I'm back! Here is an assortment of Saturday tidbits.

And now I've rectified the problem of the prior 24 hours, in which I slept only 3 1/2 hours and ate only 1/4 of a donut. Sleep is great!!!

I'm feeling a bit better than I was when I made the last post. I think the Hawaii trip that is now only NINE days away is serving as a lifeline for me. I chatted last night with one of my friends who is making the trip as well and we can barely contain our glee--it felt like we were college students planning spring break. I cannot wait!



Here I am, coming back to the surface.

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So finally, I can write a bit. I am proud to say the eating more healthfully thing is working quite well so far. I have lost 6 pounds since beginning to pay attention to what I eat and when I eat it. The 1/4 of a donut day was a fluke--I haven't been starving myself, just thinking more carefully about what I eat and taking steps to have healthy foods available nearby.

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Over the last few weeks, I have benefited greatly from the Democrats' sweep of Dallas County courthouses in November. One of my cases requires frequent visits to court and a frenzy of activity at the initial stages. In that case, the other side is constantly trying to game the system instead of just getting down to the matter at hand in a forthright and fair manner. And our judge--one of the newly elected Democrats--is having none of it. The courtroom feels like a different place, a fair place where common sense and what we all know to be true replace the old system of looking the other way or even lending a hand while lawyers flaunt the rules and do what they wish on the twisted principle that the end justifies the means. What a breath of fresh air!

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Have any of you been following the jury selection in the Scooter Libby perjury case in D.C.? I wish I could be there to see it in person. It sounds like a joke! They are at the stage of the case in which potential jurors are asked questions designed to reveal their relationships with the players in the case as well as their biases. Potential jurors with direct relationships and those who say they cannot set aside those biases are supposed to be excused from the panel. Only in this trial, every juror is thrown out who says he/she doesn't trust the administration, doesn't like the war in Iraq or doesn't think Cheney or others can be believed. Not surprisingly, they're plowing through jurors like, well, soldiers in Iraq, and have very few left standing. Dan Froomkin's Friday White House Briefing contains an interesting summary of the process.

By the way, have you met Dan Froomkin? He is an independent writer for those Post who writes a daily column tying together all of the coverage--and other news beyond the mainstream coverage--of the doings of this Administration. There is a twist of opinion at the beginning of every column as well. I am a faithful daily reader, as there simply is no more complete collection of such information out there. It's a quick read, but an enlightening one, if you're interested.

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My heart smiled yesterday when I heard that Notre Dame's star receiver, who happens also to have been drafted by the Chicago Cubs, has forsaken football and signed a contract with the Cubs. Only 40 days, 2 hours, 52 minutes till the first spring training game!

I hope you do things this weekend that make your heart smile!