia, California, Texas, DC, Florida, Wisconsin, Panama, Korea and Germany - all at the invitation of the government. It solidified my desire to stay, although I did entertain a job in Germany. I loved it there, too, and thought it would be great for the kids. Now I do my travels on my own dime. There are plenty of places I still want to visit, for extended time to get to know the place, but age and commitments make that unlikely. I do have a friend with an apartment in Italy, though, and a nephew who is moving to Spain...

We lost our dog, Augie, in December, at 16. He adopted us when he was 6 or 7. He loved our travels in "Harvey", our RV. Our younger son has an albino pit bull, Moxxie, who is adorable. So, we haven't had another dog adopt us yet. And our last cat left us nearly 6 years ago (although he now lives with a friend, so I do see him occasionally). When son #2 gets his own place, I expect another animal will find us. Losing companions is painful, though, and I do miss them terribly.

A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.

Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich