Seems like just yesterday we were all worrying about the Millennium, and it’s 2009 already. So far, so good.

Our local comedian Andrew Kennedy tells me that it is time for the annual Comedy Central 2009 Stand-Up Showdown. The competition started December 22 and runs through January 23. The comedian who receives the most votes by that date will have his or her Comedy Central Presents aired in the Top 20 Countdown on Sunday, January 25. You may have caught one of Andrew’s hilarious local performances, but if not, take a look at andrewkennedylive.com to get an idea of his humor. Then cast your vote at comedians.comedycentral.com/standup-showdown.  Or text your vote by sending the text STANDUP KENNEDY to 66333.  Good luck, Andrew!

The Newtown USPS office on Commerce Street is requesting that town residents with mailbox delivery make an effort to keep boxes clear of snow and slush, and make sure that there are no objects or snow banks blocking the mailbox. This will allow the carrier easy access to your mailbox and a pleasant delivery service for all involved. The carriers have enough to contend with this time of year, what with icy roads and snowstorms, so let’s do what we can to help them out.

I thank my lucky stars for my thick, furry coat that keeps me warm. But I understand that there is a very thin-coated greyhound from town that has lost his way home and is in dire need of a warm, safe shelter. If you spot a long-legged, big black dog with a white chest, it may be Elwood, who has been missing since December 23 from his Turkey Hill Road home. Try to coax him in out of the cold, if you get close enough. Or call the Pansa family at 270-5566 or 241-3617, or one of the greyhound organizations involved in the ongoing search for this dog at 914-763-2221, if you think you have seen Elwood. Without his jacket, the fat-free hound is going to be pretty darned chilly. I’m keeping all of my claws crossed that Elwood makes it home to ring in the New Year with his family.

The thing that has amazed me the most as I have glanced over the year-end roundup of news is the incredible generosity of Newtown residents and businesses this past year. When not donating goods or signing checks, Newtowners are donating time and energy toward projects to benefit the less fortunate near and far. If a neighbor is in need, someone steps up to offer help. In times of loss, there is someone there to lend a shoulder to lean on. Anonymous donations and donations from children, organizations, and special events helped stock the depleted food pantries in town when the call was put forth. Newtowners traveled to third-world countries and across oceans to lend a helping hand, and volunteers have traveled the local roads to make sure that others do not go without. “Nicer In Newtown” seems, at the very least, an understatement. I offer my special “Good Egg Award” to each and every member of the community who reached out in 2008. You know who you are!

Now that winter is spitting out one snowy day after another, it is time to line up some sidewalk shoveling help. The Newtown Youth & Family Services has a job bank. There may be a Newtown youth in your neighborhood willing and able to help with clearing away the snow and ice before it becomes hazardous, so give the agency a call at 270-4335. It helps out a job-hungry young person, and saves you wear and tear on your back.

I opened one eye when I heard the crinkling of paper one day last week, as I snoozed on the couch at Club New Fit on Commerce Road. Staff members were posting notices all about the club for a new mini spa that has opened there. Facials, waxing, and other beauty treats are now available several days of the week, with discounts for the treatments during certain hours. If I didn’t love my whiskers so much, I’d be checking it out right now.

I hope that everyone has been enjoying the changing window artwork at Andrea’s Bakery on Queen Street over the past few months. The art is the work of artist Vallerie Weymouth and since her first window painting appeared for Halloween, it has been a delight to watch the paintings evolve from one season to the next.

Now that the holidays are coming to a close and things have quieted down, I feel certain that you will find time next week to…. Read me again.