What Have I Done Now
How am I going to get to Boston for the marathon on April 21, then the Central Coast of California for Wildflower Long Course on May 3? I don't know. But I'm signed up for both. And actually, I've got the airplane tickets and hotel reservations for Boston already, so that's set. Wildflower? I need a tough triathlon to get me ready for Coeur d'Alene on June 22. Somehow, it's gotta happen.

Oh, yeah, also on the agenda: mud.

Not Wearing Well
Ignoring his politics, Huckabee can at first glance seem refreshing, a little different, not your usual politician. Then it becomes clear what he really is: a televangelist. Smarmy and fake. Ugh. Check it out:

Contest Time
OK, start with this premise, as reported last Saturday in the New York Times:

The increase in incomes of the top 1 percent of Americans from 2003 to 2005 exceeded the total income of the poorest 20 percent of Americans, data in a new report by the Congressional Budget Office shows.

So the contest is to get the American people to understand that WE ARE GETTING SCREWED.

Prize for the person who can do this: The Presidency.

All Weather Is Local
Dan Berger writes about one of the possible curious effects of climate change -- that in the coastal wine-producing valleys of California, it's getting cooler.

Early studies show that Napa, Sonoma, and to a lesser degree Mendocino and Lake counties, may actually be cooler for a number of years as the interior valleys grow warmer.

I'm eager to see the data. However, anecdotally, I'm kind of on board with this analysis. I lived in Napa from January 2000 until June 2007, and except for occasional heat spikes, was struck by how generally moderate the summers were. Day after day in the high 70s and low 80s. And though my recollection is a little blurry, at least five of the seven vintages were considered "cool." Meanwhile, the world was obviously getting warmer, especially Europe.