One Year Ago Today

I was preparing to travel to Bonita Springs, Florida for a legislative leadership conference. It was wintry and cold in Dallas, so it was difficult to pack light, warm-weather clothes — even though I knew the temps in southwest Florida were in the 70°s.

I had just been interviewed by the New York Times (who made me sound a little ditzy).

I was planning a vacation with my brother and sister-in-law, who figured on having a last hurrah before they started a family.

The US states had just started to get an inkling of the budget trouble that was coming down the pike (PDF).

We were still in the midst of primaries for the US presidential election. Neither party had a nominee yet.

Doesn’t it feel like one hundred years ago?