Only because I need one little shot of cynicism before heading into the full-on candy cane and dancing elf portion of the holiday season, I’ve been pondering some of the news stories that have made me do a double take this week.

For instance, how on earth does Rod Blagojevich not understand that his political career is over? Even on the unlikely chance that he’s found totally innocent of all the charges that the government has already proven on tape, nobody is going to take him seriously as governor or anything else, and no one but another crook with something to gain is going to vote for him again. And yet, he fights on, and resists all the calls for him to resign so that Illinois can move on. What is he thinking?

Also, the good man that we elected president justifies his invitation of Rick Warren to do the invocation at the inauguration by calling it “inclusive,” when that is the very last thing that Rick Warren stands for. He’s anti-gay, anti-choice and a slap in the face to the base of Obama’s supporters. And yet, he’s the one chosen to say a prayer at a public event (but let’s not even go there). Can’t Obama at least invite one other, more ecumenical preacher to counteract the nasty taste this other guy leaves? What is he thinking?

Okay, one more. I read that General Hospital is going to bring back Natalia Livingston to play an all-new, non-Emily character. Oh, please. I never liked her as Emily and I think she’s a bit of a block of ice as an actress, and I cheered when they killed her character off. Then I cheered again when they finally cured Nikolas of the brain tumor that made him see her ghost. And now they’re giving her another shot to bore us to death? What are they thinking? (I definitely hope they’re not thinking of bringing in Emily’s long lost twin to break up Nikolas and Nadine.)