Fearing the Cliff

If 13 is an unlucky number, what about 2013?

In the good news/bad news department, the formerly newsworthy and constantly in-your-face "fiscal cliff" has all but fizzled out. Just like college freshmen cramming for finals, those hired hands known as our Senators pulled an all-nighter on New Year's Eve and cinched a deal in the very last second of the very last minute before the deadline. Actually they finished a tad over the deadline, but still close enough so that the news is reporting we did not go over the cliff, but are kind of sliding down it on our butts.

That's the good news; the bad news is that in light of their eleventh hour solution, one wonders just what the heck our lawmakers have been doing up until last night, but I guess it's best not to know. Cliff-wise, the desperation to keep the story alive among the media is palpable, with each and every journalist assuring us that, despite the apparent agreement, there are still plenty of sticking points. As CNN's Wolf Blitzer promised us, "this is not over." Phew, that's a relief!

Thus informed, here are my New Year's resolutions:
1. Pay no attention to the media.
2. Ignore irrational fears.
3. Snowshoe as much as possible.