So, another year is ending. How many times have you said something like, "where did the time go?" Or, "it seems like just yesterday that...?" Or, "How did THAT happen?"

The new just-out-of-college employees at work look like grammar school kids (they aren't, you're just older. We looked like them when we entered the work force. Yes, we did.); the days seem to go by faster the older you get.

There were deadly events in 2013. The Boston Marathon bombing. The typhoon in the Philippines. Key historical figures passed away: Mandela, Thatcher. There were disappointments: the U.S. Congress; the terribly managed launch of Obama's health care act; selfies.

There were good things: progress on the gay marriage front: a papal transition that has led to a more touchable Pope; a 14-year-old scientist took it upon himself to change the process for detecting pancreatic cancer so it can be diagnosed where there is 100 percent chance of survival (prior to his work, it was a 2 percent chance); and there's that 5-year-old Batkid in San Francisco who captured the everyone's heart when the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted his dream of being his favorite superhero for a day.

When you look back on the year as a whole, it was like other years -- good stuff, bad stuff and just stuff.

As we speed into 2014 (How DID that happen???), let's hope for more good news than bad, more successes than disappointments and, most important, good health and happiness to you all.

‘Twas the day before Christmas and all through the house, a couple of creatures were stirring and, damn, one’s a mouse! Oh, someone is reading this? I’m not afraid of mice!! Uh, no, I’m not!!!

Well, it’s a short post to wish you all (boy, do I hope it’s ALL and I’m not just talking to myself; then again, you really should be with your family, not me), a happy holiday, and very healthy New Year.

It’s been quite a year – what with the government shutdown, near government default and, on the bright side, adorable twin grandchildren born.. not to mention two other grandsons who graduated from high school. Oh, and I retired. So, big doings around the Cooper family.

Overall, a good year! Hope yours was too.

And, I hope 2014 is even better for us all, and world peace too.

Vladimir Putin: Humanitarian.

What a guy! He let Mikhail Khordokovsky (MBK) out of jail yesterday, purportedly (I won’t believe it until we see a free MBK). MBK was/is Putin’s primary political opponent. For whatever sins/crimes MBK may have committed back in the Wild West of Russia in the 90s, he was transforming at the time of his arrest into a legitimate political opponent of Putin’s and a more “Western” type of businessman. (Full disclosure: the agency I worked for represented MBK for many years and worked full-time at getting him out of prison; I worked on the account.)

MBK was arrested, at gunpoint and accused, the first time, of embezzling funds from his Yukos oil. He was, of course, found guilty after a Russian show trial. As he neared the end of his term in Siberia, more charges were filed. This time he was accused, get this, of stealing all the oil from Yukos!!! Must have hid it in his back pocket.  Guilty, again, his stay in Siberia extended. There were rumors of yet another set of charges being brought against him as his sentence was to expire next year.

Then, out of the blue (or red, since it’s Russia), Putin, after a four-hour press conference when a mention of freeing MBK would have been The News, announced MBK was being freed as well as other prisoners. Oh, did I mention the Winter Olympics open in Russia in seven weeks? The world’s media will be there and, of course, a lot of attention would be paid to Putin’s style of “leadership” (which, basically, is to throw anyone who opposes him in jail and take away “freedoms” from his people. Whatta guy!!!).

Of course the Putin Regime version is that MBK asked for a pardon which was granted. MBK’s laywer says he knew nothing of such a request. This is the same MBK who could have fled Russia before his arrest, but chose not to – knowing he would be arrested, found guilty, and incarcerated. This is the same MBK that, from his jail cell, wrote articles criticizing Putin. This is the same MBK who, despite what crimes he may or may not have committed long ago (none for which he’s ever been charged) chose to be separated from his family, chose to remain in his Russia and refused to give up his homeland, in the face of giving up his personal freedom. Did he ask for a pardon? I can’t imagine he did.

This is all another Putin fantasy created to further the image Putin wants for himself, in spite of what reality may be.

If it results in MBK’s freedom, I’m all for it. And if it truly is “freedom” MBK walks into, I look forward to his next steps politically. More important, I look forward to him seeing his family and meeting, for the first time, his American-born grandchild.

Thank you, Mr. Putin, there is a Santa Claus. Or something.

Retirement: Something you work all your life to reach. Something that means more travel, relaxation and enjoyment. No more
living by the clock. You’re old.

Today, I retired. It is the last day I will walk into and out of the offices of APCO Worldwide, where I have worked for the past 20 or so years. It is not the last time I will see many of my colleagues, who have become my friends. It’s not the
last time I’ll use my brain, because I am looking forward to more blogging, more writing, more volunteer work and other things to fill the days.

But it truly is one of those milestones in life you look forward to and then think: oh, my God, I am old! I know, I know, 60 is the new 40. That’s what “they” say. But when you’re in your 60s, you begin to think: Damn, I’m almost 70! And then
you hope you reach 70 and beyond. (Life’s achievements become so much simpler when you’re older. The goal is get even older.)

It’s been a lovely couple of weeks with folks taking me to coffee or lunch or dinner. I had a terrific evening the other night with those I’ve been closest to in the office. A night when my wife met all my work spouses (and the two men who
attended, too). A night to just talk and laugh with friends and colleagues you like, and trust. The "cone of silence" was lowered that night.

And it won’t be good-bye to those folks because they are the kind of friends you stay in touch with, not just say you’ll stay in touch. There have been tears shared with some of them. Thoughts of: I won't see them every day. And that will be weird and take some getting used to. Work, for me and others, I know, becomes in many ways the social center, too. And losing your social center takes some getting used to.

I’ll miss some things about work life. Those colleagues who challenged me. Those colleagues who made me laugh. Those colleagues who I learned from. Also, I always enjoyed working with younger folks who wanted to learn and grow and thought folks older than they are could help them find their way. I hope some I mentored are finding their way. I know they helped me find my way – I got as much from them as they got from me. They brought back the hope, aspirations and wonder of being younger and wanting to grow and mature in your work life. 

My farewell note to my colleagues today did not talk about my time at APCO being a “great ride;” Lord, I’m tired of that phrase. What I did was send a note that included “lessons learned” in my work life and that served me well, and I hope
will serve others well.

So (cliché warning!) as I “begin the next chapter of my life” I look forward to it, I fear it a little at the moment, and I wonder what it’ll feel like when I wake up one morning and realize – I have no where I HAVE to be, only places I want to
be.


 

President Obama may be staying in Washington, D.C., after his term expires. His youngest daughter,Sasha, will be a high school sophomore when his term expires and word is the Obamas don’t want to take her away from her friends and classmates at such a critical growing up milestone. A responsible parental decision, if it holds (meaning, assuming Sasha goes along with it), but it will be interesting from a former president’s perspective. Imagine, in a world of Twitter, blogging and Facebook, a former President of the United States staying within stakeout shot of the White House. If his successor employs the Obama (and Reagan and other presidents) strategy of blaming his predecessor, the media will have easy access to at least shooting pictures of the closed former president’s residence as they try to get his comments.

We’ll  see Twitter posts such as: “FFF (Former First Family) refused to open door to comment on president’s criticism of his health program”; or, “FP (former president) and FFL (Former First Lady) go to lunch on U street for their favorite smoked sausage sandwich”; or maybe: “FP, sans FFL, out with the boys to enjoy Wizards’ game.” Oh the joys!

Amazon is considering using drones to deliver packages in a half hour. So I see a drone out my window, hovering
over my house. I spot something in its grips that it appears to be aiming at my front doorstep. What could it be, I wonder? A gift from admirer? Maybe a gift from an enemy? It drops and it’s…. the latest book I ordered! And I just ordered
it 30 minutes ago. Of course, you’ll pay a premium for such rapid service. I just don’t know what I could order, from Amazon, that I would need that quickly. 
 
That Metro North train that ran off the tracks the other day was doing 82 mph when it came to a curve where it
should have been going about one-third as fast. Too early to know why the train’s engineer didn’t react sooner or slow down. But investigators are checking his cell phone to see if he was talking or texting. Four people were killed and dozens more injured. Whether the engineer was on his cell or not, please don’t text or talk on your cell while driving.

The Alabama-Auburn football game ended with a last-second 57-yard field goal attempt.  “Surprisingly”  the kick came up short. More surprisingly an Auburn back fielded the short kick and returned it, virtually untouched, for a 108-yard touchdown, winning the game for  Auburn and knocking Alabama out of any chance at the college championship game. Nick Saban, the Alabama coach and a coach everyone was looking at as coach of the decade, looks a bit dumb for attempting what wouldn’t have been a record-long field goal but sure would have been a whopper (the longest successful college field goal was 69 yards). Saban no doubt didn’t see a return for a TD off any miss (who could blame him?).