I did, pretty much, Charlie; Thanks for asking!

Several nights a week we watch the ABC news after or during dinner, depending on how late we're running. I'm not sure why we are brand loyal to ABC news, but it may be because of Charlie Gibson. He has an affable style. We need more affability in the world. Too many people hollering. (That's not a political comment; it's a cultural one. I have some questions about the health care tome now on the table, but I don't see the need to holler about it.)

I sort of like it when Charlie ends with his trademark "I'm Charles Gibson and I hope you had a good day." Charlie says it with such sincerity, in my view, that I feel he would not mind if I emailed him back and said, "Yeah, Charlie, I did. I had a good one", and this would actually make Charlie perk up a little bit and maybe walk with his head just a little higher.

Charlie's sign-off always makes me pause and reflect. Did I have a good day? Like most people, I suspect, on a scale of 1 (miserable) to 10 (ecstasy; utopia is achieved), most days run in that 4-6 range. Nothing great, but no huge loss, either.

Then, lately, I mix in a sub-theme from a recent sermon I heard, to the effect that we should all be expecting blessings every day. In other words, the attitude should be that good things are expected. I suppose that's called "optimism", something I need to work on. I am certain that on more than a few days the "blessings" pass me by, unannounced, unnoticed, and unappreciated. My bad.

Sometimes, if you stick to the ABC news all the way to the end, and get past the day's casualties in far-off countries, the tsunamis and earthquakes (usually in the other order), and the rest of the bad stuff, they are careful to tack on a positive human interest story at the end that helps you feel good again about the whole sordid state of affairs. Tonight, there was a feature on a guy stuck in a wheelchair who goes hiking, often pushing himself up mountains, backwards, in his wheelchair. And that guy is ecstatic about getting out there and scaling some heights. That's pretty inspiring.

On the other hand, it gets fairly depressing when you realize that you are in this glaringly obvious target demographic that actually watches network news. In other words, you are over the hill. I would reckon that about three-fourths of the advertisements supporting the network news are courtesy of pharmaceutical companies pushing pills. Pills for cholesterol, pills for blood pressure, pills to adjust attitudes, and that still-perky Sally Field pushing "Boniva" (I want a job just coming up with drug names). Yeah, the news ain't MTV.

So we end up, at the end of the news, after seeing how the day has gone for the world, after the pill pushers have tailed off, with Charlie asking us about our day, and I sit through the next few ads pondering how things have gone since the sun (and, presumably, I) rose this morning. And I have to say that, really, most days, I had a pretty good day and I am glad that someone is asking. And then, before I know it, Pat Sajac is walking out on a glittery set holding Vanna White's arm, the wheel's a-spinning, and a bunch of hyperactive contestants are hollering for "big money". I hope those contestants have a good day.