A change would do me good

CHANGE and HOPE were the big words during Barack Obama's presidential campaign. CHANGE for this, HOPE for that. There was going to be a massive eruption of CHANGE, spewing hot HOPE all over us. Some CHANGE was inevitable, no matter what. Bush couldn't be not elected again so there was going to be a new president, no matter what. But it was Obama who made HOPE and CHANGE the two keywords of a battle cry that was taken up by the masses. Well, I'm a mass so now that all the inaugurations are over, and president Obama is fully inauged, I'd like to take a second and see if the CHANGES that have occurred since he took office are what I HOPED for:

• Average temperature in the Tampa Bay area: about 45 degrees. Personally, I'm thrilled. Others, not so much.
• No reruns of The Daily Show, the Colbert Report or Late Night With Conan O'Brien yet!
• Standard bearer of excellence in the National Football Conference: yep, still the Arizona Cardinals.
• Tacos were .20 each (limit: 10) at Taco Bell...for one day.
• The stock market is either dramatically up or down or pretty much the same. I have no idea. I don't follow the stock market.
• The last time I got gas it was $1.57 a gallon. yesterday, it was $1.83. I think that may have happened before Obama was sworn in and I just haven't driven much lately. But come on, man!
• Superbowl-related hate crimes are at an all time high.
• Historical dramas about our greatest living Americans are not being given proper consideration for major awards.
• Carjackers don't understand how babies work.
• Tampa Bay Lightning have not lost a single game. In fact, they haven't even trailed in a game. Yet they are not currently eligible for the NHL playoffs. This is the kind of obvious injustice I expect Mr. Obama to eradicate.
• I was promised more cowbell and have yet to see evidence of increased cowbell activity. Sure, the amount of cowbell right now is adequate, but more would certainly be better and a promise is a promise.