And let's also toast to the endless possibilities of a new Mary Worth story which will get underway in just another week or two as soon as this ridiculous toast is concluded.
Whoops. I hate to break it to you, but you missed the Nationals, honey. They ended on Sunday night in Cleveland. And it's too bad, because they really could have used you, based on the Washington Post article I posted yesterday. All of this build up, and you missed the big game. Perhaps Vicky can draw on her vast network of professional contacts and get you a job at the local Dairy Queen.
CLEVELAND, Jan. 25 -- The questions usually begin now, a year out from the Winter Olympics: Which of the United States' top female figure skaters is most likely to win the gold medal? Read more...
Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the first annual Worthy Awards, where we gather to pay tribute to outstanding achievement for 2008 in the comic strip series "Mary Worth" written by the estimable Karen Moy, and drawn by the legendary Joe Giella.
I'm particularly pleased to see Donna Amalfi win this award because her death took Mrs. Wanders and me to Chicago's Amalfi Hotel to mourn and sight-see. To read my two favorite posts of 2008, you can click here and here.
Seafood Scampi:
Not Tonight, Jeff:
This award recognizes a trend in the costuming industry: Less is more. And in this particular case, "less" is a whole lot more than anyone wants.
Lynn Griffin:
Sean Finnery:
This is Lynn's first Worthy Award; however, she recently won the Junior Championship Ice Skating Game, so she's no stranger to accolades.
This is the first time a panel featuring a supposition has received a Worthy Award.
Amazingly, this is Mrs. Cameron's first Worthy Award, but only because this is the First Annual Worthy Awards Ceremony.
After Lynn skates her long program . . . AND changes into her cute little battenburg lace collar outfit... AND cuts her choreographer's hair into a classic "Dawn Weston..."
I'm nervous because whenever Lynn wins an ice skating game, someone dies.
Lynn is very grateful her dad didn't show up. Boy, is she going to be furious when she finds out Frank was hiding in the top row of the arena, just eleven feet away.
I'm glad the choreographer is there to tell Mary how well Lynn is doing. Because to me she looks like she always does just before she faints. 
Yesterday I was so confused by the mysterious lady in the stands that I couldn't even post. Today, I am greatly relieved to learn it is Lynn's choreographer, who clearly approves of Frank's barbaric style since she's put up with it for so many years. Meanwhile, two rows behind Mary, Frank is hiding amid the National Figure Skating Championship crowd of 312.
Nothing is creepier or more inappropriate than having your coach hovering around the rink all the time! Much better to have an old lady you just met who has never skated in her life, but who did encourage you to estrange yourself from your only living parent, give you a push out on the ice.
Moments that seem to last for hours, hours that last for weeks, and weeks that last an eternity. Oh, please, please, please, move on to the next moment.
I don't mind that the story has come to a jolting halt, like a skate blade hitting a piece of shag carpet that somebody tossed out on the lake, because the Free Skate promises to be as action packed as the "Ice Capades Presents Indiana Jones on Ice!" What am I looking forward to the most? Finding out what song Lynn skates to so we can add it to the Charterstone Jukebox.
Lynn, skating free at the Free Skate. Earning the medal for herself. And for Dead Greg. 
Kudos to dear reader Robert for calling today's strip perfectly. I have to admit, I didn't see this coming at all. But then again, I wasn't really looking that hard.
Atlanta paper ...Atlanta Journal Coustitution is thinking of canceling Mary Worth! Please vote to Keep Mary in our paper.
The survey asks for an Atlanta zip code with your vote... 30333, or 30004, or 30022 are local...
Thanks for your help
Please go to
www.ajc.com/comicsvote
Looks like Frank has given up any hope he had of being a motivational speaker after he quits coaching. As Lynn would say, "Those who can't do, teach. Those who can't teach, coach. Those who can't coach, charge a $5,000 speakers fee."
"You won the Junior Championship later that year! See, here's the medal you won. No wait. This is a framed photo of the medal. The medal is on the wall. See. See your medal. I have a photo of it in my wallet if you want to see that."
There's something in the tone of Frank's denial that seems to say, "Does she know? Does she know that I cut the brake lines on that boy's car?"
Today's Strip has that Les Miserables feel to it. Very dramatic. Mary is so obsessed she forgets to take her hair out of its stealthy bun before brushing it.
In honor of today's inner-monologue montage (and my old employer - American Musical Theatre of San Jose, which sadly declared Chapter 7 last month after 75 years of service to the community), I've added "One Day More" from Les Miserables to the Charterstone Jukebox. It's about time we added a good ol' fashioned show tune.
